Climbing plants can perform many useful functions in a? garden as well as providing an attractive and colorful feature. Climbers can decorate an arbor or trellis as well as hide an ugly compost bin or bare wall. But you need to choose your climbers with care since some are rampant growers which can get out of control. However all the plants on this list are suitable for small gardens and will not grow more than 6-8 feet tall. These ten flowering climbers are described in an article by GardenExpert999 which I found on the Dengarden website.
Climbing plants are great for creating screens and smothering ugly garden features or bare walls.
Flowering climbers make a really attractive feature in any garden, and here among my own personal favorites are the top 10 best climbers for a small garden trellis, the type you would build yourself, or buy ready-made from a garden center.
Flowering climbers make wonderful features in gardens. Easy to care for, they can fill your yard with scent and color all summer long, and create the perfect backdrop for your more showier plants.
Colorful flowers attract butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects into your garden, which ensures a more productive vegetable or fruit garden.
There are such a wide array of climbing plants available, that it can sometimes be difficult to choose the perfect climbers for your garden, so hopefully you will some find some ideas here.
These climbers are best grown over a small trellis, as none of them will grow out of control and cover an area higher than 6′ – 8′ high.1. Clematis ‘Josephine’
I am especially fond of all types of clematis, and the beautiful pink/lilac hues of ‘Josephine’ is breathtaking.
Perfect for the small garden, ‘Josephine’ is a compact plant which will not grow huge and rambling.
Developed in 1998, you can grow this clematis in a container.
It is deciduous and will lose its leaves in the winter, but will return year after year.
Planting
Position in a sheltered area that is exposed to the sun for at least part of the day.
Pruning
In late winter/early spring, cut out all deadwood and damaged branches back to the first strongly-growing set of leaf buds.
Mid-spring is when you can expect to see the strong growth of the new season, and this is a good time to cut out excess stems so that you have evenly spaced stems. this will encourage all-over flowers, many of which carry double flower-heads.2. Abutilon ‘Kentish Belle’
Also called the Flowering Maple or Chinese Lantern, Abutilon plants are very vigorous growers and easy to grow. The smaller-flowered varieties can flower all year round even in winter.
This makes the Kentish Belle cultivar especially attractive as it is a member of the Abutilon megapotamicum branch of the family which have the smallest flowers.
With attractive red and yellow flowers, the Abutilon cannot decide if it is a climber or a stand-alone shrub, but is very easy to train up a trellis by tying the stems to the support, which makes for a tidier plant.
Great companion plants for Abutilons are pale blue flowering shrubs like Ceanothus or Plumbago auriculata.
See more at Dengarden
Feature photo: Thomson & Morgan
