Climbers for Late Summer Colour

The garden is burgeoning into shaggy mayhem at the moment and I love the two or three months when the growth is allowed to get out of control, only to be reined in with late summer and autumn pruning that will fill up the compost heaps through the winter months. This is the time that we allow the garden some slack, concentrating instead on harvesting from the allotment and enjoying fine weather relaxing in the garden rather than working in it!

Clematis viticella Alba LuxuriansAs well as the shrubs that have put on enormous amounts of growth due to the recent rain, our climbing plants have really put on a spurt and are rapidly outgrowing their allotted trellis and fence spaces. The two Clematis viticella have begun to smother themselves in flowers with lots more nodding buds to open for months to come. The green and white variety C. viticella ‘Alba Luxurians’ is the best I have seen it with plenty of flowers from top to bottom. This plant was pruned hard at the beginning of February and has made a good basal crown with strong shoots. The other Clematis viticella is ‘Etoile Violette’ and we have it scrambling through an ornamental vine, where the deep purple flowers contrast well with the greenish purple leaves  of the vine. This variety is later to flower but looks promising with plenty of vigorous growth.

We have two Pyracantha (Firethorn) in the garden but only one does well. It is at the front of the house on a warm wall and flowers reliably in early summer with big flat clusters of white flowers that the bees love. Of course, Pyracantha come into their own in autumn when the shiny berries ripen and are held for weeks until they are taken by birds in late autumn – an excellent plant for garden interest as well as wildlife. The plant in the back garden is on a much shadier fence and in quite dry soil. Although I add mulch of homemade compost to the base of the plant it has never thrived. It has, however made a good climbing frame for another Clematis that flowers early in the year with nodding blue flowers so it can stay in that capacity!

Our Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica ‘Cream Beauty’) is a picture at the moment. The pale green leaves set off the cream flowers that deepen to yellow as they age and give off the sweetest of scents. Japanese Honeysuckle is not a tidy grower, with flowers that are held in small clusters on long, trailing shoots and because the plant flowers for such a long season, it is difficult to know when to prune it. Last spring ours was ‘pruned’ by a savage easterly wind so I tidied the shrivelled growth and the plant soon recovered. Usually, it is best to shear the plant over in spring to stop it getting out of bounds. For now, I can forgive the untidy habit and just enjoy sitting near the plant in the early evening, watching the bees at work and breathing in the delicious scent.