Climbing plants provide vertical interest as well as having the practical benefit of
covering objects that you would prefer to keep out of sight. The climbers described in this list are best suited to a small trellis since none are vigorous plants that can grow out of control. I came across these top ten climbing plants 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.
Planting Positions
Abutilons are greedy, and so thrive better when planted directly into a border or very large pot, situated in a place where it can receive regular watering and feed easily, especially if grown in a container.
They can withstand light frost but will become dormant if temperatures fall below 20?F.
They can be planted anywhere in the garden that offers sunshine or light shade, but do best protected from the strongest winds.
Winter flowering is only possible is daytime temperatures do not fall below 60?F.
Pruning
Abutilon ‘Kentish Belle’ can be ruthlessly pruned to keep it under control. You can chop it all off right down to ground level, and it will come bouncing back with loads of new growth.3. Nasturtium ‘Flame Thrower’
I’m a great fan of nasturtiums, and the cultivar, ‘Flame Thrower’, looks like a winner.
As anyone who has ever grown nasturtiums knows, they readily set seed, and can even become a garden nuisance with their seedlings sprouting up everywhere.
Not so with Flame Thrower, as the seeds are sterile.
Half-hardy annuals, this nasturtium can climb, trail or otherwise spread, and are covered with the most delicious yellow, cream, scarlet and orange split-petal flowers that give it an attractive ragged look, and its leaves are ivy-shaped.
They are fragrant which is unusual for nasturtiums, and of course their leaves are edible.
Planting Positions
Nasturtiums can be grown in full sun or partial shade, and will flower all summer long.
See more at Dengarden
Beautiful!!