How to display tender climbers ?

I have been potting up some tender climbers today viz

Campsis radicans
Gloriosa rothschildiana
Ipomea 'Sunrise Serenade' - with thanks to Angelina for the seeds
Pandorea jasminoides - with thanks to Victoria for the seeds
Rhodochiton atrosanguineum
Thunbergia alata - with thanks to Angelina for the seeds

Other than Ipomea, I haven't grown any of these and would appreciate any practical tips. But my question is mainly - how do people display these given that they need to climb up a frame of sorts?


I have made a small obelisk shown above with three Thunbergia trained to climb the canes - but it doesn't look very impressive. Several things strike me.

1) I think I need to have the frame now, because the plants are already wanting to twine round something. Is this right?

2) The canes are 6 feet, as almost all the above climbers are capable of doing that and more. Does anyone have practical experience of how high they get from seed in a year?

3) The base looks to be very small for the height - but it would need a huge pot to give a better base.

4) They are all tender and being it a pot I can put them inside overnight. At what point can I put them outside permanently? I understand that the Gloriosa and Pandorea shouldn't really go outside at all.

5) I know Ipomea's performance is very dependant on how hot the summer is. Is that the same with the others?

I would appreciate any alternative suggestions for a climbing frame - and it its a fence or a trellis - how well do they cover it? and when can you start them off.

 

Grown a few Peter, and I must admit its a problem.
You kind of need a small trellis, in the pot for early in the season and then somewhere to stand the pot once it can go outside, with a larger frame for the plant to climb up during the summer.

Campsis is really hardy but needs full sun to ripen the wood properly, I wouldn't attempt it in a pot.
I'm thinking your Thunbergia will be OK in that pot with that support, if it should get too big just move it near a shrub or small tree, for a bit of extra support.

Rhodochiton is very fragile, especially the first year, it might be disappointing without a hot summer.

Ipomeas , are easy as long as you wait till its really warm before planting outside, they hate cold nights, I have a true perrenial which is a bit less fussy.

Gloriosa is a real hot house plant, enough said.
Pandorea I found grew very leggy in the greenhouse but not well outside, its a difficult one.

 

I have a large wooden trough and I've nailed a trellis to the back of it which stands against my house. I have also had assistance from the local electricity company. There is a pole in my back garden that I've put stakes round (into the ground) and wired together for climbers.

I'm also growing Ipomoea for the first time this year. Ipomoea and Thunbergia are both annuals so they will be fully grown come summer. As to tenderness, I'm yet to find out.

 

Thanks Pete - that's really helpful. I have looked on many sites - but they often say little more than how tall it can get and the colour of the flowers. Its so much more useful to have some constructive and useful criticism.

Something I meant to say above - any suggestions of other tender climbers, which are not too fussy and worth the effort?

I also forgot to say that I have a Bomarea of unknown species, which I grew from seed last year. It didn't flower last year, but its retained its growth of 3 feet or so from last year. It also needs something to grow up.

Edit: Thanks Sheal - I just saw your post after posting this reply. I think your idea is excellent. But I have this problem of wanting to get the climbers started, when its not really warm enough to put them outside permanently. I can just get my 6 feet obelisk through the door to my summerhouse, but nothing bigger.

 

Wow, the Bomarea sounds interesting

You are growing most of the ones I have Peter, other than passion flowers which I think if you get the right ones can grow very well in containers, pruned back and taken under cover for winter.
I used to grow Mina lobata, it always flowered well, and Asarina, but I'm thinking the names might have changed now.
And there is always Cobea scandens, if you want to cover something quickly.

 

Hi Peter, I make a similar construction for my ipomoeas to climb up.I like having them in a container because I can keep an eye on them better. I see your point about the base looking small but I think that pot is OK for 3 thunbergias, it just may be inclined to blow over in windy weather. You could try a square frame instead of a tripod, especially if you had a square planter. Once they start to climb you need to provide them with something fast or they just tangle themselves up.

I find morning glories, mina lobata, I quamoclit etc will go to 5 or six feet, but thunbergia somewhat less. If they outgrow the frame they form a curly swag which hangs off the top of the canes. I wonder what they'd do if just pinched out when they got to the top? I've never tried it.

I agree with what Pete said about avoiding cold nights - trouble is, there are always a few of those in early June. However, they germinate and grow so fast that you could wait till early June to sow and still get a result. I like to grow them in a pot on top of the water butt up a tripod. Once planted they can't easily be moved so I'm planning to drape a bit of fleece round on cool nights.

I find thunbergia the hardest to get a good result from. The rest seem to be willing to flower a bit even in the cooler summers we've had recently.

I don't think these twiners will cover a trellis easily; they would go up a fence but only if you gave them canes to go up as well. Twiners are good on a chain link fence also.

I haven't grown rhodochiton for years - I had some but lost them in a cold winter - but I'm trying again this year, with cobaea scandens and aristolochia littoralis.

 

I have use obelisks, I got 4 of them, about 6' tall, for a snip from local Garden Centre, but I don't suppose I would like the price if they had been RRP.

I have pinched out Morning Glories in previous years - they just branched, and were fine. I grew them year after year for many years ... and then got got bored with them!

 

Pete and Madahhalia - thanks for all that advice and all the names.

At the end of the day I think my greatest problem is going to be heat. Bigger pots, larger trellis, keeping things inside for a while can all be accomplished. But without a conservatory or a decent greenhouse I can't be growing everything inside, and if it doesn't flower outside its not much use doing that.

I don't know Aristolochia - it looks fascinating.

 

Kristen - just seen your post. I didn't even think of buying an obelisk. I started off today by intending to repot some Thunbergia which had outgrown the small canes that I had given them. I then decided on 6 foot canes. Its a bit of an experiment this year. But you have given me an idea - if the experiment works I am sure I can make a smarter obelisk than my canes.

I pinched out the Thunbergia - having seen it suggested on the internet. So I will just have to see how high it gets like that.

 

That's 'coz you're smart and I, by comparison, am lazy and easily sold to!

 

Hi Peter, I've built my own 'fan shaped' trellis supports out of canes for various climbers that I've grown in pots. Simply stick between 3 or 5 canes (of your required height) in the back of the pot (behind the climber) and then weave thinner canes between them horizontally and tie them to the upright canes, then cut off the excess. Sticking the outer upright canes in at a slight angle achieves the fan shape when its all completed.

Hope this makes sense, I'll try and get a photo of one I've done ealier

 

I've got some planters with obelisks in. The tall silver one was £6 from Morrisons (they've still got them in my local one) and is 6ft tall.



The smaller one was £5 from Aldi.



This one was £10 on sale in B&Q.



I have put them in fairly large planters to give them plenty of root space.

 

Thanks Merleworld - I very much like the first one - especially the price.

However you have also given me a real help with your container. I have seen them around and its just the sort that I want. I have some big containers (35 and 50 litres) but they are deep - just right for large things like Brugmansia. However for the climbers, and Eremurus that I recently potted and things like Hibiscus, you want width rather more than depth.

You have inspired me to go on a pot hunt.

 

You're welcome.

I tend to go by the diameter of the pot rather than how many litres of compost it holds. Usually if it's wide enough across the top then it is deep enough.

The container with the silver obelisk is the Smithy planter. Another larger one I use is this Sankey one (66cm diameter, but they do them smaller) from B&Q - nice thick plastic and with plenty of space for plants to grow into.

 

Peter - as you saw from my before and after photos of the Gloriosa tubers elsewhere you need a big pot in relation to the tuber. As a rule the mother tuber produces two daughters and dies off, but some of mine in the photo had knocked out three. I just grow them outdoors up a bamboo "wig-wam". Personally I reckon that the wow factor is greater outdoors (maybe because they look so tropical) although I'm sure that it does compromise the number of blooms and length of season.

Rhodochiton - small wig-wam (a metre or so) in a fifteen inch pot for three plants. Plenty of sun and feed well. I just treat them as an annual and they always do well. Keep under cover until June if you can.

Pete mentioned Aserina; A.scandens is prolific! Really good choice to hide an ugly fence or the suchlike.