"samantha" wrote in message
...

This this may seem like a naive question but I am asking you all to
please bear with me as I am fairly new to the gardening scene!

We have just had a drive put in the front of our garden and we are
situated on a large main road. It is completely open and we are also
opposite a country pub. There is absolutely no privacy as our hedge in
the front was torn down in confusion by the builders (sigh) and so we
are desperate to seek a quick growing climber that we are hopefully
going to grow over a hand made trellis structure wide enough to fit a
car through.

My question is this. Up until yesterday, I thought I had found the
perfect plant. 'Trachelospermum jasminoides'. I was seeking something
evergreen (obviously for year round privacy) and the fact that the
flowers smell absolutely wonderful is a bonus.

I have since been told that these are not fully hardy and need to be
protected in the winter. Please forgive my ignorance but I am unsure
how to do this. I would assume it would need cover as I do this with
some of my garden plants but nothing on such a big scale. It would look
silly to cover it as it would be the main focus of the front of the
house. Am I being too cautious?
Snip
samantha

Trachelospermum jasminoides without a wall will defoliate or die in winter
where you are.
Trachelospermum asiaticum is tougher but still does better on a wall. Both
are slow growers to start with.
Lonicera japonica 'Acumen' & Lonicera henryi would probably keep most of
their leaves most years. Holboellia leaves would be good but without a wall
the frost will get the flowers each spring.
In truth, if you want an evergreen hedge/screen, plant evergreen hedging
plants. Do not allow your desire for fast results to sway you, fast growing
plants do not have an off switch and you will spend your life trying to
maintain them!
Avoid anything like leylandi which can not be cut back hard in future.
Yew, Laurel, Eleagnus, Holly, Euonymous all make good evergreen hedges but
you may have to put up a temporary screen while they grow.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea