Two identical evergreen climbers were put in the greenhouse last autumn
while we had the exterior of the house (to which they had been clinging)
renovated . . . and unfortunately they haven't survived. I don't know
what they were. Another sad story. I think it was the heat some weeks
ago - though the greenhouse does have those automatically-opening
windows at the top.

Can anyone recommend a luxuriant evergreen climber that will love
growing in a greenhouse, i.e. getting very hot on some days in summer,
and having only a pane of glass as protection during the worst frosts of
winter?

(The greenhouse we have inherited is in the front garden, visible from
the road, so we have decided to keep only ornamental plants in it.)

Many thanks,
Eddy.

In article ,
says...
Two identical evergreen climbers were put in the greenhouse last autumn
while we had the exterior of the house (to which they had been clinging)
renovated . . . and unfortunately they haven't survived. I don't know
what they were. Another sad story. I think it was the heat some weeks
ago - though the greenhouse does have those automatically-opening
windows at the top.

Can anyone recommend a luxuriant evergreen climber that will love
growing in a greenhouse, i.e. getting very hot on some days in summer,
and having only a pane of glass as protection during the worst frosts of
winter?

(The greenhouse we have inherited is in the front garden, visible from
the road, so we have decided to keep only ornamental plants in it.)

Many thanks,
Eddy.


It will depend in large part on where in the world your greenhouse is,
one of the best is Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea Superba'
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Charlie Pridham wrote:
It will depend in large part on where in the world your greenhouse is,
one of the best is Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea Superba'

Sorry, Charlie, I should have said. (I've said so often, I thought
people might roll their eyes and say "Oh, him again!")

The greenhouse is in the South Shropshire hills, 265 metres above
sea-level. After one year of living here I have to say it ain't as warm
as Kent OR West Wales. I suppose it's the altitude largely. The
countryside is utterly barren/brown for 7 months of the year and then in
May it explodes with luxuriant transient green and a whole host of
wildflowers which we never had in warmer West Wales near the coast, nor
in chalky Kent.

Thanks for the suggestion of Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea Superba'. I
remember this flower from years in Aussie! I wonder if it comes in
anything other than pink.

Eddy.

Eddy wrote:
Two identical evergreen climbers were put in the greenhouse last autumn
while we had the exterior of the house (to which they had been clinging)
renovated . . . and unfortunately they haven't survived. I don't know
what they were. Another sad story. I think it was the heat some weeks
ago - though the greenhouse does have those automatically-opening
windows at the top.

Can anyone recommend a luxuriant evergreen climber that will love
growing in a greenhouse, i.e. getting very hot on some days in summer,
and having only a pane of glass as protection during the worst frosts of
winter?

(The greenhouse we have inherited is in the front garden, visible from
the road, so we have decided to keep only ornamental plants in it.)

Many thanks,
Eddy.

You could try plumbago if you like.
Sam

In article ,
says...
Charlie Pridham wrote:
It will depend in large part on where in the world your greenhouse is,
one of the best is Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea Superba'

Sorry, Charlie, I should have said. (I've said so often, I thought
people might roll their eyes and say "Oh, him again!")

The greenhouse is in the South Shropshire hills, 265 metres above
sea-level. After one year of living here I have to say it ain't as warm
as Kent OR West Wales. I suppose it's the altitude largely. The
countryside is utterly barren/brown for 7 months of the year and then in
May it explodes with luxuriant transient green and a whole host of
wildflowers which we never had in warmer West Wales near the coast, nor
in chalky Kent.

Thanks for the suggestion of Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea Superba'. I
remember this flower from years in Aussie! I wonder if it comes in
anything other than pink.

Eddy.


It may be a bit cold for the pandorea (My fil used to live on the
Brown Clee hills) and there is an all white flowered form (lady Di I
think) and the straight species is white flowered with a pink eye.
If you want yellow flowers try looking at macfadyena unguis-cati or
Hibbertia scandens, both will take a few degrees of frost as will
Pandorea pandorana Golden Showers
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Charlie Pridham wrote:
It may be a bit cold for the pandorea (My fil used to live on the
Brown Clee hills) and there is an all white flowered form (lady Di I
think) and the straight species is white flowered with a pink eye.
If you want yellow flowers try looking at macfadyena unguis-cati or
Hibbertia scandens, both will take a few degrees of frost as will
Pandorea pandorana Golden Showers

Thanks, Charlie. The Clee hills are about an hour east of here but I
think they have much the same kind of climate, certainly along the tops.

I like the Macfadyena unguis-cati and Hibbertia scandens! Either look
good. I'll do a bit of research into which is more tolerant of frost.

