Flowers and plants

Climbers- and trained plants

This page contains following subjects:

• Introduction
• Use
• Care
• Some species

Introduction

Information is based on a moderate climate such as in Holland.
Some shrubs are climbers or trained plants. It are plants we often see in the woods or on the edge of the wood. Most of these plants are fast growers. Climbers with tendrils even can grow in a stone wall.

Climbers grow in four ways:

• With self attaching tendrils. They do this with special roots or attaching disks. Example: Hedera, Hydrangea.
• As twining plant. They search for support end wind their long tendrils around branches or something else. Most twining plants wind to the left. Example Celastris scandens.
• Al tendril plant. These have special organs or leaf stems to fix to something. Example Clematis.
• With long tendrils (stems) who grow easy over something.

Self attaching plants find their own direction and do not need any support. Twining plants need support. You can use a supporting material or shape such as wire netting, a pergola or something like that. Tendril plants also need a supporting material or shape. A tree or shrub or a metal construction, a wire netting-, or a shape made of wire is suitable. Celastris scandens can kill a tree.

Many species have beautiful flowers or inflorescence. Some species also have after flowering nice fruits of berries.
For flower art many species are attractive. This because of the elegant bold tendrils or stems. Sometimes also because of the flowers or inflorescence or fruit. Put the branches or tendrils before you use them in a flower arrangement a few hours in water within shrub Chrysal.

The care of climbers is limited to some pruning. Think on next:

• There are species flowering in spring time or even till summer time. They flower on the old wood what is grown the year before. Prune them after flowering.
• There are species who flower on the young wood of this year. Prune them in February or March.
• There are species  we like because the beautiful leaves. Prune them in February or March.
• Species which keep the leaves in winter time will be pruned in winter or in spring time.
• Species who lose their leaves in winter, prune them in winter time.
• Always prune dead branches.
• Prune plants which grow to big, prune them eventually each year.
• Always prune green tendrils which come on variegated species.

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Last update of this page 23.05.2004