I am trying to hit two birds with one stone- I would like to cover an ugly concrete wall and provide an nice back drop for a shrub and perennial bed. Parts of the wall are already covered in ivy and clematis armandii. It looks good, but I worry they will get gigantic and out of hand. I would like to try something different like a wall shrub but know nothing about them. I was also curious about a honeysuckle? The garden is being designed for fall and spring interest, so it does not have to be evergreen. Boston ivy? Invasive? It is a Zone 7 garden with well-draining, rich soil. One wall I need to cover is quite shady, the other is exposed. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Gardens Illustrated, October 2006, had an article (Supporting Role) written by Noel Kingsbury, that you might find interesting. It is about MFO Park in Zurich and the innovative way they have dealt with very limited space and ugly walls. The article is short on suggestions for climbers (Virginia creeper, grape, and a few others) but interesting in concept. Also, Business Week International had an article (early to mid-October) about Patrick Blanc's (I think that is his name---sorry, having a brain cramp)living walls. Hope this helps.
Clematis might work for you as well. There are many varieties, some that need severe pruning, some light pruning and some are optional. Many only grow to 10' or 12'. There are even some that will grow on a north facing wall. http://chalkhillclematis.stores.yahoo.net/clematisforshade.html http://www.saska.demon.co.uk/places.html More clematis info. http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/ http://www.saska.demon.co.uk/index2.html My favorite honeysuckles are the native Lonicera sempervirens. They bloom from June to hard frost and beyond in my zone 7 garden, feed the hummers and the birds and are still blooming now! Newt
Thank you for your suggestions. I have been trying to source Lonicera ciliosa here in the lower mainland (vancouver). Clematis' make me nervous. I find all the different pruning times so confusing! I will browse the sites you suggested. Thanks again.
Edgeworth, Lonicera ciliosa only blooms once. http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Lonicera+ciliosa The L. sempervirens that I mentioned bloom on and off all season. As far as pruning clematis, the ones from Group 1 aka Group A don't need to be pruned, but can be pruned after flowering. These tend to be the larger ones in growth pattern, not larger flowers. From one of the sites I gave you, this should be helpful in explaining when and how to prune clematis. http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-pruning.cfm Newt
NATS nursery, in Langley, they specialize in native plants. They stock Orange Honeysuckle, AKA; Lonicera ciliosa http://www.natsnursery.com/company.cfm There is a few others, but most only deal with the public at the wholesale level, and generally carry the other Lonicera's. They are easy to propagate...
Edgeworth - Unfortunately the Gardens Illustrated article does not appear to be online. I would think a Vancouver library somewhere would have a copy. If not, I would think with all the horticultural establishments in your area one of them would definitely have a copy. Patrick Blanc has his own website so if you google his name, you will find what you want. Do look at the pictures. The article was online. On the clematis issue---I have heard several experts---people with literally hundreds of cultivars and species---say they don't prune clematis at all unless necessary (whippy bits, broken pieces or dead bits or it just got too big). Personally I have not tried this, but it certainly would be much easier than trying to remember when to prune which one. I figure you can't kill it by NOT pruning. Also, pruning at the wrong time would mean nothing more than you might not have flowers in that year. Good luck.
I found some beautiful images of the Lonicera sempervirens at the following link. What a beauty! http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/mbierner/bio406d/images/pics/cap/lonicera_sempervirens.htm Has anybody tried this one in Vancouver? Is it infact evergreen... and does it bloom more than once? Thanks again Newt, I will check out the clematis links shortly. Happy holidays.
