what to plant on trellis

Hi,

I've built a trellis/walkway that is about 20' long and 8' high and lines a trail from the edge of the lawn into the woods. It will vary along the length between sun and shade. There are TONS of deer around here. I was hoping to plant a mixture of roses. Are there any that would survive the lighting and the deer?? Also, what are other options for this structure?

Thanks!

I would suggest you throw your hard earned dollars into a charity box rather than spend them on Roses that the deer look on as a starter at meal time honestly, I've spent a small fortune trying to protect our climbers, shrub, and bush roses, all set in different areas of the garden but the deer can sniff them out faster than you can say greenfly.

There are lots of other things that would suit but not sure how much work you want to do as in care for the climbers, most will require pruning / tieing into the framework, either regular or every couple of years depending on type of plant you select.
I love your idea as it will add structure to your plot, add colour AND make you want to walk into the tunnel wondering where it will lead you , what will you find at the other end, all questions many, many garden lovers would love to have the space to create but cant for many reasons other than space.

Look at things to give flower as well as leaf and texture, not all are evergreen in fact the best plants in my opinion shed their leaves in winter and this gives you the rare chance to prune crossing branches / stems and tie in the branches you need to keep to help cover the structure and the ones rejected can be easily cut away, this causes less damage to the plants where as in full foliage the greenery gets very damaged and it hides any problems like crossing branches that rub and allow disease to enter.

My wish list would be Laburnum , I know this can be bad IF there are small kids around as the pods that follow the trailing flowers (like pea pods) are toxic IF ingested, my kids were taught at a very young age never to eat anything in the garden.
This small tree has beautiful 6-8 inch long bunches of bright yellow flowers that droop into the arch roof and the foliage is above.

Other things could be
Clematis, there are as many of thos as we have all had hot dinners, flowering at different time and different colours / size of flower too.
Wistaria, pink, deep purple, lavender, cream / white, these are robust plants, need careful pruning, a sturdy frame but reward you with spectacular long draped flowers clusters.
Jasmine, different types from flower size to perfume, all good but need kept in check depending on what type you choose.
Chillian bell flower, red, yellow small bell shaped flowers.
Abitilon, pink, red / yellow tips. very nice plant.
Bougainvillea, pink, white, red, orange flowers.
I could go on and on but there is a good chance to grow several climbers, like clematis like to scramble through other climber as they dont all flower at the same time so you would get a longer period of colour.
All these and other plants will require a good humus rich soil, add animal (well rotted manure) or good compost to the whole trench for planting and mix this well with the soil, it adds nutrients, food, air, helps retain moisture after planting, you should add a mulch to help keep the roots a bit cooler but also help retain moisture.
If your in a very hot climate summer time, I would use clear plastic juice containers, cut the bottom off and remove the cap, sink these containers close to the roots (narrow end into the soil at root area) this allows you to water into container filling up a few times to make sure water is reaching the roots and it allows liquid feed to be administered at watering times when required, Dont over feed these plants as they will send out too much soft leaf foliage at the expense of good strong roots.

Hope this helps set you on the road to getting ideas, look at gardening books at library or book store, these have nice pictures to give you ideas of finished job a few years down the line.
Good luck, get back again if your stuck and lets know how you get on.
best regards, WeeNel.

WeeNel,

THANK YOU! Your advice is brilliant! The flowers you mention are gorgeous too! I know wisteria grows like a weed around here so maybe I'll plant that with pink clematis for a pink/purple combination Apart from using it for our own enjoyment, I am a portrait photographer and would like to use it as a backdrop. Can't wait to make it all happen.

Thanks for letting me know about the juice container trick. In the south of the U.S. it is extremely hot here in the summer (or even last week!).

I hope to have some pretty images to show you in a few months - or years!

Glad I was able to set in in the right direction, remember every time someone gives you ideas, they are really telling you their way of doing things and what is good for plants in their area, the basics are the same the world over but what we do as we gain some experience is adapt ways and means to siut our own ways, climate, soil ect, but as for the named plants, well they actually do require different care depending on where we live and the temp they have to put up with add to that the soil conditions although soil conditioning is always a changing or adapting thing we gardeners have to take on board,

I would imagine in your hot climate, it will be difficult to keep things green and watered to requirements, so remember that ALL clematis require their roots to be in shade and the top growth to be in good light, the best way I know to get cooler roots in to plant them about 8-10 inches deeper than in the pot they came in, this helps prevent loosing these lovely plants to clematis wilt,(no one knows how this happens but the plants diw back at soil level) by planting the root area deeper down IF you get this problem, then the plant will throw up new shoots, add lots of humus or manure (well rotted to all the large planting holes} all climbers are usually greedy feeders, lay a large stone or flag over the roots area if it helps keep hot sun off the root area and add the plastic container too.

Most of the plants wont give a good or any show this year but gardening is about being patient and plants can take a while to settle into new situation, but worth the wait believe me.

Go to library for book on climbing plants or book store where you can see pictures, read about their needs and possible get more ideas for growing in your area.

Good luck and best regards. WeeNel.

Check with your neighbors about what the deer eat. Deer do not read the 'deerproof' plant lists.

Here are some that I have seen around here, and planted at clients houses in deer areas.
Wisteria
Gelsemium sempervirens
Clematis
Jasmine (the true Jasmines, Genus Jasminum. Star jasmine (Trachaelospermum) is not reliably deer proof around here, though it is on the deer proof lists)
Cissus
Ficus pumila
Hedera helix and H. canariensis
Solanum laxum

Coral honeysuckle vine is a southern native that hummingbirds love. They always hit mine whenever they are in the area.