Latest news with #climbingplants
The Sun
17 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Six easy ways to add privacy to your garden with clever planting and the shrubs that'll even stay full in winter
SUMMER is great for being out in the garden, but it's not ideal when you don't have any privacy in your outdoor space. To prevent neighbours peeking into your garden or to just create your own private sanctuary of peace, an expert has shared six plants which can help. 3 Paul Parker, CEO of plants and perennials specialists J. Parker's, said privacy can be achieved using plants. From plant variety recommendations to practical seasonal considerations, his advice will help transform overlooked gardens into peaceful green retreats… Block sight lines An arbour, pergola or gazebo are all easy ways of increasing privacy if you're overlooked by upper windows. Cover any of these structures with beautiful climbing perennials or trailing plants to truly create your own natural private space. Varieties such as clematis, climbing hydrangea, and wisteria, are great for adding privacy to your garden, also these climbing perennials are flowering vines that will come back year after year. Cover up fences with evergreen climbers If you want to disguise fences, balcony railings or rooftop spaces, evergreen climbers are a fantastic solution. Star Jasmine would be my top choice, it's a hardy, vigorous grower with glossy evergreen foliage, so it's the perfect all-year-round cover. In summer, it bursts into fragrant, star-shaped flowers that fill your garden with an enticing scent. If you don't have a surface to grow against, create a living fence by planting shrubs or small trees close together to make a natural wall of privacy. Varieties like golden privet hedging or, for a shorter screen, Salix (like Flamingo Willow) are trendy options that work well to cordon off designated areas in your garden. Fill in gaps with bright annuals If you are looking for a quick fix and want help filling the gaps in while your perennials and shrubs take their time to establish, planting colourful annuals will provide you with the privacy you need this summer. You can use taller annual varieties such as sunflowers, foxgloves or sweet peas to create temporary screens or brighten up existing screens. Simply plant them into a row and consider adding a trellis or fence to give them extra support as they grow. Add bushy potted plants Growing bushy potted plants helps give you the cover you need, and they're mobile so you can move them around whenever you like. It's an easy way to improve privacy that also adds a good dose of foliage to your outdoor space. Choose plants that have a good width spread to grow a privacy wall of foliage. Create bamboo screens 3 Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants out there, making it perfect for creating a natural privacy screen. Just be careful because some varieties can spread fast and take over your garden if left unchecked. To keep things under control, grow bamboo in large, heavy pots to stop it from spreading and also to keep it stable in windy spots. You'll still get those tall, dense canes that are ideal for blocking out a peaceful corner in your garden. Include fast-growing ornamental grasses 3 Grasses can be used easily to create internal screens or hedges that flower beautifully, move in the slightest breeze, and need little care during the summer months. I recommend silvergrass or pampas grass to not only conceal your garden, but to introduce interesting textures. Their fast growth rate makes ornamental grasses ideal for privacy hedges because new plants can rapidly fill in any gaps. Top gardening trends of 2025 Gardening experts at Barnsdale Gardens has shared the top gardening trends of 2025. Matrix planting It seems that a top planting trend for this year is going to be Matrix Planting. In essence, planting in groups or blocks to give an effect of being wild whilst actually being carefully managed. Selection of the plants is essential, to give year-round interest either with flowers, seed heads or frosted/snowy spent flower heads. Some recommend using plants that seed around, but this could make managing your matrix planting harder to keep under control. Chrysanthemum comeback I hope that the humble Chrysanthemum makes as much of a comeback this year as Dahlias have over recent years, because the simple single flowered types, such as 'Innocence' and 'Cottage Apricot' would be spectacular within a matrix scheme. The hardy varieties are so easy to grow in a sunny spot and give such a valuable burst of late summer and autumn colour that would lift any dull- looking border. Blended borders For some time now we have been promoting the growing of veg within ornamental borders and I think this could really take off this year. The choice of ornamental-looking varieties available in seed catalogues is phenomenal and, if managed correctly, visitors to your garden will not even realise that you have veg growing! Must-have tool My secret is out. I discovered the Hori Hori a couple of years ago and now it seems so is everyone else. It is such a well-made, adaptable tool that can be used as a trowel or weeding tool in the garden that and everyone I speak to who have used it absolutely would not now be without it. Enough said!
