Colourful climbers

Amarjeet Singh Batth

With winter flowers offering a riot of colours at the ground level many gardeners yearn for a splash of colour on the walls and grills and boundary walls.  A gardener can carry colour horizontally and vertically with the help of climbers 

that bloom in winter months. Because of their trailing nature these plants  can be given different shapes and “wrapped” around different structures to make thing more interesting in your home garden.    

Clerodendrum splendens is a woody or semi- woody coarse-textured ever green vine which climbs by twining. 

The planting location should be a sunny spot where thaere is shade during the afternoon direct sunlight. It grows well in a complete shady location also. 

It has oval leaves and bears extremely showy scarlet flowers which attract butterflies. Clerodendrum splendens can be used as evergreen screen on trellis or walls.  Irrigation requirement is frequent during summer and less during winters. 

To encourage branching and more flowers,  cut previous season’s growth to a suitable pair of buds. The climber can be propagated from softwood cuttings in spring or by breaking off pieces of the root or removing rooted suckers.

Mansoa alliacea is already in bloom and draws attention with its unique purple colour flowers. Its crushed leaves smell like garlic and this is why it is also called ‘lahsun bel’. It is a perennial creeper with woody vines and has bright green long leaves. Its compact growing habit and profuse flowering make it the favourite of gardeners looking for climbers. Early flowers are purple in colour with a white throat, which gradually change colour to lavender. This climber requires a sunny location and is almost maintenance free . It only requires normal irrigation to keep the soil wet. It is grown to cover the walls, over the fence and on arches etc.

Pyrostegia venusta (Golden Shower ) is a vigorously growing woody climber with cascade of reddish-orange flowers. It grows lavishly in the tropical and subtropical regions. This climber forms dense masses and climbs by clinging with its tendrils over the trees and shrubs, on walls  or over structures and forms a colourful veneer. However, be careful to prevent this plant from  running over the nearby trees or shrubs which may crumble under its weight. Climbers which are not well managed bloom only on the top but flowers can bloom close to the ground also if regular trimming is done. A sunny location is the right place to have a good bloom. These flowers also attract Humming Birds and butterflies. 

Jasminum multiflorum, is native to India and is also known as winter jasmine or ‘juhi’ which sparkles with white flowers during peak winters. The flower flush is so dense that the flowers cover most of the leaves making everything look white. The flowers are scented and are considered sacred. It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its attractive small white flowers and intensely fragrant flowers which travels in the entire garden. Select a position where the plant can receive a few hours of early morning or evening sunlight and not direct sunlight. To maintain the climber, trim the weak shoots to give the climber a sense of direction. Also remove the dead wood regularly. As the blooms are sweet, birds are attracted and feed on its nectar and tender leaves.