Re: Climbing vines?

K1MIZE@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Hi, Nan.  Has anyone suggested Cat's Claw Vine, (Macfadyena unguis-cati, I
> think)?  It is very drought tolerant, nearly evergreen, covers itself in
> large, yellow trumpet-vine type flowers in summer, and is self-supporting
> (climbing by little hooks).  I have also seen Lady Banks' Rose, both yellow
> and white cultivars, used to good effect on bare slopes along freeways in the
> Fresno area.  It only blooms in the spring, but is spectacular when in bloom,
> and it retains its glossy foliage year-round.

Kurt
I agree that the various Banksian roses are very pretty, trouble-free
and great for covering unsightly corners because of their vigour.
However I wonder how one could get them to stay up, as they are
scramblers not climbers, and while they might manage to tackle a sloping
bank, their smooth thornless stems have nothing with which to grip a
vertical concrete wall. Perhaps one could get the Cat's claw established
first and then twine the roses through it. or alternatively it might be
possible to arrange some supporting wires or a  trellis to help their
upward climb.

Nan 
The climbing fig, being an evergreen, would be a lot more suitable than
the Boston Ivy and is  attractive at all seasons with its neat green
leaves even though  it doesn't flower. It is a tremendous grower and
would not take long to "devour" your horrible wall. I have never seen it
attacked by anything and would class it as trouble-free.

Another possibility is one or more cultivars of English Ivy, provide
they would take your climate. Hedera canariensis (the Canary ivy) with
its cream variegations is most handsome, but I hesitate to recommend it,
as in NZ at least it is often attacked by caterpillars which make the
leaves unsightly. 

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
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