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? Also, I was hoping to but 2 - 1 for each side of the trellis. If I bought 6ft established plants, would that give them more of a chance?

If this sounds like an unsuitable plant, does anyone have any suggestions please? A fast growing evergreen, preferably thick so no one can see through which will last year after year, not losing any of its density in the winter months? Any advice would be gratefully recieved as we are on public display at the moment!

Just a little bit more about where we are situated. We live in Buckinghamshire but lower down, in a little village called Iver, near Slough and Uxbridge.

I promise I am not being lazy, I have looked on the internet but the pictures are not always much help. I would love some experienced advice as it would be best to get it right first time.

Eagerly anticipating a reply!!

Samantha

It will certainly survive where you are without protection. It doesn't grow very fast, but by buying large plants you may have solved that. And slow-growing means that in the long run it doesn't become a problem. It certainly retains an opaque winter covering. You need to be in a sheltered spot to get it to flower well - we are in a somewhat exposed spot in Little Chalfont, and my neighbour's one has never flowered in the 7 years I have lived there. But it has survived.

Ivy aside, there aren't very many reliably hardy, reliably evergreen climbers, although in Iver you probably have a sufficiently mild climate that you have a wider choice than people in cooler spots. Other things to consider are Akebia quinata (chocolate vine - the flowers are supposed to smell of chocolate), Clematis armandii (winter flowering and scented - large leaves so very opaque), Holboellas, and there are some evergreen honeysuckles (Lonicera). Rosa banksii makes a thick covering and is evergreen in mild spots.

In article ,
echinosum writes:
|
| Ivy aside, there aren't very many reliably hardy, reliably evergreen
| climbers, although in Iver you probably have a sufficiently mild
| climate that you have a wider choice than people in cooler spots. Other
| things to consider are Akebia quinata (chocolate vine - the flowers are
| supposed to smell of chocolate), Clematis armandii (winter flowering
| and scented - large leaves so very opaque), Holboellas, and there are
| some evergreen honeysuckles (Lonicera). Rosa banksii makes a thick
| covering and is evergreen in mild spots.

Akebia quinata and Lonicera japonica are reliably hardy, but not
reliably evergreen - they are deciduous with me in most winters.
I have never got my Holboellia to flower, as it is VERY sensitive
to cold weather in spring, but it seems pretty hardy. That is
Cambridge, incidentally.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , says...

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? Also, I was hoping to but 2 - 1 for
each side of the trellis. If I bought 6ft established plants, would
that give them more of a chance?

If this sounds like an unsuitable plant, does anyone have any
suggestions please? A fast growing evergreen, preferably thick so no
one can see through which will last year after year, not losing any of
its density in the winter months? Any advice would be gratefully
recieved as we are on public display at the moment!

Just a little bit more about where we are situated. We live in
Buckinghamshire but lower down, in a little village called Iver, near
Slough and Uxbridge.

I promise I am not being lazy, I have looked on the internet but the
pictures are not always much help. I would love some experienced advice
as it would be best to get it right first time.

Eagerly anticipating a reply!!

Samantha

Trachelospernum jasminoides is evergreen and may be hardy enough
for Bucks. it grows well enough for me in Berks and my mum in Essex.
The main problem is that it is very slow growing. I have a mixture of
passion flower and jasmine and find that although some of the leaves drop
the thick layer of intertwined stems makes quite a good barrier and they
are both quick growers

GillM

On 17/7/07 15:13, in article , "samantha"
wrote:


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.
snip

T. jasminoides is not a quick grower. In fact, it's fairly slow. This is
not going to romp up your trellis arch as quickly as you would like. My
suggestion to you would be to take a deep breath and don't panic. Plant a
hedge, e.g. yew, laurel or beech to replace the one ripped out by mistake.
In 3 years you'll be well screened - nothing truly desirable in gardening is
that fast, whatever the tv programmes suggest. Make sure the ground is well
prepared and choose the plants that will suit you best - plenty of people
here will help you.
As to your entrance trellis, must it take that form? Could you use e.g.
Lonicera nitida grown and trimmed as two very elegant pillars, or
Pittosporum which can be trained to be close clipped but arching over at the
top, naturally? IF they'll take your winters, both look magnificent grown
that way.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"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

In article , samantha
writes
I've got a variegated Trach. In a pot as I don't know where best to
plant it yet. However it's been in a pot on the patio, largely ignored
I'm afraid, for two years and it hasn't died yet!
I'm, in Amersham so not far north of you.

You could ask Farnham Common Nurseries, near you. One of the best ones
around as they supply garden centres as well. Not much hype but good
solid plants. Opposite an all singing, all dancing Kennedy's or it might
be Wyevales.

--
Janet Tweedy
Amersham Gardening Association
http://www.amersham-gardening.net

On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:48:48 +0100, Janet Tweedy
wrote:

In article , samantha
writes
I've got a variegated Trach. In a pot as I don't know where best to
plant it yet. However it's been in a pot on the patio, largely ignored
I'm afraid, for two years and it hasn't died yet!
I'm, in Amersham so not far north of you.

You could ask Farnham Common Nurseries, near you. One of the best ones
around as they supply garden centres as well. Not much hype but good
solid plants. Opposite an all singing, all dancing Kennedy's or it might
be Wyevales.


I have a Trachelospermrm Jas. In our garden here in Lochwinnoch,
Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is growing happily if slowly and has yet to
reward us with flowers, but I keep hoping.
It is in a very sheltered garden, so they do grow north of the border!
Elizabeth in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
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