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Spider[_3_] · 15-04-2012, 01:01 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 14/04/2012 15:01, wrote:
I have just removed a C. armandii that has got out of control.
The location is a good one, next to the house wall and facing
south-south-west, and the soil is good and well-drained, but
this is Cambridge. The problem is that the area is only about
1.5 metres high and 3 long, so I need something that I can either
hack back or won't grow above 3-4 metres. But it DOES need to
be vigorous to 2 metres, to cover a waterbutt.

Passiflora caerulea can't take the winters; P. incarnata can,
but it's probably too wet in winter for it there. Holboellia
grows well but doesn't flower due to late frosts. And so on.
I already have plenty of honeysuckles and clematis, so would
prefer something better than a common one of those, but may be
out of luck.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Hi Nick,

Am I missing something here, or is there some reason why an evergreen
hedge couldn't be grown in this situation? I am thinking specifically
of Pyracantha, which is often grown next to a house wall and can look
very smart. It is smothered in flower June/July and is very attractive
to bees, hoverflies and butterflies; then, in Autumn it is smothered in
berries which attract birds .. thus saving you lots of dosh on bird food.

Just as with any climber you might plant, you will have to excavate and
improve the soil, then keep it well-watered until established (and
occasionally afterwards), but it would almost permanently resolve your
problem. So, does it have to be a climber?

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay