5 classic climbers

1 climbing rose

Offering a vast range of gorgeous colours to choose from, climbing roses are hard to resist. There’s variety in the flower forms too, from dainty singles, through to large multi-petalled blooms. Having long lax stems, rather than twisting tendrils, climbing roses need to be tied onto their support – they look fabulous on pergolas, posts and pillars. Many older varieties of rose bloom in spring only, while modern climbers will continue to bloom well into summer.

• Best zones: 2-7

• Position: Sun

• Deciduous

Cover every post and pillar with sensational flowering vines

2 pandorea

Bearing trumpet-shaped flowers in pink or white, Pandorea jasminoides is a fabulous native climbing plant. It’s a moderate grower, easy to keep in check, and ideal for covering a pergola or trellis. Easy to grow in any mild to tropical climate, it needs moderate watering through the summer months and is not frost hardy. There are a number of lovely forms available, including the pure white ‘Lady Di’.

• Best zones: 1, 3, 6, 7, 8

• Position: Sun or light shade

• Evergreen

3 clematis

One of the loveliest members of a large family of climbing plants, Clematis montana bears masses of four-petalled flowers in shades of pink or white. Best suited to temperate or cold climates, they’re quite vigorous growers and will easily cover a wall, shed or frame. They favour a rich organic soil and grow best when planted with their roots in the shade and their leaves in the sun.

• Best zones: 2, 3, 4, 6

• Position: Sun

• Deciduous

4 wisteria

Draped in glorious sprays of mauve blooms, heavy with perfume, wisteria is impossible not to fall in love with. It’s one of the signature plants of springtime, and is easy to grow anywhere outside of tropical zones. Its only fault is that it can be a little too vigorous in habit, so make sure you can give it plenty of space to spread – over a wall, fence or pergola is ideal.

• Best zones: 2-6

• Position: Sun

• Deciduous

5 hardenbergia

Sprays of rich purple flowers smother this lovely native climber every spring, often appearing as early as August. Hardenbergia is a compact grower which won’t get out of hand and is great for training around pergola posts, or over a fence or frame. Happy to grow in full sun or light shade, it will thrive in any average well-drained garden soil. There are also pink and white flowering forms available.

• Best zones: 1-7

• Position: Sun or light shade

• Evergreen

Look to native plants for hardy but beautiful options

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