I love all of the signs of spring, but one of my absolute favourites is the new growth of climbing plants. The early shoots of clematis, honeysuckle and climbing roses have a way of gladdening the heart – I want to cheer them on as they climb, outwards and upwards, to embrace the new season. Climbers that flower in spring are especially valuable as they distract the eye from still-bare borders and from the messy brown foliage of bulbs that have just finished flowering.
Clematis spring to mind first (sorry! ) and there are lots of lovely spring flowerers. ‘Early Sensation’ is white with glossy, attractively divided leaves. ‘Apple Blossom’, a cultivar of Clematis armandii, has pretty pink flowers and evergreen foliage – it’s vigorous too, so good for evergreen screening of an oil tank. Clematis montana is a late spring flowerer with white or palest pink flowers, and mine covers an entire fence while also scrambling up any nearby tree as a side hustle.
Akebia quinate or chocolate vine is a more recent favourite, and can be quite vigorous too. The dangling flowers are pink and maroon with a chocolate scent, and the pinnate leaves are also delicately pretty.
If you have a south facing wall and are willing to put in the graft, Wisteria will provide you with a fabulous late spring show, and it’s lilac coloured flowers are gorgeously scented. Make sure you buy a grafted plant so you’re not waiting years for flowers. Although wisteria care isn’t complicated, you do need to prune it regularly to get good flowers, so think about investing in a safe, sturdy ladder as well.
Anne’s Tip of the Week:
Check your climbing plants for broken ties and tie in with strong garden twine, firmly to the support but loosely round the plant. Train new shoots in the direction you ‘d like them to grow and remember climbing roses should have the main stems trained as horizontally as possible, so that flowering shoots can spring upwards from these.
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