By Kurlakid
West Yorkshire,
United Kingdom 
Advice on evergreen climbers for Trellis Fence facing North East.
I have a 21 feet wide and 5 feet tall sturdy Trellis fence for my front garden facing North East. I am in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
I wish to create a evergreen screen (like a hedge) on this trellis fence.
I wish to grow evergreen climbers on the trellis to make a screening hedge quicker. And can also get the hedge to flower in summer months.
The obvious choice for evergrren climbers is Hedera Helix and I will use 3-4 varieties from www.fibrex.co.uk
But I wanted some flowering mix too.
My options are:
Star Jasmine
Honesuckle Copper Beauty
Clematis Armandi
Clematis Snow Bells/Cirrhosa
Pyracantha Mohave (in the corner where trellis meets neighbor's fence)
So my questions:
(My definition of evergreen is that the leaves stay through the winter)
1. Is Honeysuckle Copper Beauty really Evergreen? If planted in the garden against trellis in North east, will it survive the winter if roots are covered with mulch and garden fleece? Or West Yorkshire will be too cold for it in winter? Is anyone in northern counties growing it?
2. Same question as above for all other plants I listed.
3. A garden center guy told me that the Clematis Cirrhosa/Snowbells don't really flower much in winter in the garden. All the photos are from the plants that are sheltered. Is this true or was he just making it up because he didn't have them?
4. Will I be able to manage Pyracantha Mohave for a 5-6 feet hedge or does it grow too much. Also are the berries a bit too much of attraction for birds. I don't want flocks of birds in my garden especially since it is in the front garden.
5. I have gravel stone around the lawn edge. There is a weed matt under that. I intend to remove gravel stones in the planting area, dig hole through the weed matt and then plant the climber. Then put a mulch around the root area and then cover it back with gravels. Is that ok or will the gravel stop heat passing to the roots?
Thanks
Sam.
8 Jul, 2010
Answers
Thanks Bamboo
I have found a website that sell honeydue resistant Honesuckles such as Lonicera Acumen/Ripen/Delavayi. Will go for that. Thanks for bringing this up.
Also I really liked Viticella Clematis and your logic on trimming. Will keep that in mind.
Thanks again
Sam
8 Jul, 2010
My advice is to use the Hederas for solid, evergreen cover and add clematis from the viticella or jackmanii group, later flowering ones (July onwards) because these can and should be cut down to about 8 inches in February. The reason I suggest this is because, once your ivy gets going, you will need to run a hedgetrimmer over it at least once a year, in May or possibly June where you live, and this inevitably means you will cut back anything else growing with it.
I'd agree with the Cirrhosa comment - they seem to flower best in march in London, not midwinter. I've never grown the honeysuckle you mention, but a quick bit of research on the web tells me it seems to be particularly prone to mildew.
Pyracantha berries won't be a problem - because you're using it for hedging, you will need to keep it trimmed back twice a year so it doesn't get out of hand, and that usually means you end up cutting off most of the flowers.
Planting as you suggest will not cause any problems to the roots of your plant with regard to heat or lack of it.
8 Jul, 2010