"Rupert" wrote in message
...

"Richard M" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all!

I'm totally new to gardening and this group, so would appreciate any
help you can give! I've looked through the archive, but can't find
anything completely relevant. So, thanks in advance for any help you
can give!

I'd very much like to plant climbers of some sort on the front and back
walls of my house (a north and a south facing wall). But, the property
has a history of (1) subsidence owing to wisteria on the south-facing
wall abstracting water from the soil causing movement to the property
(London soil), and (2) damage to brickwork from ivy on the north-facing
wall. Apparently, I am going to have to remove both of these climbers.

In the circumstances, can you recommend any climbers that look pretty
covering houses, but which do not increase thw risk of subsidence or
damage to brickwork? Do I need to find different plants, or can I keep
what I have got but (1) pull them off the brickwork and mount them on
trellises set back from the walls and (2) water them a lot!

Many thanks for your thoughts! Sorry if these questions are really
basic!

All the best,

Richard


I have never heard it suggested (until now) that the roots of Wisteria
would cause subsidence.
I guess in your case there is subsidence already and the wisteria does not
help?

Well Wisteria do like moisture, but I would have thought it would have to be
of some size to cause damage (I have heard of them pulling down the fronts
of houses as they can weight a lot when 100+ years old!) As Rupert suggests
maybe there was/is subsidence anyway and the Wisteria is getting the blame!
Is it a case of a surveyor covering himself or can you see there is a
problem?
Personally I would put up with quite a lot of problems to keep an
established Wisteria, but then my house has no foundations at all :~)
Trellises work, and climbers such as Clematis would never undermine or do
damage, but you can not expect a big climber to do a good job over the long
term in a pot, they need to be in the ground but they can as has been
suggested be planted at some distance then bridged across to the wall with
an arch or somesuch.
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)