Well Penny, its worth a try if thats what you want to do! I think you will need to plait all the stems together loosely, remove all the side shoots, and keep doing this until its the height you want. After that, its going to be about jusicious pruning so that you can achieve a ‘head’ without losing the flowers. You might consider a large topiary frame, or some wire hoops to trail the long stems around...its gardening...its about trying different things and creating new ideas and features. Some ‘mad’ ideas turn out to be the next fashion! :)

hi Karen, Thanks for your reply. It's just that I really want one of these but there is simply no more space on my fences. Yes I could get a frame for it but I just wondered whether it could be grown like a bush. I saw a beauty in a pub garden when on holiday once and it appeared to be free standing but I suppose there could have been a post or something in the middle of it.

Both L. periclymenum Serotina (the late one) and L. periclymenum Belgica (the early one) are very vigorous plants, making a height of 4-8 metres. I can't see you'd get away with attempting to grow it freestanding unless you use a central pole covered in wires or strong mesh to be honest, and once it got past the top of the support, you'd need to prune frequently - which would mean you'd lose flowers.

Thanks Bamboo! It sounds as though it would be a lot of trouble, something I don't need as I'm finding it hard enough to keep up with the garden already.
I do hope you are making good progress and feeling better.

Thanks, feeling a lot more normal, apart from the hernia the surgery has left me with, that's a real nuisance, hoping it doesnt require corrective surgery too soon.