Master your mix

Nick's guide to climbing couples

- Nick Bailey

Growing climbers in pairs will maximise space, extend your season of colour and attract a wide range of pollinators

In the wild, climbing plants often grow together naturally. You've only got to look at a British woodland to see the native honeysuckle and clematis in a wild tangle of scent and colour. And more widely around the world, from tropical forest to Mediterranean climes, climbing species combine of their own volition.

When it comes to growing this way, we gardeners can take our cues from the wild. There are many advantages, for example, a carefully paired set of earlyand late-flowering climbers can extend the season by three months or more, while flower colours can be enhanced, set off or contrasted by the complimentary tones of another plant. Weaker climbing plants can get support and protection from a larger established climber while established climbers with bare lower stems can be flanked by shorter climbers that will hide their leggy limbs. Pollinators are also well served by having a double whammy of two plants in flower together or a pairing that will provide nectar across many months. While all these benefits are very welcome, making these pairings work successfully calls for specific plants for specific situations.

Bare bottoms!