When we moved in last year we put a bougainvillea, hibiscus, and
stephanotis, kiwi-fruit, and callestemon in the greenhouse and only the
kiwi-fruit and the callestemon have survived last winter and done well
this spring. The callestemon has already bloomed beautifully, and may
do so again before autumn.

Interesting, isn't it, that the only plants which survived the cold of
last winter and the occasional heat of days in recent weeks have been
the two antipodeans . . . and all of your five recommendations for a
better survival rate next winter are antipodeans too (Australians, in
fact)! I find this a little odd, because having lived for some years in
Australia I know that most of the eastern coast seldom suffers from
frost.

Eddy.

Charlie Pridham wrote:

It may be a bit cold for the pandorea (My fil used to live on the
Brown Clee hills) and there is an all white flowered form (lady Di I
think) and the straight species is white flowered with a pink eye.
If you want yellow flowers try looking at macfadyena unguis-cati or
Hibbertia scandens, both will take a few degrees of frost as will
Pandorea pandorana Golden Showers

I've had Macfadyena unguis-cati growing in a greenhouse for years (it also
grows happily outside on a south wall). But it has never flowered, despite
being a rampant grower; references often state that it needs a hotter summer
than our climate provides to flower successfully. Maybe your experience is
different.

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

On 27/6/08 09:16, in article ,
"Jeff Layman" wrote:

Charlie Pridham wrote:

It may be a bit cold for the pandorea (My fil used to live on the
Brown Clee hills) and there is an all white flowered form (lady Di I
think) and the straight species is white flowered with a pink eye.
If you want yellow flowers try looking at macfadyena unguis-cati or
Hibbertia scandens, both will take a few degrees of frost as will
Pandorea pandorana Golden Showers

I've had Macfadyena unguis-cati growing in a greenhouse for years (it also
grows happily outside on a south wall). But it has never flowered, despite
being a rampant grower; references often state that it needs a hotter summer
than our climate provides to flower successfully. Maybe your experience is
different.

I would strongly recommend Hardenbergia violacea. Ours grows in an unheated
greenhouse which is kept just above freezing. It rewards us by flowering
wonderfully and if it's in a really sheltered spot, it can be grown
outdoors.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

Sacha wrote:
I would strongly recommend Hardenbergia violacea. Ours grows in an unheated
greenhouse which is kept just above freezing. It rewards us by flowering
wonderfully and if it's in a really sheltered spot, it can be grown
outdoors.

Sacha, what a beautiful flower!
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1460240.htm

This looks like just the plant to me, though I note what they say about
it tending to bush up at the top. Do you find that? If so, can you
force it to still sprout from lower down?

South Devon vs. 265 metres above sea-level in Shropshire. Well, it's
worth a try.

Eddy.

Jeff Layman wrote:
I've had Macfadyena unguis-cati growing in a greenhouse for years (it also
grows happily outside on a south wall). But it has never flowered, despite
being a rampant grower; references often state that it needs a hotter summer
than our climate provides to flower successfully. Maybe your experience is
different.

And so it will probably not flower this summer either, eh, Jeff? (Can't
believe I'm sitting here in late June with a thick jumper on and wishing
we could afford to have the LPG burning away during "the summer"! Calor
sent us a letter yesterday raising our price from 31.15p per litre to
40.65p per litre!) What ARE we gonna do.

Eddy.

In article ,
says...
Charlie Pridham wrote:

It may be a bit cold for the pandorea (My fil used to live on the
Brown Clee hills) and there is an all white flowered form (lady Di I
think) and the straight species is white flowered with a pink eye.
If you want yellow flowers try looking at macfadyena unguis-cati or
Hibbertia scandens, both will take a few degrees of frost as will
Pandorea pandorana Golden Showers

I've had Macfadyena unguis-cati growing in a greenhouse for years (it also
grows happily outside on a south wall). But it has never flowered, despite
being a rampant grower; references often state that it needs a hotter summer
than our climate provides to flower successfully. Maybe your experience is
different.


It was certainly slow to start (17 years!) but I grew it from seed, it is
hardy enough to go through the winter outside but unless the top growth
survives and it stays evergreen it certainly wont flower and yes it does
seem to need some heat, having said that mine flowered better this year
than last (may time) and spring this year was a lot colder/slower than
last year.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 27/6/08 11:43, in article , "Eddy"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:
I would strongly recommend Hardenbergia violacea. Ours grows in an unheated
greenhouse which is kept just above freezing. It rewards us by flowering
wonderfully and if it's in a really sheltered spot, it can be grown
outdoors.

