I would like to train an evergreen climber on a trellis attached to a west-facing brick wall underneath a first-floor balcony.

A plant that flowers would be good, but bright green and dense year-round foliage is the main requirement.

The plant will only receive direct sunlight for a few hours in the late afternoon and only in summer.

The trellis is about five feet high and 18" wide, so the plant needs to be one which doesn't become tree-like.

Thanks in anticipation.

David.

Here are 2 photos of a possible candidate which I found growing in a small sunless courtyard in Provence in December (so it should be able to survive in Shrewsbury, I think). The foliage looks quite hardy. Can anyone identify it, please?

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg

On 26/04/16 14:02, David wrote:

Here are 2 photos of a possible candidate which I found growing in a
small sunless courtyard in Provence in December (so it should be able
to survive in Shrewsbury, I think). The foliage looks quite hardy.
Can anyone identify it, please?

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg


https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg

Neither picture will show for me.

For a candidate I suggest Trachelospermum jasminoides/asiaticum, Stauntonia
hexaphylla (Shrewsbury may be a bit too cold), maybe Holboellia, or an
evergreen lonicera (depends how vigorous you want it to be!).

--

Jeff

On Tue, 26 Apr 2016 14:52:47 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Tue, 26 Apr 2016 14:19:59 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 26/04/16 14:02, David wrote:

Here are 2 photos of a possible candidate which I found growing in a
small sunless courtyard in Provence in December (so it should be able
to survive in Shrewsbury, I think). The foliage looks quite hardy.
Can anyone identify it, please?

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg


https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg

Neither picture will show for me.

Nor me. Asks me to sign in. Not happened with Dropbox before IIRC.

Dropbox went funny on me when I stopped using Google.

Steve


--
Neural Network Software for Windows http://www.npsnn.com

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 26/04/16 14:02, David wrote:

Here are 2 photos of a possible candidate which I found growing in a
small sunless courtyard in Provence in December (so it should be able
to survive in Shrewsbury, I think). The foliage looks quite hardy.
Can anyone identify it, please?

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview...en+climber.jpg

Neither picture will show for me.

They're both hidden from the public.

For a candidate I suggest Trachelospermum jasminoides/asiaticum, Stauntonia
hexaphylla (Shrewsbury may be a bit too cold), maybe Holboellia, or an
evergreen lonicera (depends how vigorous you want it to be!).

None of those are reliably hardy and evergreen in Cambridge. Indeed,
other than an ivy, there isn't any climber that is. If the wall is
moderately protected, however, they and several others might do.
I know none that are really suitable for such a small space, hoever.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Sorry that the links didn't work for some people. I hadn't used DropBox before. I think the two pics should be visible now. Thanks, Nick, for the clue that they were hidden from the public and I needed to tweak the DropBox settings.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dnq6zfyvuo...imber.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/190rtpl135...imber.jpg?dl=0

Jeff, thank you very much for those five suggestions! The leaves of
Trachelospermum look rather like those in the photos.

David.

On 26/04/16 16:50, David wrote:
Sorry that the links didn't work for some people. I hadn't used
DropBox before. I think the two pics should be visible now. Thanks,
Nick, for the clue that they were hidden from the public and I needed
to tweak the DropBox settings.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dnq6zfyvuo...imber.jpg?dl=0


https://www.dropbox.com/s/190rtpl135...imber.jpg?dl=0

That /might/ be Trachelospermum.

I had a look at weather records for Shrewsbury, and the minimum
temperatures don't look too bad. Despite Nick's forebodings (and I can
fully understand them if you happen to live in subarctic Cambridge!), I
would be happy to give Trachelospermum a go. Note, though, that in a
cold winter its leaves tend to turn a deep burgundy-red. In a very cold
winter its leaves will be dried out and burnt, particularly if in a cold
wind.

--

Jeff

A winter honeysuckle survived (and thrived) for me high in the Shropshire "Alps", and in an exposed position well away from the house, so I know that's a contender, but the leathery foliage of the specimen I planted there was a yellowish green. But Shrewsbury's mild in comparison to the Shropshire Hills, so perhaps its foliage wouldn't be so challenged here.

D.

Stephen, could you try these, please?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dnq6zfyvuo...imber.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/190rtpl135...imber.jpg?dl=0

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

I had a look at weather records for Shrewsbury, and the minimum
temperatures don't look too bad. Despite Nick's forebodings (and I can
fully understand them if you happen to live in subarctic Cambridge!), I
would be happy to give Trachelospermum a go. Note, though, that in a
cold winter its leaves tend to turn a deep burgundy-red. In a very cold
winter its leaves will be dried out and burnt, particularly if in a cold
wind.

Right. There are lots of 'evergreen' climbers that survive with me,
including Holbellia, Stauntonia, Lonicera henryi and (in sheltered
places) Bignonia capreolata and Clematis armandii, but their leaves
all get damaged or drop off in even half-serious winters (like the
last one). Trachelospermum probably would probably be one of the
ones that needs a bit of shelter. Lonicera japonica isn't a good
evergreen, because it gets terribly unkempt and needs pruning back
to bare wood, but is very hardy.

That's really the story for most of the UK, except the warmer parts.
Lots of nominally evergreen plants will survive in a semi-deciduous
fashion, so you don't lose everything even if they drop their leaves.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 26/04/2016 16:50, David wrote:
Sorry that the links didn't work for some people. I hadn't used DropBox before. I think the two pics should be visible now. Thanks, Nick, for the clue that they were hidden from the public and I needed to tweak the DropBox settings.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dnq6zfyvuo...imber.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/190rtpl135...imber.jpg?dl=0


The plant pictured is Trachelospermum jasminoides, it wont flower in the
location described and if it catches any wind the leaves could brown,
but its unlikely to die! a better choice would be Trachelospermum
asiaticum as its much tougher and has smaller more leathery leaves.

Another candidate would be Schisandra propinqua sinensis doesn't do much
in the way of flowers but excellant green foliage and not trouble by
cold certainly ok down to -18c (mine came from near Worcester)

--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
National collections of Clematis viticella & Lapageria rosea

And, Charlie, a "Trachelospermum asiaticum" is just what I have gone and bought just prior to reading this post! Phew!

But will bear "Schisandra propinqua sinensis" in mind in case the purchase doesn't fair well next winter.

Thanks everyone for all help. Very much appreciated.

David.