Intertwined climbing plants

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Lavanda
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Intertwined climbing plants

Postby Lavanda » Tue Jul 07, 2015 12:39 pm

I have a big enclosed patio with high walls all around, in my village house. I started my 'garden' with plants in pots that got ever bigger and needed constant watering. Last February I got our builder to create a raised bed for me running along two walls. It's about 90cm/3ft deep and built with old stone, like the walls. It's about 60cm/2ft wide. I filled it full of sheep manure, good earth and compost.

Along the wall I put up trellises with the idea that at the back I would plant climbers and along the front I would plant low growing bushes. So, I planted winter jasmine, bugnonia, an umbrella plant, lantana, summer jasmine and a bougainvillea. Some plants were cuttings, some were presents and some were old plants from the pots. Along the front I planted a hydrangea, roses, gardenia, fuschia and another hydrangea.

Eighteen months later ... I have a jungle. The bushes in the front are fantastic and soften the raised bed walls by tumbling over the edge and the flowers are beautiful - especially the gardenia. The climbing plants have climbed further and faster than I ever would have imagined. Some are 6m or more tall and at the top of the patio walls. Most of them have escaped the trellis to which they are constanly being tied and I have been pruning back as flowering has finished. However, all the plants seem to be climbing in and out of each other and it's beautiful and makes the patio very green and cool but it's impossible to work out what is what.

My question is this: does it matter that the plants are intertwining? Will any one plant smother any other? Should I be interfering? Should I just limit myself to a general prune and leave it at that each year?

Thanks in advance.

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chrissiehope
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Re: Intertwined climbing plants

Postby chrissiehope » Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:20 pm

I would leave it alone unless you notice that one particular plant is suffering. Here in UK I have 3 types of honeysuckle & jasmine, which have all intertwined and seem happy - in fact the biggest problem is that they are really too near the apple tree, so they tend to try & take that over; or 'burrow' into the lawn...
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Lavanda
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Re: Intertwined climbing plants

Postby Lavanda » Tue Jul 07, 2015 2:11 pm

Thanks, Chrisse, that sounds like good advice. We do have a mature lemon tree, as well, but I do not want anything climbing into that as we get lemons year-round and I don't want that interfered with.

Mariacristina
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Re: Intertwined climbing plants

Postby Mariacristina » Sat Jul 11, 2015 4:39 pm

Lavanda, your garden sounds gorgeous . . . and so it should with that wonderful rich growing medium. Plants look so much nicer when they are not too carefully manicured and are lovely all tumbled in together. It might be as well to keep a closer eye on the Bignonia as they can be a bit thuggish if not kept in check and they throw up sneaky suckers. Have you got space to squeeze a Plumbago in amongst them? They send down waterfalls of cool blue flowers and happily intertwine with other plants.

Lavanda
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Re: Intertwined climbing plants

Postby Lavanda » Sun Jul 12, 2015 5:41 pm

Hi Mariacristina. The sheep pooh manure is pretty amazing and a great by-product of us having a few sheep to munch the grass at the finca. Thanks for the tip about the Bignonia. I have already noticed it has shot our vertical climbers that almost seem to defy gravity before they curl around something. So far it's not too bad but I shall watch it doesn't swamp the winter jasmine — but that's also growing fast.

My sister gave me two Plumbago cuttings last Spring and I have them in pots at the finca. I do have a space where I dug up a Rosemary bush which grew too big. It's now in a huge pot on my front balcony where it is doing well. I'll put in a Plumbago and see what happens next! :D


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