{"id":20821,"date":"2023-04-04T19:34:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T17:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=372"},"modified":"2023-04-06T18:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T16:34:55","slug":"annual-climbers-21-of-the-best-annual-climbers-to-plant","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/annual-climbers-21-of-the-best-annual-climbers-to-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Annual climbers: 21 of the best annual climbers to plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Annual climbers can be sown and grown in a year and are an easy and colourful way to cover walls or trellises. Plant expert Matthew Biggs chooses 21 of his favourite annual climbers <\/p>

By Matthew Biggs\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 04 April 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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While many people focus on garden perennials<\/a> and climbing plants such as clematis<\/a>, we should not forget that there are a host of gorgeous annuals out there too, including lots of gorgeous annual climbers.<\/p>\n

Annual climbers are often overlooked and yet can bring bursts of colour and interest to brighten the garden in summer. Often from tropical climates, they often have brightly coloured flowers in almost every hue, from ice blue to deep orange. As well as sweet peas<\/a>, morning glory and black-eyed Susan, there are lots of unusual types to grow, as well as beautiful edibles, such as lablab and runner beans.<\/p>\n

You can train annual climbers up fences, temporarily covered with netting, on ornamental pergolas<\/a> or arches<\/a>. They can also be encouraged to scramble over shrubs; evergreen shrubs<\/a> provide the ideal background. They can also be grown up an obelisk<\/a> or a tripod of canes in containers \u2013 most have twining stems or tendrils so need little, other than initial, support.<\/p>\n

Their speed of growth also makes annual climbers ideal for quickly covering unsightly areas in a new garden such as a new fence<\/a>, providing temporary and flexible screening or softening hard surfaces.<\/p>\n

What to grow with annual climbers<\/h3>\n

Annual climbers make simple standalone displays in pots. Sarah Raven combines Thunbergia alata<\/em> \u2018African Sunset\u2019 with Rhodochiton atrosanguineus<\/em> and uses Lathyrus chloranthus<\/em> in vases with dark sweet peas, such as \u2018Windsor\u2019. I\u2019ve grown Lathyrus belinensis<\/em> through dark-leaved Canna<\/em> \u2018Verdi\u2019 to good effect and Lathyrus chloranthus<\/em> and Ipomoea<\/em> cultivars, including \u2018Star of Yalta\u2019, through an exotic border to enhance the \u2018jungle\u2019 effect.<\/p>\n

Use the fact the displays last just one season as an opportunity to experiment. For example, try planting Lathyrus tingitanus<\/em> with its silvery grey foliage, dark buds and end-of-season pods that are marked with a burgundy line along their edge, so that it scrambles over glaucous foliaged conifers<\/a>, such as Picea pungens<\/em> \u2018Hoopsii\u2019. Or, if you\u2019re growing Rhodochiton atrosanguineus<\/em> in summer containers, try combining it with tender plants, such as Tibouchina urvilleana<\/em>, and the fuchshia and lime-coloured leaves of Helichrysum<\/em>, which will provide stability if you are packing plants into a pot or half barrel. But make sure that whatever climber you select is vigorous enough to thrive in such a competitive environment.<\/p>\n

In brief: annual climbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

What<\/strong> Climbers, twiners or scrambling plants for ornamental display.Origins<\/strong> Tropical and warm temperate zones, worldwide, including the Americas and Mediterranean.Flowering time<\/strong> Summer until the first frosts.Size<\/strong> Variable according to natural vigour and micro-climate.Conditions<\/strong> Most require a sheltered, sunny location in moisture-retentive, free-draining soil.<\/p>\n

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How to grow annual climbers<\/h2>\n