Tag Archive: climbers

Ipomoea Pearly Gates

Chris May 11, 2024 Garden climbers, flowers, seeds

I bought seeds of this climber a few years ago and though I got one vine to about a foot high it never flowered. Last month I was sorting my seed box out and found some seeds at the bottom of the box which had escaped from their packet. I had no idea what they were so I just put them in some compost and the seed leaves which emerged led me to believe they were Morning Glory. I potted on five sturdy seedlings so fingers crossed.

Pearly Gates was the variety I bought. It has large, pure white flowers with a slight creamy tint and a distinct star-shaped throat. A useful addition to fences or to cover an old shed, which was the reason I bought the seeds way back. Had I known what I know now I would have chosen to buy a plant rather than seeds although I have found that plants are hard to source.

Morning glory, Ipomoea tricolor, is a frost tender annual climber that bears beautiful, flowers on fast growing twining stems with heart shaped green leaves. Morning glories usually have to be grown from seed as ready grown plants are rarely available. The name morning glorycomes from the plants’ flowering habit. The blooms open early and only for a day, fading by mid-afternoon in hot weather. Many flowers are borne in succession so this plant makes a lovely display for months, flowering throughout summer and into early autumn. The blooms come in a range of varieties and colours of which the best-known is Heavenly Blue. Morning glory can grow up to several feet high .

Another attempt at growing climbers from seed 2022

Chris April 12, 2022 Garden climbers, flowers, germination, seeds

I have just sown four each of Ipomoea Pennata Red; Ipomoea Pearly Gates (white) and Thunbergia Alata Mix. I tried these climbers last year with no success so try try again. I have put them in a root trainer affair which is green and open to the light but sealed to keep in the moisture. They are sitting on the window ledge in as much light as I have available so fingers crossed. From what I can remember germination could take 20 to 30 days so about a month. Its 12th April 2022 today so well into May when the soil should be warming up. Update – 18th April 2022 – two shoots already. Update – 21st April 2022 – six shoots now. These root trainers are good.

I love climbers and as our garden is quite small they allow us to use the fence and various arches to give us more flowers at eye level as well as in the ground and in our myriad of pots.

Thinking about sowing these seeds today has made me take stock of what climbers we have already. We have a basic Ivy that has been with us for years as a dividing screen between our garden and next door. I have a climbing Hydrangea alongside it that is also very old and well established. Clematis have come and gone over the years but the ones that come to mind that are still with us are Montana, Apple Blossom; Hagley Hybrid; Mrs Bateman; Princess Kate; Guernsey Cream and a couple of deep red and purple ones that I’ve forgotten the names of, Warsaw something I think one of them is. I have a Russian Vine that I have had to cut back excessively this year as although it s flowers are beautiful it has taken over a part of the side garden and climbed up into the plum trees so urgent secateur work was required.

I have an old Jasmine that could do with removing too. Tidying up work desperately needed I think. Ours is an old garden and as it is small I can’t let things go.

You can’t have enough climbers can you.

Update 27th April 2024 – Ipomoea Pearly Gates – A Half Hardy Perennial = Still a few seeds left so here I go again trying to raise this climber. A couple of years ago I got two seedling to grow to about a foot high only to die on me before they reached maturity. No root trainers this time they too are long gone so just a small tray of moist seed compost covered in polythene and sat on my computer box. Fingers crossed.

A Shropshire Lad – David Austin Climbing Rose

Chris March 5, 2019 Family, Garden, Spring climbers, flowers, roses

On 20th February this year it was three years since we lost Adam and to mark the occasion Sean and I went to Ashwood Nurseries and bought a climbing Rose to put in the garden as a tribute to Adam. A Shropshire Lad is a beautiful subtle pink rose by David Austin. A vigorous scented climbing rose with very few thorns, dark green foliage and beautiful subtle pink flowers. I have admired this rose for years and so going with Sean and buying it together in remembrance of Adam made the sad day a little easier for both of us.

A Shropshire Lad

A vigorous scented climbing rose with very few thorns, dark green foliage and beautiful subtle pink flowers.

The name is taken from A. E. Housman’s collection of poems about Shropshire published in 1896 where the David Austin rose gardens and nursery are situated. A. E. Housman’s ashes are buried near St. Laurence’s Church in Ludlow, Shropshire. David C. H. Austin, born in Shropshire, is himself a Shropshire lad.

To add to this treat Sean also bought me another rose that I had been wanting for ages, the English Shrub Rosa Queen Of Sweden. I plan to take cutting of both of these when the time is right.

Queen of Sweden – Small buds open to half-enclosed cups which eventually become wide, shallow, and upward-facing. The colour begins as soft, apricot pink, gradually changing to pure soft pink over time. It has a lovely myrrh fragrance. It forms a bushy upright shrub. It was named to commemorate the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Sweden and Great Britain by David Austin in 2004.

English Roses have natural, shrubby growth which makes them ideal for both rose borders and combining with other plants in mixed borders. The more compact English Roses work well in rose beds, whilst taller varieties can be trained against a post and rail fence. Most varieties will perform surprisingly well in partial shade with at least four or five hours of good sun a day. English Roses as shrubs look best when planted in groups of three or more of the same variety. They will then grow together to form one dense shrub which will provide a more continuous display and make a more definite statement in the border. David Austin.

https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk

Clematis from Seed

Chris December 3, 2016 Garden Clematis, climbers, propagation, seeds

I love growing plants from seed. The pure joy of seeing a healthy green seedling pushing through after you have sown a tiny black dead looking seed is well worth the effort. It is time consuming and fiddly but I’m not very good at sewing, knitting or crochet like most ladies but I do seem to have some success with plants. I have been having a go with vegetable and flower seeds over the years but one plant that I have never grown from seed is Clematis. This Autumn I put in a few cuttings and am looking forward to seeing the results of those but I am determined to try and raise some from seed next spring.

I have read a little but prefer to learn by trial and error. The few tips I have gathered are as follows. Clematis seeds throw down deep roots so need to be sown in gritty, sandy compost in a deep container or pot. Germination can take from six weeks to three years. Ah well we will see. Heat isn’t needed and sown seed can be left in a cold greenhouse or outside. Moisture should be maintained by covering the pot with grit and enclosing in a polythene bag. I dread to think how many seed heads I have thrown into the compost over the years, however this last year I did save a few and put them into seed modules In sandy compost. I don’t hold out much hope for those but next year I will be more prepared.