Sacha, what a beautiful flower!
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1460240.htm

It's a gorgeous flower, not very large but really lovely. Another good one
is Mandevilla suaveolens but I'm not sure if it would stay evergreen. The
other interesting one is Aristolochia Littorali, the size of which couldn't
be more different to the Hardenbergia!


This looks like just the plant to me, though I note what they say about
it tending to bush up at the top. Do you find that? If so, can you
force it to still sprout from lower down?

I don't think it's a desperately vigorous climber so haven't found that to
be a problem. But you could train it to stay where you want it, rather as
some people do with Clematis balearica, which also flowers at the top. They
train it along the top of a lowish wall or fence and get far more benefit
from its flowers that way.

South Devon vs. 265 metres above sea-level in Shropshire. Well, it's
worth a try.

Eddy.

Definitely. Just keep the frost away a bit!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

In article ,
says...
Sacha wrote:
I would strongly recommend Hardenbergia violacea. Ours grows in an unheated
greenhouse which is kept just above freezing. It rewards us by flowering
wonderfully and if it's in a really sheltered spot, it can be grown
outdoors.

Sacha, what a beautiful flower!
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1460240.htm

This looks like just the plant to me, though I note what they say about
it tending to bush up at the top. Do you find that? If so, can you
force it to still sprout from lower down?

South Devon vs. 265 metres above sea-level in Shropshire. Well, it's
worth a try.

Eddy.


It has a sort of cycle of growth, at present it is growing rapidly (mine
is outside) lots of bits will trail down, it stops growing in the Autumn
and the leaves harden up and are quite leathery, buds form around
Christmas and it starts flowering in the new year carrying on for around
4 months and which stage most of the old leaves drop and growth resumes.
I did not mention it as I find it has a much shorter flowering season
under glass and also it require patient tidying to remove old growth in
the late spring, which outside the weather removes! It is however worth
the effort as it is stunning in flower and very early (always a bonus)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 27/6/08 14:34, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

In article ,
says...
Sacha wrote:
I would strongly recommend Hardenbergia violacea. Ours grows in an unheated
greenhouse which is kept just above freezing. It rewards us by flowering
wonderfully and if it's in a really sheltered spot, it can be grown
outdoors.

Sacha, what a beautiful flower!
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1460240.htm

This looks like just the plant to me, though I note what they say about
it tending to bush up at the top. Do you find that? If so, can you
force it to still sprout from lower down?

South Devon vs. 265 metres above sea-level in Shropshire. Well, it's
worth a try.

Eddy.


It has a sort of cycle of growth, at present it is growing rapidly (mine
is outside) lots of bits will trail down, it stops growing in the Autumn
and the leaves harden up and are quite leathery, buds form around
Christmas and it starts flowering in the new year carrying on for around
4 months and which stage most of the old leaves drop and growth resumes.
I did not mention it as I find it has a much shorter flowering season
under glass and also it require patient tidying to remove old growth in
the late spring, which outside the weather removes! It is however worth
the effort as it is stunning in flower and very early (always a bonus)

We saw it outside in Tresco, Charlie, flowering now and it still seemed to
have some old growth that needed tidying out, I thought. What I like about
it is that it won't take over completely and it flowers so early, as you
rightly say. Perhaps Eddy could combine it with something else? I love
Thunbergia greggii and the 'Lemon Queen' one too, T. alata, I think?
Muehlenbeckia would be 'interesting' but not flowery.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

Charlie Pridham wrote:
In article ,
says...
Charlie Pridham wrote:

It may be a bit cold for the pandorea (My fil used to live on the
Brown Clee hills) and there is an all white flowered form (lady Di I
think) and the straight species is white flowered with a pink eye.
If you want yellow flowers try looking at macfadyena unguis-cati or
Hibbertia scandens, both will take a few degrees of frost as will
Pandorea pandorana Golden Showers

I've had Macfadyena unguis-cati growing in a greenhouse for years
(it also grows happily outside on a south wall). But it has never
flowered, despite being a rampant grower; references often state
that it needs a hotter summer than our climate provides to flower
successfully. Maybe your experience is different.


It was certainly slow to start (17 years!) but I grew it from seed,
it is hardy enough to go through the winter outside but unless the
top growth survives and it stays evergreen it certainly wont flower
and yes it does seem to need some heat, having said that mine
flowered better this year than last (may time) and spring this year
was a lot colder/slower than last year.

Ah, maybe that's it - mine is a mere stripling at only 13 years from seed!
And the only heat I give it in winter is to just keep the frost off (1 -
2°C). It does stay evergreen, though, even the one outside.

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)