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Re: Any suggestions for Climbers round a new Pergola?

At 01:14 PM 9/2/98 +0200, Marina & Anthony Green wrote:
>Dear fellow gardeners,
>
>A neighbour of mine here in Bari, Southern Italy (at sea level on the
>Adriatic - can anyone tell me what zone this is?) has asked me to help
>him with a pergola he has just built in his garden.
>The pergola is about four metres square on the north west side of the
>garden, fairly sheltered from the sea (which is 200 metres away) by
>other buildings, and then his  railings and pittosporum hedges. The
>pergola has adequate soil around the outside, but I don't know the
>depth. They have two big dogs, too.
>He was just going to put boring old ivy round it,  . . .

Anthony - 

We don't need more Ivy in the world, certainly.  I'll assume from your
comments (reading in between the lines) that there is a fair bit of sun
on this pergola, perhaps mostly in the afternoon.  But even if there is
not full day sun, in this hot climate, some shade even for many sun
lovers is desirable.

>I was especially thinking of Lonicera and Jasminum spp., for scent as
>well as Rosa, Wisteria, Plumbago, Clematis, Passiflora etc. for their
>looks. 

Plumbago & Passiflora might build up a bit of bulk and also a fair
amount of 'deadwood' or old leafy mass that is not attractive to
walk under on a pergola.  Many Lonicera and Jasminum also do the
same.  Both of these latter genera need a fair bit of pruning annually
to produce good, semi-continuous flowering, perhaps difficult on a
high support.  Also, some Jasminum species are not fragrant.

Wisteria is beautiful and easy even in this climate, but can 'take
over' when established.  If the pergola is free-standing, there is
less likelyhood of it getting into trees or onto the house.

Roses can be very nice but usually require a fair amount of maintenace.
Rosa banksiae is perhaps different in this regard, happily growing
and flowering annually in spring without any pruning.  There are
white & soft yellow forms in both double and single flowers.  Some
people detect a scent in some (usually the yellows, allegedly the
single yellow is the most fragrant), but I tend not to notice it.
R. x fortuniana is a hybrid of this species and has larger white,
double flowers.  Very desirable roses in Mediterranean climates,
which can reach great size in time (see the world's largest rose tree:
http://www.support.net/Medit-Plants/plants/rosa.banksiae.RTI.html)

>        Can anyone recommend the sort of sequence I could get from
>different varieties of these species? How hardy will they be in a long
>hot summer such as this year (over 35° every day for two months with
>typical Mediterranean summer rainfall - just occasional showers when we
>were lucky), with no real frost in the winter (snow every four years or
>so).
>As alternatives, does anyone have any experience with Fremontia,
>Clianthus, Celastrus, Campsis, etc.?
>Any other plants you can recommend?

Fremontia is a free standing shrub here in California, though at times
trained as a 'wall shrub' in colder climates.  Not easy to prune
with success.  Campsis is a deciduous vine that attaches itself to
flat support like ivy does, with clusters of bright orange or yellow
flowers.  Does wilt in very hot sun here in California.  A better
trumpet vine here is Distictis buccinatoria (= Phaedranthus buccinatorius),
the Blood Red Turmpet vine.  It also self-attaches to supports, is evergreen,
and has a semi-continuous display of brick-red, yellow throated flowers
throughout the year, which fade to a more criomson or red-violet.  D.
'Rivers' (= D. riversii) is indentical but with purple flowers with the
yellow throat.  Celastrus, or Bittersweet, grows more happily in colder
climates and is seldom seen here.  I have not grown Clianthus, which is
marginally hardy here and does not seem very drought tolerant.

>Obviously, in the end, the choice will come down to just three or four
>different species, with perhaps more than one variety of, say, Lonicera.

Watch out for the vigorous Lonicera japonica 'Halliana', which will
engulf everything within four square miles of the pergola!  But some
other l. japonica forms might be nice - 'Purpurea' has purplish tinted
foliage which is very attractive, and pinkish-white flowers,; L. p.
chinensis is a more restrained green form with pinkish flowers.  L.
hildebrandiana, the Giant Burmese Honeysuckle is a large, evergreen
with huge white flowers which fade to yellow - very striking, tolerant
of drought after established.  L. fragrantissima is one of those lax
shrubs which can be trained easily on support, with handsome decid.
foliage, interesting peeling bark, and intensely fragrant small white
flowers in later winter/early spring, often before the leaves.

Clematis armandii is a striling evergreen, very oriental in character,
with long drooping leaves looking a bit like a dark green bamboo.  the
large white, fragrant flowers come in spring only.  Sweet Autumn Clematis
(C. paniculata or C. dioscoreifolia) makes a delicate, lacy vine with
fluffy clouds of tiny white flowers in fall - a good compliment to most
other vines flowering earlier in the year.

Pandorea jasminoides does not flower very heavily for me, but its
cousin, P. pandoreana, the 'Wonga-Wonga' vine, is very floriferous
in late spring, with large clusters of small pale yelloe flowers
with brownish-purple feathered markings at their throat.  I have heard
of a white form as well.

Solandra maxima (S. guttata), the Cup-of-Gold vine is striking, with
shiny large leaves on thick, almost succulent stems, and huge, bowl
shaped flowers in warm weather that are a dull gold with 'airbrushed'
lines of purple from the center radiating out to each petal tip.  At
bit frost tender here, but very interesting.  Solanum jasminoides,
the 'Potato vine', is vigorous, with dark green foliage finding its
way up anything and clusters of white, purple tinged flowers with
yellow anthers.  The form 'Alba', has flowers without purple, and
more open and flat, star-like in shape, perhaps less rampant in the
garden.  There is a variegated foliage form with yellow edged leaves,
thought by some to look 'sick', but interesting when woven among
other foliage.

Akebia quinata, whose delicate whorls of leaves and curious purple
or brownish flowers are charming, can become very rampant in time,
but is usually just vigorous enough to be effective.  If you plant
more than one clone (there are purple, lavender, white, and variegated
forms available), the flowers will pollinate and interesting, edible
fruit will result.

I have a semi-succulent Senecio in my own garden, which is holding
its own against an ugly Cotoneater shrub.  Its fleshy, rounded,
shallowly lobed leaves are handsome, and in fall, clusters of yellow
flowers crown the sunny top - very nice!  The pencil-thick stems
merely grown up through the branches of the shrub, and eventually
lay across the tops of branches, all without tendrils or twining!

Good luck!  Hope these help!
Sean O.


 Sean A. O'Hara                     sean.ohara@ucop.edu
 710 Jean Street                    (510) 987-0577
 Oakland, California 94610-1459     h o r t u l u s   a p t u s
 U.S.A.                             'a garden suited to its purpose'
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