Milliways Mail order shop: Advice, tips and tricks.
Pruning and training wall shrubs and climbers
Climbing plants left unpruned, and most wall shrubs will grow rapidly skywards, leaving bare stems below and sparse flowers produced out of sight, but a a gental prune and some care can rectifie this
Selecting a suitable climber for the right location.
Choosing vigorous climbing plants can be ideal for hiding unsightly features or obscuring unattractive views they can cover up a multitude of sin.. Clematis montana can disguise chain-link fencing, while Pyracantha with its attractive berries and Parthenocissus (Virginia creeper) enliven expanses of brick. Bird love Pyracantha berries, so they can be good for wildlife.
How to Prune
The first step is to match the vigour of plants to the space available. Sensible selection will avoid frequent cutting back to contain an over-vigorous plant.
With most climbers and wall shrubs,early training to establish a basic framework of branches is essential. After planting select up to five strong shoots to tie in, cutting back sideshoots to 15-30cm.
Training
It is often easier to insert a cane for each shoot initially and to attach the canes to the larger support. If covering a surface, tie in stems at a wide angle. Growth brought down from the vertical will produce more flowers and fruit. Subsequently, shoots required for the framework can be tied in as they develop and other growth pruned out. If growth is sparse or over long, shorten stems to encourage branching.
In subsequent years cut back flowered shoots and remove dead or diseased wood, crossing and spindly growth. To encourage further flowering, cut back sideshoots to five or six buds. With established wall shrubs it may be necessary to undertake replacement pruning - removing some older growth and tying vigorous young shoots into the gap. it take a bit of time but its easy and you will figure it out with ease.
Many evergreen climbers require very little pruning other than to contain growth to the space available by pruning in summer or immediately after flowering. The timing of pruning of other climbers generally follows the rules for pruning shrubs. Those which flower on the previous year’s wood before midsummer, such as jasmine, are pruned immediately after flowering. Those which flower after midsummer on the current season’s shoots, such as Solanum crispum (potato vine), are pruned in late winter or early spring. We hope this give you some insight. Feel free to ask questions. I will make a list of plants to put here shortly.
Honey suckle
Passiflora
Kiwi fruit
Akibia
Jasmines
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