The best climbers from Sissinghurst for romance, fragrance, and seasonal colour
Claire Margetts from Sissinghurst picks ten best climbers that will grow in shade or partial shade, are happy in most soils and are generally hardy
Claire Margetts is a senior gardener and the National Trust’s first-ever Sissinghurst Scholar, part of an 18-month programme designed to cultivate future head gardeners under Troy Scott Smith. ‘Vita wrote that ‘climbers are among the most useful plants in any garden’,’ says Claire.
Of the best climbing plants from Sissinghurst, ‘I couldn’t agree more,’ said Claire, ‘and could happily extol the virtues of any of the hundreds of clematis and climbing rose forms that adorn the medieval walls, farm buildings, homespun chestnut structures, and which grow in the orchard here.’
Here Claire picks the ten best climbers that will grow in shade or partial shade, are happy in most soils, and are generally hardy.
Ten of the best climbers from Sissinghurst
1. Rosa ‘Mermaid’
‘Mermaid’ is a tall and vigorous climber that will grow to about 10m, even on a north-facing wall. It bears large, single yellow flowers throughout the warmer months and is a dreamy shade-loving plant. In the main, it needs pruning only to remove dead wood, and it’s possible to train this rose into gentle curves for winter structure and to promote flowering buds.
From early summer into autumn, its enormous, single pale yellow flowers provide a luminous display that is highly attractive for attracting bees and butterflies to your garden. Ideally, I would grow ‘Mermaid’ in a large space where it would be ideal for covering unsightly structures or softening mature trees and boundary walls.
2. Chaenomeles ‘Knap Hill Scarlet’
‘At Sissinghurst, this Japanese flowering quince grows in the shade by the library door,’ says Claire. ‘Each spring it bears vermillion flowers followed by yellow fruits.’ It espaliers beautifully, it’s fully hardy, and its spines make for a good deterrent on a boundary, too. It reaches a dazzling 1.8m. Easy to grow and wonderfully versatile, this flowering quince thrives in moist, well-drained soil in a sunny position, where it will reward gardeners with reliable displays year after year.
Chaenomeles ‘Knap Hill Scarlet’ is a really beautiful and eye-catching deciduous shrub that heralds the arrival of spring with a delightful profusion of vivid orange-red flowers carried along its thorny, spreading branches before the foliage fully emerges. As the season progresses, glossy green leaves provide a fresh backdrop, while autumn brings fragrant, yellow, apple-like fruits that add further ornamental interest and can be used to make the tastiest jellies and preserves.
3. Clematis tangutica
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If you like a yellow flower, try this clematis, which is also known as the golden clematis. ‘Its bright, bell-shaped flowers hang like tiny Chinese lanterns held singly on downy stalks. They’re followed by fluffy seed heads,’ says Claire. It reaches 3m, or look out for the compact climbing cultivar, ‘Little Lemons’. At 50cm, this one is perfect for pots.
Wildlife simply adore Clematis tangutica, and it’s a truly outstanding climber for covering walls, arches, and a dramatic addition to trellises, where its billowing habit softens hard lines. From late summer into autumn, it produces lovely lantern-shaped yellow flowers, which are striking against the verdant foliage.
4. Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris
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‘A seriously good doer,’ says Claire, ‘thriving in some of the most shady, inhospitable areas of the garden. It’s great for pollinators and bears a profusion of lacy white flowerheads in late spring and early summer.’ Although it’s slow to establish, it will, clinging by aerial roots, romp along a wall or fence. It’s almost heart-shaped, with dark green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. ‘Leave the skeletal flower-heads on for winter interest and bud protection,’ she says. It will reach a marvellous 10 to 12m.
Although slow to establish, it becomes remarkably vigorous with age and requires little more than occasional pruning to keep it in shape. A deserved recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit, it is an outstanding choice for adding year-round interest to shaded gardens.
5. Rosa moyesii ’Geranium’
A rose with multi-season interest, which will grow in part shade. ‘Vita, wrote ever so passionately about this climber in her book Some Flowers,’ says Claire. ‘And it looks superb, loosely trained against English brick.’ Its single flowers are a deep pink to coppery red, which turn to ‘scarlet, bottle-shaped hips in autumn,’ Claire adds. This rose is fully hardy.
