"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
What combination of plants could I suggest to someone who has a lovely
metal arch and would like fragrant flowers but more imprtantly as long a
period of interest as possible.
Quite sheltered garden facing south, neutral to alkeline soil

They aren't expert gardeners so good doers perhaps, but not rampant stuff.
Colour not important

I thought lonicera out because it so often gets infested, jasmine might
get unruly(though poss, stephanese) and doesn't take to pruning, maybe
clematis and roses or a trachleospermum, maybe even some annual climbers
like ipomea, eccromocarpus

Think whoever sold them their house took their plants with them as there
seems to be nothing in the ground apart from 3 very unpruned young
espaalier apple trees, a whole bed of chives, a pile of assorted stones,
three msierable roses planted about 5 feet aprt and a climber outisde that
looks very similar to clumbine but has reddish stems and slightly more
jagged leaves. Looks like it dies every eyar then grwos on top of what
died
--
Janet T.
Amersham

Honeysuckle should be OK if kept watered, but it sounds like a job for
roses, I wouldn't plant Trachelospermum away from a wall as here they get
badly burnt in winter, shame it can't be just a bit rampant!! I love Akebia
for spring flowers and summer leaves and some clematis for later flowering
but I can't pretend Akebia wont grow :~)

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