Looking for the right climber

Clara Midgley

Looking for a bright, colourful flowery climber recommendation for a fairly sheltered, sunny, south facing white wall by my little patio. There’s not much space, so ideally not too big …around 2 metres in height …or one that’s happy to be pruned. We’ve got kids so non toxic is essential. We’ve got a few clematis and I would like something a little more exotic looking than a rose but keeping an open mind. Have had a look at the rhs search engine but a lot of its suggestions come without pics so thought I’d ask here for some inspiration 🙂

Fairygirl

Ground or pot? Annuals or perennial?
that will affect suggestions and choices - some aren't suited to pots 

Busy-Lizzie

If you want bright and colourful, not roses or clematis, then would you consider annuals?
Have a look at climbing nasturtiums, cobaea, abutilon and thunbergia.

If you want something perennial and evergreen with a lovely perfume, but don't mind white flowers, then Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum Jasminoides) would be a good choice. It is easy to keep pruned.

Will you be growing in a pot or in the ground?

Fairygirl

Snap @Busy-Lizzie
Location is important too - those jasmines aren't hardy everywhere.
Ipomeias are great too for another annual.

Busy-Lizzie

Yes @Fairygirl, but it's a sunny, south facing wall by a little patio. I had mine in a pot on a south facing wall in Dordogne and it survived -10° in winter. The leaves discolour but it perks up in spring.

Fairygirl

Dry cold is easier though. Consistent low temps, with damp/wet conditions isn't so great. 

Pete.8

I had a space to fill in a small west-facing border on my patio and for something completely different I chose a variety of Thornless Blackberry called Waldo.
You can keep it to about 2m high and it's a little over 2m wide.
It is covered in double white flowers in Spring and produces a lot of large, superb tasting blackberries starting around mid-July. I froze about 6Kg from the 1 plant last year.
The leaves look good in autumn too as they change colour.
Being a cultivated bramble - it is very hardy and disease free

Clara Midgley

Thanks for the suggestions! For a bit more clarity it’s directly in the ground where I removed a slab of patio, I added some compost and top it up with manure each year. I’m after a perennial and would like something a bit showy as we 
already have alot of edibles, borrow the scent of jasmine from our neighbours garden and have honeysuckle x

Pete.8

Have a look at this list of perennial climbers from Crocus and see if you find inspiration -
https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/climbers/plcid.15/

Plantminded

Have you ruled out sweet peas?  You can't beat them for colour, fragrance and the choice of varieties now available.  (Have a look at the range offered by Chiltern Seeds - don't go for the typical GC vartieties!)  I usually select three complimentary colours and grow them up a simple teepee made with bamboo canes - looks like traditional gardening!  Bees love them too! You can easily lean your canes against the wall as an alternative framework.

If I haven't convinced you, how about this, it's perennial and evergreen:

Sollya heterophylla - BBC Gardeners World Magazine

Uff

That's pretty Plantminded. I'm thinking that would look fabulous against my white walls.