Growing climbers
"Climbers" vary from ones that in nature form ground cover, but can be trained upwards (so they are lacking the attachments required for climbing - an example is the Goat's foot Morning Glory), to very strong climbers. True climbers will start climbing as a seedling and so need to be provided with a stick to climb. Otherwise, a group of seedling will all become entangled and difficult to separate without damaging them.
In larger pots, it is best to provide them with a tripod of poles connected by spiralling string (see photo of a young Mandevilla). This keep the plant compact, while still allowing it to climb, so that later it can be transferred in to a larger (final) pot. Some small climbers have very weak stems - an example is the Black-eyed Suzy (see header above of this section). For its final position, you now have a choice of either allowing it to climb up a small frame, or putting it on a stand (such as a large pot) and letting it trail downwards. As an example, Thunbergia fragrans is shown in the 2nd photo trailing over a small wall. Large climbers (and some grow more than 10 m), need a frame fixed to a wall and the frame and the fixing need to be strong enough to withstand what could eventually become a considerable weight. I use plastic-coated metal-cored clothes lines attached to screws embedded in plastic plugs (such as Rawlplugs) in a wall. You need lines of wires at different heights (preferably not too far apart 70 cm in a strong climber, but only 20 cm in a weak climber like Asarina) and these can be connected by diagonal strings to allow the climber to ascend from 1 line to the next. |
Since this is going to be the permanent position of a large climber (although in an emergency e.g. moving house, you can later move the climber by cutting it right back. - it will sprout again, but may take a year to recover its original size), you need to consider carefully its site. Most climbers will only flower in the full sun, but can only survive the hot season in deep shade. One solution is to have the pot in deep shade, but encourage the plant to grow out in to the sun. This exposed section of the climber may die each summer and regrow in the Autumn. To reduce water loss, you may even cut back these exposed sections as the hot season starts, otherwise (and I have lost many Mandevillas this way!), the whole plant may suddenly die from water loss, when hot weather suddenly arrives. You may also consider covering the climbers with shade cloth in the summer and removing in the winter.
Many apparently very delicate climbers, such as Asarina, will survive happily in the full sun of summer, providing their pot is shaded by dense foliage of another plant (I use Ruellia). Other delicates, such as Black-eyed Suzy, will die in the summer, whatever you do and should be treated as annuals. |