Topic: climbers for hedges...

[mat]

I fancy growing some flowering climbers through some of my hedges to add some extra summer interest.

I have:

2 hawthorn hedges. 
     One at the front about 30ft long with a gap for the drive and this is about 3ft high.   faces SW & NE
     One at the back, 30ft long and just over 4ft high.  my side faces SW and is just fields behind so I wish to retain the views...

2 beech hedges:
     One at front about 20ft long and just over 4ft high faces SE
     One at back with "spare" length of about 60ft length and is up to 6ft high and faces SE. 

I like my beech hedges to retain their winter leaves till I cut in spring, so the climbers would need to live with this treatment!

I am not necessarily wishing to cover all space with climbers, just add a bit of extra colour!

I have only lived here just over a year and am redesigning most of the back garden!

What do you suggest? 

thanks
mat

[grannyjanny]

How often do the hedges need cutting. If it were possible it have to be clematis for me.
Janet

[saddad]

The to die-for hedge climber is the Scottish Flame flower, a tropeleum(?) but it likes cool and damp and so is a bu**er to establish. Annual climbers like canary creeper or just nasturtiums can be great too... don't go for honeysuckle they will choke the hedge.  :)

[grannyjanny]

Know what you mean SD about the flame flower. They have it at Arley Hall garden & at Dunham Massey. I think they are growing through yew hedges at both places.
Janet

[mat]

Clematis - good idea.

The hedges get cut in about February (no later than mid march) but the hawthorn also gets a trim mid summer of its top growth to tidy it up

I'll look up the flame flower, but it tends to be very dry here so it may not be too happy...

mat

[saddad]

There is a good example in the yew hedge at Heslington Hall, on the Uni campus, but as it is herbaceous not much to see at the moment...  :)

[manicscousers]

just got some climbing dicentra seeds, bright yellow flowers, looks good on the pic and perennial  ;D

[greenstar]

Does it need to be a perennial?  We had masses of climbing nasturtiums growing through our hawthorn and privet hedges last year and they were beautiful - loads of different colours and lasted from June to October.   Being nasturtiums I expect they'll be back again this year as they'll have self seeded everywhere.

[mat]

yes, they can be annuals and/or perennials.  I am after all suggestions, as I will have forgotten some, and not heard of others (e.g. the "flame flower")  Nasturtiums (and annuals) would probably be best for the shorter hawthorns, esp as I need to give them a quick trim in the summer to tidy them up.  I have never grown nasturtiums before, I'll get some seeds and give them a try - thanks.  just hope they don;t get black fly too badly as it would look a bit of a mess then!!!

mat

[1066]

Would Morning Glory be ok?

[hopalong]

Clematis alpina looks great scrambling through a hedge. Passion flower (passiflora caerulea)  or the Cup-and-saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) might work in a sunny position. I like the Morning Glory idea too.

[woodypecks]

I love my Humulus lupulus aurea ...the Golden Hop . Ihave it growing up through a cherry tree .  Might work on a hedge and if your Beech is the purple one it would look sensational !   

[1066]

The golden hop is beautiful and has given me an idea for my garden. But does it get too big / is it very prolific?

[Little Bee]

What about a jasmine,gorgeous perfume :) or everlasting sweet pea?

Remember though that if you grow annuals you will have to tidy them up after the plant dies and this can be a painful procedure on the Hawthorne....ouch!!

[ipt8]

i would say annual sweet peas so your hedge cutting regime would not be a problem, or any other annual climbers.
climbing nasturtians do very well for us in a sandy soil but do spread a long long way. once they start flowering they go on untill the frosts arrive. they do sprawl a lot and are quite adventurous. the bold trumpet flowers look great. we have orange and yellow and let them mix.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Perennial sweet peas die back in winter so they wouldn't be a  problem as long as you can keep your hedge trimming to winter and early spring.

[mat]

Thanks guys; some great ideas here, some of which I'd never have thought of

mat