Gardeners Tips

Not to everyone’s taste but Ivy or Hedera species are the most frequently grown, year round, climbing plants. Try these alternatives.

5 Top Evergreen Climbers

Solanum crispum ‘ Glasnevin’ is a shrubby climber that needs to be tied in to wire supports. It will repay with prolific blue blossom with yellow stamen during summer and autumn.
Lonicera henryi has purple flowers followed by small black fruit. It is a good twining and climbing plants to grow up vertical supports.
Lonicera japonica variety Halliana is another honeysuckle this time with scented yellow flowers. It will only loose the leaves if the winter is exceptionally harsh and cold.
Trachelospermum Jasminoides is heavily scented when in flower. It grows aerial roots and like most scented climbers prefers a warm south facing wall.
Clematis armandii flowers in late winter and covers a large area such as a wall or fence clinging with twisting leaf stalks.

Evergreen Ivy Tips

Try a variety other than common Ivy such as Hedera colchica ‘penata variegata’. You get better colour or leaf form but retain all the benefits.
Ivy provides food and shelter for wildlife and a year round backdrop for your garden.
The aerial roots should not damage a sound wall but the young rootlets may loosen bad mortar.
The leaves can be plaited to create wreaths or used as a filler in decorations.
Ivy can be grown on steep sloped as ground cover that protects soil from erosion.

Photo credit
Kew 056e by Michelle Bartsch CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Ivy by R~P~M ‘Ivy leaves at sunset, Lower Salden Farm, Mursley’ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

With knobbly fruit that are all dimpled and uneven Arbutus unedo is a group of trees and shrubs that fruit with strawberry like red berries.

Variegated Arbutus unedo
Variegated shrubs such as ‘Ukigumo’ are successful grown in shade.
Fruiting is less dominant on variegated forms. The round knobby fruits gradually ripen to strawberry red.
The evergreen glossy foliage can be quite beautiful. The cinnamon-colored bark is also attractive.

Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’, Killarney Strawberry Tree from Thompson Morgan
‘This striking shrub makes a superb focal point for year-round interest. Its leathery, evergreen foliage and peeling, cinnamon brown bark form a superb backdrop for the clusters of small, white, urn-shaped flowers in autumn. The dainty blooms give way to scarlet red fruits that only fully ripen in the following year, as a new set of flowers emerge. The edible fruits of Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ have a sharp aftertaste when eaten raw, but can be made into jams and preserves for a sweeter, guava-like flavour. This neat, compact variety is an ideal specimen shrub for a sheltered position. Although perfectly hardy once mature, Arbutus will appreciate a layer of fleece for winter protection when young. ‘

Arbutus andrachneor the Greek Strawberry Tree is less hardy in the UK as it is native to the Mediterranean.

Photo credit
Arbutus berries by GerryT CC BY 2.0
Arbutus unedo by Xevi V CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Osmanthus is an attractive genus of evergreen shrubs. The leaves are holly like with a leathery texture and spikes. The young leaves are green, red, cream or purple and below is a variegated example.
This variety O. hetrophylus is slow growing but can make a dense hedge or small tree. The flowers are sweetly scented in autumn.

Other Osmanthus and Uses

• Osmanthus delavayi grows upto 6 foot tall and wide with fragrant white april flowers. It can be grown as a small tree.
• Osmanthus yunnanensis ‘New Zealand Holly’ a fast growing large shrub with olive green leaves with flowers that can be a bit of a let down.
• Osmanthus americanus ‘Devil Wood’ is a bit tender in the UK.
• Osmanthus x burkwoodii which has small leathery leaves and fragrant white flowers in late spring. It can make a good hedge.
• Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Variegatus’ can be used as ground cover.
• Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Goshiki’ is an evergreen compact, fairly slow-growing shrub with dark-green, holly-like leaves.

Gardeners Top Tip
Osmanthus are cheap to buy when small, easy to grow and care for and are strongly recommended for a mixed border or ornamental woodland.

Gardeners Tips Favourite Links

• The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
• Alpine Garden Society (AGS)
• Garden Organic the national charity for organic gardening formerly Henry Double Day Research
• BBC Gardening