On Mar 26, 5:42*pm, Eddy
wrote:
We need a thick rapid-growing alpine evergreen climber which is not
thorny. *Are we just fantasizing? *Does such a plant exist?

We are stuck with a Calor LPG tank, painted a very light green, in a
corner of the front garden and it sticks out like a sore thumb. *

Firstly, we put a wooden trellis around it, painted it dark green, and
then put in two clematis plants, one of which has taken quite well but
of course for most of the year they're both leafless and provide next to
no camouflage, so they weren't such a good idea.

Next we put in three or four ivy plants, hoping they would take off, but
they just haven't. *Maybe it's too cold where we are.

So then we put three rhododendrons in front of the trellis, and they are
coming along nicely, but it's going to be at least 10 years before they
grow so tall and dense that they hide the tank from view.

So, is there such a thing as a thick rapidly-growing alpine evergreen
climber? *We're 150 metres above sea-level here and so it can be awfully
cold in winter, plus we're in something of a wind-tunnel. *(It looks
like last winter's cold and winds may have killed off a well-established
young viburnum and a young laurel!). *The ideal plant has also to be
non-thorny - or the LPG supplier could complain about getting scratched
when they deliver.

Thanks,
Eddy.

P.S. *Have been driven to consider just wrapping the tank in a black
tarpaulin but have learnt that that would contravene the safety
regulations. *And of course we're not permitted to paint the tank, and
even if you could it would have to be in a light colour so as not to
cause the tank to absorb heat!

Just be thankfull you're warm in winter.
We had the selfsame situation and decided that anything big enough and
dense enough to completely hide the tank would in itself be a great
big dark blot so I put up a low trellis just on the side facing the
house - the tank is more or less hidden from the road by the fence and
the roses growing on it. There will be a clematis on the trellis and
medium/tall herbaceous at the back of the border nearest the tank with
smaller stuff in front - it will be quite a richly planted border. We
will still see the tank but it's outline will be broken in the summer
by the planting and in the winter by the dead growth of the plants.
You can add a few 'architectural' plants if you like them to give
some winter structure to the border.

Rod