Climbing Plants

How To Use Climbing Plants

From popular favourites such as honeysuckle, clematis and the lovely climbing Jasmine plant to the more exotic blue passion flower, this collection of climbing plants has been selected to offer the best possible growth, colour and scent for a sunny or shaded area.

Plants climbing plants as patio plants are a central garden focal point, or against a wall behind perennial border plants. Wall climbing plants can hide walls and fences, provide wonderful fragrance to enjoy and to attact pollinators.

How to train a climbing plant

1. Ensure that your plant supports are securely in place before planting. 
2. Train new shoots by carefully and gently tying them to the supports with twine.
3. If planting to train up a wall, plant around 30cm away from the base of the wall and position supports in a fan design to help the plant grow to an even shape.
4. Prune any shoots that appear wild and do not fit the main structure.

Climbing Plant Supports

• Stakes - simple stakes that push into the ground. Can come in a variety of sizes.
• Obelisks - Small obelisks can simply be pushed into the soil. However, larger sizes may need anchoring to prevent tipping.
• Hoops - A circle or semicircle support that can be pushed into the ground
• Trellises - Trellis for climbing plants is usually a criss-cross design made of wood or metal that can be attached to a wall.
• Free standing screen - These are usually made with plastic mesh or wire, and are suited to sheltered sites to avoid heavy winds.
• Wires - Horizontal or vertical wires can be positioned and held in place by vine eyes (metal circles that can be screwed into walls.
• Moss pole - A central pole to sit in a plant pot, mainly used for houseplants.

For information on how to grow climbing plants, see our climbing plants growing guide