Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Ockers on January 18, 2012, 19:59
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Hi,
I am fairly new to the site, but have a half sized allotment plot for 3 years, and am getting an idea as to what we as a family want to grow etc. We have just moved to a new full plot and which although has suffered from neglect for 6 months does have a load of potential and quirkiness. At the far end of the polytunnel I have put an area of space aside for my daughter (she has called it 'Sunflower Valley'), for her to plant sunflowers etc and other nice flowers. This area is initially going to be covered in membrane to stunt the weed growth, then topsoiled as we has loads spare and then seeded. My hammock is going there too !!! The down side to this is a slatted fence that seperates the plot and a residential garden. As such I want to cover this fence in a pretty and colourful flower / climber, one that flowers for a long time and if possible has some colour / coverage all year. The area I'm looking at is approx 6 metres long and 2 metres high.
This may sound lazy, but I have been looking through flower books etc, but if anyone has any tried and tested plants that have been used in similar circumstances then I would be grateful for the advice.
Many thanks
Stu
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Is the fence north or south facing...or even east or west? :lol:
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Sorry. Missed off that bit. It's south facing, but then turns west facing
Thanks
Stu
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native honeysuckle. i've honeysuckle, clematis and hops growing on my plot (don't go with hops, it's painful).
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Ordinary jasmin is pretty, but loses its leaves in winter, although you are left with impenetrable thicket of branches.
Solanum jasminoides is fairly evergreen, lovely white scented flowers, there's also a lovely blue form solanum crispum and yes I agree about the clematis.
You could always grow a grape vine ;) and how about sweetpeas, bootiful :D
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A climbing rose variety with multiple flowerings (the rambling kind usually only have one, spectacular flush of flowers) would be a lovely scented choice if you're putting your hammock there - steer clear of double varieties, to give the bees a chance to get at the centre of the flower, and they'll hopefully polinate some of your other plants while they're about their business.
Alternatively, there are a couple of nice evergreen clematis varieties - the armandii range, for example - apple-blossom (a scented variety), snowdrift etc etc - they'll happily climb all over the place and is a type of clematis which doesn't need anything much in the way of pruning - they tend to flower early in the spring which again will attract pollinating insects at a time when there isn't much for them to be munching on!
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Zepherine Drouhin is a thornless clmbing rose, (if you were thinking of a rose) which has pink flowers and smells gorgeous. Quite easy to come by too
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Climbing Roses and spring flowering Clematis together.
Give interest for most of year.
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You could grow ivy up it which will cover it all year round and they every year you could plant a different climbing annual (or selection of annuals) which will scramble up through the ivy, to give colour and scent. Eg Morning Glory, Sweet Pea. there are probably a few more I can't think of at the moment..
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A really nice evergreen flowering climber is Trachelospermum jasminoides or Star Jasmine. Its not really a jasmine, but has green glossy leaves that turn red in winter when the cold hits them and white jasmine scented flowers in mid summer for several weeks. Very fragrant when flowering and easy to grow :)