Evergreen climbers are perfect for blurring boundaries and create a lush backdrop for planting, throughout the year. There are lots to choose from, offering foliage, flowers, berries, colour and scent. Here are my favourites:
Pileostegia viburnoides
Evergreen, self-clinging and shade tolerant, this is a useful new find of mine. It has pointy, glossy dark green leaves and sprays of white flowers in late summer. You’ll have to be patient for it to get going, but when it does, it adds a beautiful timeless elegance to a boundary. Hydrangea seemannii is a similar self-clinging evergreen but with paler mid-green leaves. It also has clusters of greenish cream flowers in the summer. Both these climbers can eventually grow very tall, so are useful for covering a large wall.
Trachelospermum jasminoides
With neat glossy foliage and heady-smelling flowers, this is an unbeatable evergreen climber. It copes in shade as well as sun and needs very little pruning. The variegated variety T. ‘Variegatum’ is pretty too and the creamy leaves have a pink tinge in the autumn. Trachelospermum takes a while to establish but will eventually coat your fence in dense foliage.
Akebia quinata
This is a very pretty climber often known as a chocolate vine because of its maroon, chocolate-smelling flowers which contrast well with the lovely bright green leaves. It’s happy in full sun or partial shade and will need to be pruned back after flowering. The cream-flowered variety is lovely too.
Holboellia
A vigorous evergreen climber with glossy green leaves and clusters of beautifully fragrant summer flowers. It is happy in sun or shade but tends to flower more in the sun.
Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’
There’s nothing quite like the sweet smell of honeysuckle and there are various evergreen varieties. This one has white fragrant flowers in spring turning yellow into summer. For more dramatic colour try Lonicera henryi ‘Copper Beauty’ which has bronze leaves new leaves which turn greener as they age. Honeysuckles are vigorous and can get woody, so cut back by up to two thirds in spring. They like sun or part-shade.
Solanum laxum ‘Album’
Also known as the potato vine, this pretty semi-evergreen coats fences and walls in no time. It also has masses of white flowers in summer and autumn. Lovely!
Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’
Although strictly speaking a shrub, pyracanthus can be trained to cover a wall and are often supplied on a frame ready-trained. With evergreen leaves, white blossom in early summer and stunning berries, it has great impact against a fence. This one has orange berries but it’s also available in yellow, ‘Saphyr Jaune’ or red ‘Saphyr Rouge’. It’ll need careful pruning to keep it flat against the fence.