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
10 of the best climbing plants for your garden, from honeysuckle to sweet pea
Within a week of moving house, three years ago, I was dreaming of climbing plants: anything that could clothe the uninspiring domesticity of my new garden's bare fences. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Three summers on, I have a good sense of which climbers thrust ahead and which take their time to get established; which spread thinly or densely; which annuals offer up a temporary, seasonal backdrop; which climb perfectly well unaided; and which benefit from a supportive frame. Here are 10 climbers I've enjoyed growing, and how to nurture them. Often slower-growing yet enduringly structural, woody climbers produce hardened stems that lignify in place. They include plants such as ceanothus, trumpet vine, wisteria, akebia and rose, many of which require the sturdy support of wire or trellis. Undoubtedly, woody plants demand more patience, but they can prove low-maintenance in the long term, and are easy to train and shape. From £7.99 at J Parker's£11.69 at B&Q A house-warming gift, one of the first climbers added to my garden was the cream yellow-flowered honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum Graham Thomas. A woodlander at home in low light, it was planted in the north-facing shade of our house, where its dark, glaucous-leaved stems clamber over horizontal wires, producing phenomenal, night-scented midsummer blooms visited by moths. £9.99 at Jacksons NurseriesFrom £11.24 at Crocus This one will take time to get going, but few climbing plants are as rewarding as Hydrangea petiolaris. Endlessly elegant with clusters of refined white, the deciduous petiolaris uses aerial roots to attach itself to surfaces, though wires can offer a leg up while it establishes itself. Growing happily in semi-shade, and relatively unfussy of soil preference, the only difficulty with this heavily set hydrangea is keeping it from bushing out from the wall or fence. To avoid this, prune outwardly extended stems back by a few buds right after summer flowering. The Pilgrim £33 at Burford Madame Alfred Carrière £21.59 at Carbeth plants£23.38 at B&Q Unlike the often untamable 'rambling' rose, climbers can be heavily micromanaged – so you can tie them into artful loops or swirls, which can become obsessive, trust me. The temptation with roses might be to direct the stems upwards for quicker results, but the key for maximum surface coverage is to get strong, long stems tied down horizontally, incrementally in succession up a wall or fence: horizontals promote more flowers and further vertical growth, which will add density at a surprising pace. Planted in full sun, favourites from my garden include bold-blooming, butter yellow the Pilgrim and fellow David Austin cultivar Mme Alfred Carrière, whose pink-tinged buds open a blushed, strongly scented white. £19.95 at Gardening Express £24 at Ornamental Trees Surprisingly hardy given its somewhat precious appearance, this thickly foliaged kiwi relative bears curiously white and pink-tipped heart-shaped leaves. Once established in a sunny yet wind-sheltered spot and supported with wires, its woody stems will quickly advance and offer up a foliar blanket. While many climbing plants form a lasting framework, others can be cut down to regrow each year. These include some of the showiest varieties, whose well-established roots promote speedy, active growth each spring. From £3.99 at J Parker'sFrom £11.24 at Crocus By far the most vigorous shady climber in my – or indeed any – garden, virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) will attain heights by any means available. Often seen scrambling lamp-posts as it does woodland trees in its native Appalachia, this is one to keep in check, if necessary, by cutting back to a couple of feet each spring, once established. I got mine going on wires initially, however, it will self-adhere without fuss. Before shedding, its leaves blaze ochre through red across autumn. Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion Clematis tangutica From £7.99 at J Parker's£24.95 at Waitrose Garden Clematis Perle d'Azur £24.99 at Coolings Clematis are categorised into three key groups – those that flower in spring and in summer on the previous year's stems, and those that do all the work via the current season's growth. Cut down to 40-50cm from the ground in early spring and sending up energetic new shoots, this latter category includes popular viticella cultivars such as the blue-violet Perle d'Azur and the endearingly wild, lemony Clematis tangutica. £29.99 at Gardening Express Another vigorous contender, the grape relative Vitis coignetiae comes into its own in autumn, when its huge, lobed leaves become emboldened with dramatic hues of crimson, orange and plum. Grow on wires or up a tree in free-draining soil. In my view, annuals are often overlooked as fence-covering climbers. This might be due to their impermanence – here for one season and gone the next – but this can also be their strength. They are very quick growing, can act as temporary fillers while woodier climbers are getting going, and very often produce excellent flowers and attractive, sometimes edible seed pods. Although typically grown on 'teepees' or canes, by threading twigs (such as hazel or birch) through fence wires, they'll have lots to cling to, encouraging quick growth. 99p for 20 seeds at Thompson & MorganFrom £3.29 for 20 seeds at Crocus I'll never tire of growing sweet peas – their fragrance is alluring and their range considerable, from showy mauves and maroons to subtle whites and greens. Easily germinated on a windowsill indoors, they can be planted out in spring sunshine and, owing to grappling tendrils, scale a fence by midsummer. Among the copious options, I particularly like growing the profuse cultivars Cedric Morris (plum-purple) and Painted Lady (pink-white). From £3.69 for 15 seeds at Crocus£3.79 for 15 seeds at Waitrose Garden Commonly known as the cup-and-saucer vine and hailing from Mexico, where its large bell-shaped flowers in purple and cream are pollinated by bats, cobaea is a stunning single-season addition. Climbing its way up with anchoring tendrils, it blooms in late summer for an extended period. Performs best from early sowings, however, small plants can be bought about now, saving the trouble of home germination. £3.59 for 30 seeds at Thompson & Morgan£3.99 for 30 seeds at Amazon Despite the clear culinary associations, it is sometimes forgotten that runner beans were once cultivated as ornamentals, their vibrant scarlet, white and salmon flowers tumbling from twining vines. I say you can have both, and as anyone who has ever grown runner beans will attest, you can definitely have too many runners. Initially, deadhead the spent flowers before they can produce pods, and enjoy the rampant blooming before allowing them to fruit. Position in full sun if possible, and keep well watered. Matt Collins is a garden, nature and travel writer, and head gardener at the Garden Museum in London
