Can you recommend a good climber

[diggernotdreamer]

Apart from a monkey

I have an ugly wall, I can't pull it down, I can pressure wash it and get most of the crappy paint off it and repaint it, but paint doesn't stay on long in this climate, so I want to hide it. The wall itself faces towards the north which would be the side the plants would be on, so I need something evergreen, that isn't ivy which I hate, that will flower, tolerate being hacked about if necessary, because my orchard is on the other side of the wall, so question is, what would you plant there, I have one idea of Pileostegia-viburnoides, but not sure if it would grow very quickly, what do you all think, I would appreciate your ideas, thanks

[daz101]

Off the cuff there are a few lonicera (honeysuckle) that are evergreen and smell good and are easily found on the web. With climbers its a good idea to buy the right plant for the right place, that is generally speaking you can find dwarf varieties of whatever rather than going for say a full blown Wisteria sinensis which will happily grow to a hundred feet! Also check out Hydrangea petiolaris and with a bit of hunting you may find a Trachelospermum which smell absolutely amazing. Other shrubs that you could train up would be Azara (iffy in that position but smells of vanilla) also Pyracantha and japanese quince (Chaenomeles) Another option would be some of the stone fruits which can do well on a north facing wall especially plums. The hydrangea is the best looking quick fix methinks but is not evergreen.You will struggle to find something really evergreen thats not ivy. Certain ivys are not as vigorous such as Hedera helix Goldheart which goes up to about 4m and may be worth a look...
http://www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/i ... dheart/DRX

[doofaloofa]

Suposedly apricots trained against a northern wall can succeed.

They flower later and miss the frosts

[Thomzo]

Oooo - reading this with interest. I also have an ugly wall. It's not mine so I have to be a bit careful what I put up it. It faces south but is heavily shaded by overhanging trees so is also quite dark. I was looking for something self-clinging as I can't really drill into it for trellis or supporting wires as it belongs to my neighbour. So far I have a hydrangea and a golden hop. Neither are evergreen though. I like the idea of the apricot and the quince, I might try those.

[diggernotdreamer]

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1475

This is the plant I am giving serious consideration to, I don't know this one, but I do know other climbing hydrangeas, and this one seems to be bomb proof, evergreen, self clinging with flowers. I already have a myrolaban plum on the other side of the wall, honeysuckle is always nice, especially the scented ones, maybe I could grow them at opposite ends. Thanks for all the suggestions