Give a climber like morning glory something to scramble up and it will romp away, keeping you in colourful flowers all summer long
Get speedy returns with
Annual climbers
Whether you want wall coverage, shade for a seating area or optimum eye level interest, these fast growers will tick all of the boxes in minimal time, says Louise Curley
T
HE ultimate ‘Beanstalk’ plants other plants to mature. They’re perfect (although, unlike Jack, you for covering walls or trellis, too, or used won’t need to trade a cow to create temporary screening around for the seeds), seating areas during the summer annual climbers grow at , if you want a little bit an astonishing rate. Sown ivacy. Best of all: their in late winter, many will eap price and short life reach 8ft (2.5m) over the pan allows you to be a course of the summer, ttle more experimental while some will romp han you might away to 16ft (5m). otherwise be– one Thanks to their height, year you might fancy they’ll add colour and omething exotic; the interest at eye level and xt something fragrant Susan Black-eyed create another dimension cottage garden-like. is a fast grower within a planting design. A uiring little ground they’ll flower all summer, in some space, annual climbers are ideal cases right through to the first frosts. for squeezing into small areas, but they Their speedy growth makes them do need something to scramble up, ideal for new gardens, where they add whether it’s a willow wigwam, metal or useful focal points while you wait for wooden obelisk, pergola or trellis panels 28 AMATEUR GARDENING 1 FEBRUARY 2020
attached to a wall or fence. Some, like runner beans and nasturtiums, are even edible – use these to make a vegetable patch look pretty, or weave them among ornamentals and other edibles for a potager effect in the border. Long growing season Most of these plants come from warmer, sunnier climates than ours. In their native countries they’re often perennial, but here they won’t survive a typical winter outdoors. Easy to grow from seed, they need a long growing season if they’re to bloom, so you’ll need to sow over the coming weeks – on a warm windowsill, or with the help of a heated propagator. More tender types need protection from frost before they can be planted out in late spring or early summer. But don’t worry if you haven’t the space to house
