The Sunday Mail
THERE was a time when it was fashionable to incorporate climbers into one’s garden. Though it might seem to be a bygone era, I still think that this special group of plants deserve a special place in our modern architecture.
Whether you own a small or large allotment, many things can be done by simply selecting the best climbers for your situation.
Climbers are a group of plants that grow upwards with or without support. Some are self-clinging, that is, they have tendrils, sticking pads, thorns or simply twine around objects as they grow upwards.
The plants help soften our modern concrete jungle. Use climbers on fences, dura-walls, pergolas, arks and anywhere else where they can climb, this can be on trees and stand alone poles, etcetera.
Be imaginative when it comes to positioning climbers. Some of the plants can also be used as standards along your driveway. They add a sparkle to a tropical setting as they tower high above the tree canopy. It can look grand if you grow some on to leaner subjects such as palms.
Let us look at a few examples of this group of plants and see how they can transform your garden space.
My favourite is none other than the Zimbabwe creeper, podranea brycei which is also commonly referred to as the
Queen of Sheba or St John creeper. It is a bold climber with lots of leaves producing pale attractive pink blossoms. The stems are thick and grow fast over walls or support. Propagate the Zimbabwe creeper in spring from seed or hardwood cuttings.
The traveler’s joy or clematis brachiata is another deciduous indigenous climber. It can be seen towering in tree canopies with its sweet scented white flowers. It is self twining and a good subject in summer when the rains have been around for a while. Clematis was a traveller’s joy due to its medicinal properties. The leaves were used to soothe many travellers’ feet, they simply had to pack them in their shoes to prevent blisters. A tea was made from the leaves to soothe coughs, headaches and stomach aches.
From the time I was young, I have known the golden shower or pyrostegia venusta to brighten any gloomy day. Its spectacular orange tubular flowers are long lasting throughout the summer. It can be grown from cuttings and it supports itself with tendrils.
Combretum paniculatum, the forest flame creeper, is another Southern African unique plant. It also flowers over tree canopies with red crimson blooms, hence the common name forest flame or burning bush. It is a fairly fast grower that needs support.
There are many climbers you can grow – some slow, some too vigorous like the bougainvillea, but whatever your choice, never tier to try new plants and to uproot the ones you do not dislike.
Try the ficus pumila (tickey creeper) on walls, aristolochia elegans (Dutchman’s pipe), parthenocissus quinquefolia (virginia creeper), petrea volubilis (purple wreath), senecio tamoides (Canary creeper), rhoicissus rhomboidea ( glossy forest grape) and jasminum polyanthum ( pink bud jasmine).
Transformation is pretty easy to achieve with climbers!
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