"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 12:24:39 +0100, "Pam Morris"
wrote:

To recap: chalk soil; the sides of the arch face east & west; garden is
approx 45-50 ft wide. The east facing side is about 6 feet from a 7ft
tall
hedge (which is going to be lowered after flowering in the spring). The
west facing side gets sun for most of the day.

Pam, from Pam!
Which part of the country are you in?

I'm in north Kent. House is situated almost at the top of a hill - the
house over the road is higher while the house that shares my end of garden
boundary is lower than mine. The arch is about halfway between the house
and the end of the garden. Soil is quite chalky and the planting area for
the climbers will be cut out from the existing lawn (or what pretends to be
a lawn!) and then refilled with decent soil/compost.

snipped

How about the "potato vine", mauve or white? (solanum crispum) I got
one in my local supermarket for £1.99 last week.

This was an early possibility that I considered - can't remember now why I
crossed it off!

Clematis cirrhosa balearica is evergreen, winter flowering and also
scented.
Clematis armandii is also evergreen, early flowering and scented, and
vigorous; would clothe your arch fairly rapidly.

Aren't clematis moody if you don't prune them just so and at the right time?

snipped

Thanks,

Pam in Bristol

Pam in Kent.