GARDENS ILLUSTRATED Pots of Style
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Gina Lane, by email
APIPPA SAYS As long as your old apple tree is still healthy, it should be fine – I’d not be so happy if it were sickly (if it has an infection, it may then spread around the garden if the tree isn’t removed) or if the tree looks as if it might soon blow over (that’d be a waste of the climbers you’re about to plant). You don’t say how big the apple is, but unless it is unusually tall, it may be better to choose a climbing rose, as ramblers could be too rampant for an apple tree to support.
The choice is yours – choose a colour that will make your heart sing and you’ll not regret it. One of my favourite roses is the rich golden yellow and heavily scented ‘Maigold’. For the clematis, I’d go for a Clematis montana or one of its varieties as they don’t need regular pruning and are almost guaranteed to grow well.
The vigorous ‘Abundance’ provides masses of pink blooms
ACHRISTINE SAYS What a lovely idea and one that means you retain a bit of character and height in the garden. Be aware that the planting area at the base of the tree will be very compacted. It will also be starved of nutrients, so when taking out the planting hole, ensure that some well-rotted manure or garden compost is mixed into the soil to refill the holes and remember to water them, both before and after planting, and keep well watered until the plants are growing strongly and established.
Rosa soulieana is a rambler that grows up to 5m, with long, slender branches and yellow, scented flowers that are white in bud and would look lovely with Clematis viticella ‘Abundance’ with its reddish-pink flowers, up to 5cm across, that appear mid-summer to early autumn.
It can take up to five years for new wisterias to bloom