Climbing plants for shipping container

Jimi H

Hi all, I have a big shipping container I use for a shed. Any suggestions for evergreen flowering climbers? Also will I need some sort of trellis?

looksee

Yes you will need trellis, and probably quite sturdy one.

What you plant depends a lot on which way the wall you want to cover faces, be best if you establish this first.

A south or south-west or even west facing side could get hot enough to kill plants in the summer - you only need one very hot day to fry your climber. You might consider putting a sturdy structure based on 2x3 or 2x4 timbers on that side, preferably set away from the metal to leave a gap of a few inches. Remember in winter it will also get very cold, probably too cold for a tender climber.

On other sides you can consider honeysuckle, evergreen clematis, clematis montana, climbing hydrangea, climbing rose.

Don't be tempted to plant Fallopia baldschuanica or Russian Vine - it will completely cover a container, it will also attempt to cover your house and next door's house as well.

standardg60

One good evergreen self clinging flowering climber if you can find it is Pileostegia viburnoides.

looksee

I just looked that up and its climbing hydrangea, but it looks very different to the c/h I have.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122040366#Comment_122040366

It's in the Hydrangea family but a different genus, it has long leathery leaves but the flowers are similar to c/h.

Jimi H

Thanks folks lots of ideas there. I’ll get cracking