Coping with my wayward Tropaeolum shoots!

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Last year I planted two Tropaeolum speciosum plants, but they hardly grew. I thought I’d lost them both but I had a lovely surprise when UP they came this year!

I had to pose a question on the site when I found shoots in the middle of the flower bed – I was somewhat surprised how far they had roamed away from where I had planted them!

So then I had the problem of how to allow them to climb! They started to climb up a Centaurea in one place and a Phlox shoot in the other. I though about it and then at the Garden Centre I found my solution! A Tropaeolum ladder!

It’s a willow trellis stretched as far as possible and fastened to two willow sticks. I think that it will work – one of the shoots has started to climb and the other will in a few days when it has grown another inch or so.

I don’t think it looks too bad, it doesn’t block the other plants in the bed and I am hoping for some bright red flowers later in the year! …Heath Robinson, eat your heart out!

16 May, 2008
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Comments

Sid

Good luck with it - I'm looking forward to seeing what the flowers are like as you are obviously so taken with them :-)

16 May, 2008

Spritzhenry

Well, I saw them at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent - SOOOO beautiful growing through dark evergreen trees! I have wanted to grow them for years and years!

16 May, 2008

Bonkersbon

Beautiful plant once established no matter how big it gets it will die back and disappear each year.Grows like swags of little bright red flowers then blue berries never had much luck with it think it was too warm and dry.thrives in cool moist areas.Ps re your eleganus I have a photo of one more severely affected is it possible to send to you or do I need to put on my own photos?

16 May, 2008