What (if anything) can I grow over a ivy wall for a bit of colour?

I rent a property with a south facing wall, covered in ivy which is nice, but lacking in colour.


Would a clematis of honeysuckle be ok?

What (if anything) can I grow over a ivy wall for a bit of colour?
Passiflora caerulea, the blue passion flower. Exotic flowers with a biblical myth. Very hardy to all parts of Great Britain. Evergreen too.
Reply:I grow Clematis montana 'elizabeth', which flowers late spring to early summer, and this scrambles over some huge conifers and an overgreen wall of ivy. It has light pink fragrent flowers, otherwise there are white varieties. As it's deciduous, it does allow plants underneath to get some light at other times. English Ivy, by the way, is known to be toxic to dogs, so you may want to clear this, if this is the type that you have growing. Here's an extract on this 'may cause stomach irritation, diarrhea, troubled breathing, coma, death.' Not a good thing! http://www.cybercanine.com/toxicplants.h...





Otherwise, Lonicera periclymenum, one of the Honeysuckles, forms a good swathe of color, for many months. This may be harmful to dogs, though I don't know if Lonicera Japonica is as bad. You could always chop the flowers after flowering, to prevent berries forming, which may be the easiest for a dog to eat.





Mid to late season colour is easy with passiflora caerulea, which is hardy and largely evergreen. Depending on where you live, there are some less hardy passion flowers that you could grow too, including Passiflora incarnata. See more here: http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/passiflo.... Potential issues with dogs though, but could be trained high up, as it does grow enthusiastically and would love your sunny south facing aspect.





Winter flowering jasmine - Jasminum nudiflorum, a beautiful yellow flowered climber/scramber, adds color to your garden when little else if flowering, from November through to March. It can be helped by a little support, but will grow well in most conditions, including some shade. http://www.floridata.com/ref/J/jasm_nud....





Jasmine is listed as a safe plant, so you could also try the white/cream jasmines, in addition to the winter Jasmine - Jasminum officinale or Jasminum polyanthum, which is white/pinkish, and semi-evergreen, depending on where planted -good with partial shade too. Hardy in USDA plant zones 8 to 11 - includes the UK!


http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consu...





Safe plant list for dogs:


http://www.petfriendlyhouse.com/informat...


Some other info on dog toxic plants, causing severe problems -eg. heart: http://www.thepetcenter.com/wai/poi_LG.h...





Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob
Reply:Whatever you decide to plant make sure that the Ivy doesn't smother and kill it. After all, most climbers die back in winter whereas most ivys don't.
Reply:Clematis might be your best bet as it will be more inclined to cling to the ivy. Honeysucle will need to be supported as it doesn't naturally cling i.e. has no tendrils for attaching purposes. Don't get a montana clematis they can grow large and the weight might bring both it and the ivy off the wall.
Reply:I don't care for the smell of honeysuckle, so be sure you do.





What about Vinca, with its pretty purplish flowers?
Reply:Passion fruit bush, the flowers are gorgeous, then you get the fruit, but be aware it can take over if you don't keep it under control.
Reply:Clematis without a doubt, my favourite flower, check here and see why





http://www.clematis.com/html-docs/homepa...
Reply:Honeysuckle would be perfect! ask your landlord first since you rent
Reply:There are many climing plants that bloom both in evening and during the day that could add some beautiful color to your climbing ivy.





Two that I love, are morning glory, and for an evening bloom, moon flower. The are both climbers and would mix beautifully, and climb well with the ivy. But, unfortunately, morning glory can also be poisonous to dogs, as is honeysuckle.





Here is a list of some flowring climbing plants:





http://springhillnursery.com/category.as...





Here is a site listing plants that are possibly poisonous to dogs. You should be able to look up any of your flowering plant choices here. Just scroll down. There's a long list.





http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...