Topic: Chilean Glory Vine questions

[jennym]

I have honeysuckle on a very sunny warm, very high fence, and come July it always gets the mildew, it's just too hot for it there.
I decided to replace it 4 or 5 years ago and raised Chilean Glory vine from seed (I was proud  :)) and planted it in one corner of the same area.  It's done quite well, producing masses of gorgoeus hot orange trumpet shaped flowers, but I did leave the honeysuckle in because I wasn't sure if the Chilean Glory Vine would survive.
Well, it has survived, but I am unsure as to how it grows and thickens up.
At present, there are masses of stick-like stems at head height, but so far I haven't ever left them to grow very long, have always given it a haircut in spring.
I want it to trail along the top 2 or 3 ft of the fence (the lower portion is cloaked with shrubs anyway) and for a length of around 15 feet.
Can I train one stem, and get side shoots to come by "tipping" it like I do with my fruit? Will that main stem thicken up enough and support side shoots that can be pruned in spring to provide a good leafy, flowery cover during summer? Should I train many stems along the area instead?
Would appreciate advice from those who do grow this plant.

[ACE]

I had one at my last place. It grew up over a large gazebo, but it grew so strongly I used to attack  it regulary with the hedge cutter whenever it got out off hand. It covered about 8m2 across the top and was about 2.5m high and kept on flowering even more so after  a trim. The initial stem thickened up like a grape vine.

It was a bit of a nuisance when it came to spreading its seedlings all over the place.  Where are you? I am down in the deep south and this sort of plant always does well here.

[jennym]

Not as far south as you ACE :D
I'm just north of the M25, in the Lea Valley.

There is a tall hedgerow bordering the field about 10 ft behind the fence, so that must be providing some protection I suppose. To be honest, I haven't seen many growing round here. Sounds like I can have a go developing a main stem. I didn't want to waste my time trying to train something that ended up a straggly weedy looking mess  ;D cos I ain't too good with flowers!