Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Old 13-04-2008, 09:10 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
cam cam is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Apr 2007
Posts: 2
Default Clematis for low fence (Scotland)

Hello all,

We have a fairly grim, black wire-mesh fence around our front, north-
facing strip of graden in Edinburgh.

We decided to plant some clematis to climb up this to give us some
colour and screening... Since they were cheap at the local garden
centre, we got 4 Warsaw Nikes and 2 'Miss Bateman'.

I'm interested in opinions as to how suitable these might be for
climbing a tight mesh fence (grid is maybe 1cm x 1cm). Also will they
provide much screening in winter? I know neither of these are
evergreens but do they leave some kind of foliage? I have discovered
via google that different varieties need different pruning methods so
I suppose I'll have to find out which these are... Oh, and how widely
spaced should the plants be?

Other suggestions for good evergreen climbers are welcome, usual
criteria: low maintenance, north-facing, (probably) poor soil,
suitable-for-idiot-gardener...

Many thanks in advance,
cam
  #2   Report Post  
Old 14-04-2008, 10:35 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Oct 2007
Posts: 193
Default Clematis for low fence (Scotland)

cam wrote:
Hello all,

We have a fairly grim, black wire-mesh fence around our front, north-
facing strip of graden in Edinburgh.

We decided to plant some clematis to climb up this to give us some
colour and screening... Since they were cheap at the local garden
centre, we got 4 Warsaw Nikes and 2 'Miss Bateman'.

I'm interested in opinions as to how suitable these might be for
climbing a tight mesh fence (grid is maybe 1cm x 1cm). Also will they
provide much screening in winter? I know neither of these are
evergreens but do they leave some kind of foliage? I have discovered
via google that different varieties need different pruning methods so
I suppose I'll have to find out which these are... Oh, and how widely
spaced should the plants be?

Other suggestions for good evergreen climbers are welcome, usual
criteria: low maintenance, north-facing, (probably) poor soil,
suitable-for-idiot-gardener...

Many thanks in advance,
cam


Good evergreen climbers, north facing, Edinburgh?

Well, let's see. You have a choice of ivy, ivy, or maybe ivy. And even
then you may find they don't like the cold, easterly wind.

If you have a little more room, then you might like to consider some
evergreen shrubs instead of climbers. The shrubs could be pruned somewhat
to keep them flat against the fence. Alternatively, you could have
something like a beech hedge, which although turning brown in autumn, keeps
the dead leaves on until growth begins again in spring. It's screening of a
sort.

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)


  #3   Report Post  
Old 14-04-2008, 11:37 AM
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Apr 2008
Location: Basingstoke, UK
Posts: 4
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cam View Post
Hello all,

We have a fairly grim, black wire-mesh fence around our front, north-
facing strip of graden in Edinburgh.

We decided to plant some clematis to climb up this to give us some
colour and screening... Since they were cheap at the local garden
centre, we got 4 Warsaw Nikes and 2 'Miss Bateman'.

I'm interested in opinions as to how suitable these might be for
climbing a tight mesh fence (grid is maybe 1cm x 1cm). Also will they
provide much screening in winter? I know neither of these are
evergreens but do they leave some kind of foliage? I have discovered
via google that different varieties need different pruning methods so
I suppose I'll have to find out which these are... Oh, and how widely
spaced should the plants be?

Other suggestions for good evergreen climbers are welcome, usual
criteria: low maintenance, north-facing, (probably) poor soil,
suitable-for-idiot-gardener...

Many thanks in advance,
cam

I believe that both of these clematis are group 2 which generally means that they need only light pruning (deadwood etc) in late winter/early spring. If they are like my group 2 clematis they will provide very little cover in the winter as they lose all their foliage. You might want to check out Clematis Armandii which is evergreen and often recommended for north facing fences.
  #4   Report Post  
Old 14-04-2008, 12:35 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,520
Default Clematis for low fence (Scotland)

In article 3b940d16-0e74-4753-9d25-
, says...
Hello all,

We have a fairly grim, black wire-mesh fence around our front, north-
facing strip of graden in Edinburgh.

We decided to plant some clematis to climb up this to give us some
colour and screening... Since they were cheap at the local garden
centre, we got 4 Warsaw Nikes and 2 'Miss Bateman'.

I'm interested in opinions as to how suitable these might be for
climbing a tight mesh fence (grid is maybe 1cm x 1cm). Also will they
provide much screening in winter? I know neither of these are
evergreens but do they leave some kind of foliage? I have discovered
via google that different varieties need different pruning methods so
I suppose I'll have to find out which these are... Oh, and how widely
spaced should the plants be?

Other suggestions for good evergreen climbers are welcome, usual
criteria: low maintenance, north-facing, (probably) poor soil,
suitable-for-idiot-gardener...

Many thanks in advance,
cam

Both those clematis are deciduous, and should not be hard pruned in
winter but can be pruned/tidied in June.
For evergreen screening (chain link is always tough for plants) Ivy and
the evergreen honeysuckles are the best bet, but roses would be ok and
all those would offer some shelter for the poor clematis which otherwise
are going to be struggling.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Low Light, Low Water Plants Willow Australia 10 12-04-2011 01:53 AM
Low, LOW light options t Freshwater Aquaria Plants 12 19-09-2003 06:02 PM
Low, LOW light options - Thanks Todd Freshwater Aquaria Plants 0 12-09-2003 03:02 PM
Low Light, Low Water Plants Willow Australia 9 05-04-2003 07:36 AM
SF Bay area ( Low traffic and low water) Cat Gardening 2 02-04-2003 05:32 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:52 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017