Climbing the Walls

Climbing the Walls

By Tammy Thornton

Well, flu season came a little late for my youngest, so here we are with a bucket by the side of the couch while Spongebob and Mr. Krabs yell in the background.  Yes, we are yearning for spring. It’s tempting to throw open the windows, but lingering snowflakes and temps in the 30’s tell me I must wait.

For gardeners, the anticipation might feel more intense, but it’s certainly not a time of idleness. Gardeners have visions of seed catalogs and heirloom tomatoes dancing in their heads. And we must plan.

So instead of climbing the walls ourselves, let’s consider climbing plants.  As you enter my backyard, you must pass through an arbor. Though it’s been there for years, I still haven’t found just the right plant to climb over it. This year, that must change. For me, scent is crucial.  Gardens should delight the senses, and entering a garden with the fragrance of beautiful flowers wafting through the air sounds dreamy.

One of my favorite scented climbing plants is wisteria. I love driving around in the spring when they seem to be everywhere. Their grape-like clusters cascading down are beautiful and their scent is intoxicating. A word of caution though. These beauties are strong. Their twisted branches can take down a weak arbor. My own wisteria had climbed up the back of our house, reaching to the second floor. It was breathtaking, but my dear uncle convinced my husband that it would rip the wires from our house.  Though I gave the okay to chop it down, my feelings were not fond for him the day I watched him taking an axe to the roots. It was man against beast at that point, and it was quite the battle since the roots of wisteria are even tougher than their strong branches.

Another wonderfully scented climber is jasmine. Its pure white flowers look like little stars, and the scent is dazzling. Choose carefully, as most climbing jasmines are not hardy enough to handle our cold winters. An alternative plant for a similar look would be sweet autumn clematis. As its name implies, it blooms in fall and covers itself in tiny white blossoms. It can tend to be invasive but when you see it blooming, you might not mind.

Most other varieties of clematis that come to mind are not invasive and have large stunning flowers.  They come in a wide array of colors and shapes and are a must-have climbing plant. My gardening goal has always been to combine the deep purple clematis ‘Jackmanii’ with the soft pink of New Dawn rose.  Just when I had achieved this beautiful marriage of flowers, the now-famous Derecho of 2012 wiped out my wooden fence and arbor. Now the poor little orphans grow still waiting for a new structure on which to climb their way back to stardom. Gardens are always in flux and constantly evolving; and we must flow with the changes.

For some notable climbing annuals, try cypress vine, which is adorned with deep red flowers and has the added joy of attracting hummingbirds. Sweet peas are fun to grow on a teepee-shaped trellis and smell as sweet as they look. Morning glories are a pleasure to wake up to and can be combined with their evening cousin moon flower to bid you goodnight. Bougainvilleas come in beautiful deep colors, and in warmer gardening zones, such as Southern California, are grown as perennials covering walls.

Many gardening books and websites recommend English ivy and Virginia creeper. They might be great on a wall if you attend Yale or Harvard, but in my opinion stay far away from these invasive climbers.  If only I could have back all the hours I’ve spent pulling English ivy, which chokes everything in its path. If, however, despite my warning you still yearn to have either of these collegiate plants, email me and I would love to offer as much as you can dig up.

Though orange is not my favorite color in the garden, I love growing trumpet vine for two reasons. First, hummingbirds love them. Growing up, we had a fence post covered in orange trumpet vine flowers and I would hardly ever see it without hummingbirds enjoying their nectar. Second, since this plant was located at my childhood home, it reminds me of my dad. Now, in my own backyard, we are “blessed” with a 1950’s antenna tower which I’ve trained my trumpet vine to climb.  Some trumpet vines are a lovely yellow, but my dad had orange, so orange it is.

Gardens are so much more meaningful when you can infuse them with special memories. Both you and your plants will survive when your roots run deep. While you wait for the days of spring, grab some gardening books and start planning.  Soon you’ll be happy to see your plants climbing the walls.

Shore local news would love to publish pictures of your garden. Please send photos, gardening questions, and comments to: shorelocalgardener@gmail.com

Tammy Thornton is a mom of four, a substitute teacher, and a Sunday school teacher. She is passionate about gardening and cooking, and loves the beach.