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Having recently and finally bought a house (well - the bank has bought it really but anyway), I can at last set about creating my own garden. There is a shrubby garden there now but it’s up against a breeze block wall round 3 sides which I want to line inside with reclaimed brick.
First thing I’ve done is to put in some raised bed and got some salad and herbs going. And now I’m wondering about getting a climber for the outside of the house. My research is leaving me a tad overwhelmed. How on earth does anyone ever make a decision on this stuff????
I’ve visited botanical gardens - including the magical Isole di Brissago this weekend (what a place!). Again the inspiration becomes overwhelming and I don’t know where to begin.
So specific question: I’d like a climber that looks good, isn’t too demanding, will tolerate a little frost (we get a small amount some years), and hopefully will look and smell fantastic. If it produced something edible even better. It’s going up one corner of the house (though I could do something else on another corner and let them meet) with 3 faces to cover - up ground first and second floor.
Thoughts? Anyone want a working holiday in the Chanel Islands as gardening consultant? 
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.why not cover the wall with an everygreen climber - just fasten some strong wire mesh to the wall - with spacers to lift it 3/4 inch or so off the brick. There are lots of beautiful flowering evergreen climbers for every type of climate
look at evergreen honeysuckle varieties
ShadowAmicus
Level 8
Aug 25, 2019
0
@OwlInASack do a plan ... then wait and watch the ground ... see the shaded areas, the wet areas, the places where frost is hardest and longest, the place that get dried out in summer ... then adjust your plan to put the right plant in the right place
PS - I didn't do this .. just begged plants I liked from friends and neighbours - cuttings, split roots, etc. and stuck them in whatever space I thought looked empty ...some died , some thrived, most happy ish .... so am shifting plants around now
While you are visiting botanical gardens and talking with your local nursurymen, you might also want to plan a trip or two to your local library. The garden section of the library should have a selection of books some of which may discuss particular conditions of your locsl area. I always liked the Sunset books which set zones based on lots more details than just low temperatures as the USDA Hardiness Zones do. Others will have a list of plants for various zones. Again, the Sunset books list their zones where each plant entry should be ok go grow.
RussRAB
Level 8
Aug 24, 2019
2
Hope your new home works well for you. Think also about training a shrub, Euonymus, or Pyracantha, they can look really good neatly clipped on wires, or why not train a fruit tree like an apple, or vine , so that you get fruit as well. But whatever you grow don't be impatient and get something fast growing, it may seem like a good idea to start with, but before you know what happened, it will be under the roof tiles and weather boards heaving them of. Something slow growing that you can easily manage.
Fernapple
Level 9
Aug 24, 2019
2
The thing to keep in mind. If you like it, plant it and see what happens. If you don't like it, rip it out and start over. If it dies, start over. Gardening is opportunity for creation and re-creation. It is also a never ending project, don't ever be afraid to experiment. And keep a journal, keep notes on what work, what didn't and why if you can figure it out. My late former Mother In Law moved into her house when my ex/her son was 3ish and lived there til the end of her life. She had extensive garden journals. My longest duration in one house was my childhood home, 13 years there. As an adult I've been in my current home six years. It is a never ending project.
HippieChick58
Level 9
Aug 24, 2019
3
Great advice on the change factor! I was on my third house before I learned the value of starting over - all things go to compost eventually.
Congrats on the new home!!! You're going to have a great time planting and growing now. As for a climber, I have a beautiful Star Jasmine that I have trained onto a trellis and it is beautiful. The flowers in the spring are wonderful and the smell is so nice. Down here in Texas mine blooms twice a year.
Redheadedgammy
Level 9
Aug 24, 2019
1
@OwlInASack We've gotten some hard freezes here in my area for as long as 3 to 5 days and my Star Jasmine always seems to make it through. I might have to trim it some to clean it up where some vines and leaves didn't take well to the cold, but the base of the plant seems to keep going.
Did you google it? Here in the states, I used the Better Homes and Gardens garden planner. It gives suggestions based on your latitude, soil composition and amount of sunlight. I got a plan for a butterfly garden that fit my space exactly.
Killtheskyfairy
Level 9
Aug 24, 2019
1
@OwlInASack My butterfly garden was freaking amazing! At certain times of the year, there would be so many butterflies, when I walked by, they would fly up in a cloud and fly around me in a wondrous display. It was magical!
@OwlInASack To your other point, that’s why you want something that suits your terroir so it will flourish.
@OwlInASack I believe you can get test kits at the nearest garden center that will tell you what type of soil you have. I don’t want to waste money buying plants that can’t live in the space so that is why it’s better to understand what you have before planting.
@Killtheskyfairy Butterfly's, or Flutterbys as my grand daughter calls them are so wonderful. I have three Milkweed plants in the back yard, and lot's of flowers that Butterfly's like and had so many this spring. I still have quite a few hanging around all summer due to all the flowers doing so good this year.
@Redheadedgammy I never thought of having a butterfly garden but saw one on bhg.com. I had a patch of weeds growing in clay soil with full sun on the side of my garage. I dug out all the clay, replaced with several yards of topsoil mixed with compost and fertilizer, picked full sun plants suggested for my zone, planted specified distance apart, put in rain barrels with passive hose and voila! Easy maintenance beauty!
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