Add height, colour and year round interest with some of our favourite climbers
Climbing plants are often one of the most overlooked additions to a garden. While shrubs and borders provide structure at ground level, climbers transform fences, walls, pergolas and arches into living features that change with the seasons.
Whether you are looking to soften a bare wall, create privacy or simply enjoy more flowers throughout the year, there is a climbing plant to suit almost every garden.
Our Chacewater Garden Centre Plant Manager, Ashley, recently shared his favourite climbers and expert growing tips in one of our latest social media reels. If you are looking for inspiration, it is well worth watching before choosing your next climber.
Why Grow Climbing Plants?
Climbers make excellent use of vertical space, allowing gardeners to introduce colour without sacrificing valuable planting areas.
Many varieties provide multiple seasons of interest, beginning with fresh spring foliage, followed by flowers through summer and berries or colourful leaves during autumn and winter.
They also provide valuable shelter for wildlife, help cool walls during warmer months and can even improve privacy around patios and seating areas.
As Christopher Lloyd, one of Britain's best loved gardeners, once wrote:
"A garden should give pleasure through every season."
The best climbing plants do exactly that.
Trachelospermum
Ashley's Favourite
If Ashley could recommend just one climber, this would be it.
Trachelospermum jasminoides, is an evergreen climber that offers something throughout the year.
During summer it produces masses of beautifully fragrant white flowers, filling the garden with a sweet scent that becomes particularly noticeable on warm evenings.
As autumn arrives, the glossy green leaves gradually develop rich shades of red and bronze before returning to fresh green growth in spring.
For gardeners wanting year round structure, colour and fragrance, it is difficult to overlook.
Growing Tip
Plant Trachelospermum in a sunny, sheltered position with support from trellis or wires. Once established it requires very little maintenance beyond occasional tying in and light pruning after flowering.
Clematis
The Classic British Climber
Few climbing plants are as popular as Clematis.
With hundreds of varieties available, they provide flowers from early spring right through to autumn depending on the cultivar.
Ashley particularly recommends using Clematis to add vertical colour alongside fences and pergolas.
The native Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba) also provides valuable wildlife habitat while producing distinctive fluffy seed heads later in the year.
Growing Tip
Most Clematis prefer what gardeners often describe as "heads in the sun, feet in the shade."
Keeping the roots cool with surrounding plants or mulch helps produce healthier growth and longer flowering.
Clematis 'Nelly Moser'
If you are looking for something particularly eye catching, Clematis 'Nelly Moser' is one of the finest choices.
Its large blooms combine soft pink petals with distinctive deep pink stripes through each flower, creating one of the most recognisable climbing displays in British gardens.
It flowers generously during late spring before often producing a second flush later in the season.
Position it somewhere bright but avoid intense afternoon sun to help preserve its delicate colouring.
Clematis tangutica
For gardeners wanting interest well beyond summer, Clematis tangutica is an outstanding performer.
Its cheerful yellow lantern shaped flowers continue blooming well into autumn before developing into attractive silky seed heads that remain throughout winter.
These fluffy seed heads catch frost beautifully and continue providing interest long after many other climbers have finished for the year.
It is also one of the easiest Clematis varieties to grow, making it ideal for beginners.
Climbing Hydrangeas
Not every wall receives full sunshine.
Climbing Hydrangeas thrive in partial shade, making them an excellent solution for north facing walls where many flowering climbers struggle.
Their lace cap flowers appear during summer while the attractive foliage provides structure throughout the growing season.
As they mature, they cling naturally to walls and fences without needing extensive tying in.
Patience is rewarded, as they become increasingly impressive each year.
Virginia Creeper
If autumn colour is your priority, Virginia Creeper deserves serious consideration.
Fast growing and vigorous, it quickly covers walls, fences and larger structures with rich green foliage throughout summer.
As temperatures fall, the leaves transform into spectacular shades of crimson, scarlet and deep burgundy, creating one of the most dramatic autumn displays available.
It is particularly effective for covering larger areas where rapid growth is desired.
Looking After Climbing Plants
Climbing plants are remarkably easy to care for once established, but a few simple techniques will keep them performing at their best.
Provide suitable support
Install trellis, wires or pergolas before planting wherever possible. Young plants establish much more successfully when support is available immediately.
Water well during establishment
Most climbing plants need regular watering throughout their first growing season while roots develop.
Feed during spring
Applying a balanced fertiliser each spring encourages healthy foliage and abundant flowers.
Prune according to the variety
Different climbers flower on different growth, so pruning requirements vary. Understanding your plant's pruning group helps maximise flowering each year.
Mulch annually
Adding organic mulch around the base conserves moisture, suppresses weeds and gradually improves soil quality.
Recommended Products for Successful Climbers
To help your climbing plants establish successfully, we recommend pairing them with a few garden essentials available through Cornwall Garden Shop.
Moorland Multi Purpose Compost 40 Litre Peat Free
Ideal for improving soil when planting new climbers or filling large containers. A healthy root system starts with quality compost.
Expandable Willow Trellis
A simple but effective support for young climbers, perfect for fences, walls and smaller spaces where plants need guidance during establishment.
Vitax Clematis Feed
Specially formulated to encourage stronger growth and more abundant flowering, making it an excellent choice for Clematis and many other flowering climbers.
Visit Us and See Them for Yourself
There is no substitute for seeing climbing plants in person.
From the fragrant flowers and evergreen foliage of Trachelospermum, to the striking blooms of Clematis 'Nelly Moser', the late season colour of Clematis tangutica, the dependable elegance of Climbing Hydrangeas and the spectacular autumn foliage of Virginia Creeper, our current selection showcases just how much interest climbing plants can bring to the garden.