Rosa ‘Geranium’ brings real charm to informal gardens with its simple yet striking display of single, cherry-red flowers. Blooming in May and June, each flower is centred with a prominent ring of creamy stamens that prove irresistible to bees and other pollinators. Although it flowers just once each season, the spectacle is followed by an equally impressive display of large, orange-red hips that provide vibrant colour and valuable wildlife interest well into the autumn season.
6. Parthenocissus henryana
‘Growing with the same vigour as its relative, Virginia creeper, and with the same vivid autumn colour, this makes a perfect climber for anyone wanting vibrant colour at that time of year,’ Claire explains. ‘It’s slightly tender while young but should be safe against a wall, preferably with a northerly aspect, where the dark green leaves will better develop the silver and pink variegation along the main veins which characterises this species.’
What we love about Parthenocissus henryana is that when you position it in the sun, the foliage develops rich autumn tones before falling, while in shadier spots the display is more subtle, but still gorgeous. Easy to grow and wonderfully versatile, this self-clinging climber is perfect for adding texture, colour and seasonal interest to walls, fences and other awkward garden spaces.
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7. Clematis ‘Perle d’Azure’
‘A late-flowering clematis that thrives in partial shade but needs a good mulch. It has exquisite summer flowers that are pinkish-red at the base with contrasting pale yellow centres,’ explains Claire. It’s vigorous, so she advises keeping it in check: at Sissinghurst, it grows alongside Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea,’ where it reaches about 3m.
One of the oldest and most cherished clematis varieties, Clematis ‘Perle de Azur’ is celebrated for its delicate true-blue flowers and exceptionally long flowering season. From summer through to September, its graceful blooms continue to appear long after many other clematis varieties have finished, bringing lasting colour and elegance to the garden. It conveniently thrives in a wide range of positions and is equally well suited to walls, trellises, arches, or even growing in a container.
8. Akebia quinata
‘A pretty, semi-evergreen climber that thrives in partial shade, with beautiful maroon-chocolate flowers that have a spicy fragrance with just a hint of vanilla.’ Appearing in spring, the flowers stand out against bright green, three-lobed leaves, which have a purple tinge in winter. It’s excellent for training against a wall or over a pergola, and in warmer years, it can produce large sausage-shaped fruits. Prune back after flowering if necessary. It will reach 10m.
I love it when my dazzling Akebia quinata appears in spring, and the delicate blooms release a rich, warm, and spicy scent and stand gorgeously against the fresh green, five-lobed foliage, which takes on attractive purple tones during winter. It’s a versatile climber that is ideal for training over walls, pergolas, and arches, where its twines make a lovely dispaly.
9. Actinidia kolomikta
A striking deciduous climber, grown mainly for its heart-shaped leaves, which have splashes of pink and white on the tips. The variegation appears mostly on the uppermost sections of the plant and is often not apparent on young plants. The flowers, which appear in early summer, are white and fragrant. This unusual climber looks striking on a protected wall. Reaches 3m.
Best grown against a sunny, sheltered wall where its colours can fully develop, this unusual climber with its simply fabulous pink and green foliage that draws the eye, makes a spectacular feature plant for adding texture, movement, and year-round interest to the garden.
10. Wisteria sinensis var. sinensis f. alba
‘Pendent clusters of fragrant, pure white, pea-like flowers in May and June are followed in hot summers by velvety green seedpods. Renowned for its superior fragrance, it’s not particular to any soil, and it’s an ideal, fast-growing climber for covering a sheltered wall or strong pergola or for scrambling through a tree,’ says Claire.
The white-flowered Wisteria sinensis is sophisticated and elegant with a vigorous, twining habit; it makes for a dramatic architectural feature in a garden. Best grown in full sun in a sheltered position, it rewards patience with age, developing into a phenomenal, long-lived climber that provides beauty and simply sublime fragrance.
A garden obelisk is an absolute must for climbing plants, both practically as they can support the plant’s growth, and for added beauty, adding a vertical element to gardens, serving as attractive year-round focal points. One of my favourites is the obelisk with large ball top from Crocus, which looks both regal and romantic, and effortlessly tasteful in garden borders.
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