"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
On 15/04/15 14:41, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
My wife asked me to find an evergreen climber for an arch which we have
just replaced. I thought the choice would be pretty large, but that
isn't the case. Just about all are white-flowered, maybe cream, but good
colour is very rare. The plant would get sun all day, and would be about
3 metres from a south-facing wall. FWIW, I'm in south Hampshire and the
soil has a fair amount of clay in it.

Consider Bignonia capreolata (cross-vine). It kept most of its leaves
on against a warmish wall in Cambridge, and you are a lot warmer.

Thanks. I didn't realise it could be more-or-less evergreen.

But I will pass on any Bignonia - in our last garden I put in Campsis X
Tagliabuana (probably 'Madame Galen'). It was fine for 5 years, then
started putting out suckers, some 3 metres or more from the parent plant.
I couldn't kill it with glyphosate, spraying everything green that I
could, and cutting off the main 35 mm diameter trunk about 250 mm above
ground level, drilling a few 5 mm holes in the top, and filling with
glyphosate concentrate. Every time I thought I'd got it, more suckers
appeared. It wasn't only me, as my neighbour put one in when he saw mine,
and a few years later his started throwing suckers too!

But it may be that Bignonia capreolata only suckers under certain
conditions. I see in the Dave's Garden webpage that most growers have had
no problem. Maybe Charlie Pridham could comment, as Roseland House sells
it.

--

Jeff

Sorry hadn't read this when I replied to Nick, its not suckered here.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk