On 21/10/07 14:43, in article ,
"Space" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
snip

I'm not sure where you live but for evergreen screening, flowers and rapid
growth, I would recommend Holboellia coriacea. Ivy can take some time to
get going, even though it is attractive. Holboellias are quite rampant
but
you can hack them back to where you want them quite mercilessly, after
they've flowered. The flowers are small, open in May and are very sweetly
scented.
In a fairly mild climate you might consider Clematis armandii, winter
flowering and evergreen.


Thanks for the suggestions - I am in Liverpool. Where we live can be quite
windy, our back garden has an open aspect.

ideally I would like to erect a pergola outside the patio doors and grow a
climber over it. A trellis may be a bit in your face to the neighbours.

also a flowering shrub, or one that should flower in the right conditions,
is more preferable to dense curtain of ivy.

I've checked out the clematis - it would not flower all over the pergola.
but I would get some flowers where the pergola does not sit in the sun.

I tried planting bamboo in pots but they are taking forever and a day to
creep their way over a five foot fence.


I think you'd need Holboellia latifolia which is a bit hardier. Charlie at
Roseland House may well have that. I hope he'll be along in a moment to
give his opinion! If it will work with you, I think it would be just what
you want and would be lovely over a pergola. You could, perhaps plant a
rose which doesn't mind a bit of north in its planting and then you'd have
both spring and summer flowering.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'