Pergola: Climbing plants that will grow on you

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Pergola, the bower or covered walk made by putting climbing plants over a trellis or similar support, can be a strikingly attractive addition to a home.

With proper planning, a particular theme -- such as a romantic looking pergola -- can be created. Climbing plants can be trained to adorn not only specially designed pergola, but also a carport or canopy that in turn enhances the overall appearance of the house.

Various kinds of climbing plants, including flowering ones, can be chosen to adorn pergola. Before making any decision to buy a climber or plants in general, landscape designer Fiify Eluza of PT Bougainvillea Cipta said it was important to keep in mind the types of plants suitable to be grown in the planting area.

"Don't get tempted to plant beautiful looking climbers grown at high altitude because they won't thrive in low altitude regions like Jakarta. Even if they do, it is unlikely that they will flower," she said.

Popular climbing plants adorning gardens in the capital include Passiflora coccinea, Allamanda cathartica, Thunbergia grandiflora and Bougainvillea spectabilis.

"These plants are favored because they have beautiful flowers and colors," Fiify said.

All climbers can be trained on any pergola but certain types like Thunbergia grandiflora are ideally grown for an open top pergola or carport to enable the flowers to drape graciously from over the top.

Unlike the assumption of many, climbing plants do not require intricate handling and treatment. The best way to start is by choosing healthy stock with a strong main shoot that is usually attached to bamboo sticks. These climbers can be bought at plant vendors or nurseries.

Climbers, Fiify said, can be grown in garden soil, pots or containers; even though most garden soil is fertile, it is important to get the soil ready by mixing it with compost and manure at a ratio of 1:1:1. With periodic fertilizing, the plant will get all the nutrients it needs for healthy growth.

"To get the best results, ideally the plant should be grown in the garden but planting it in a big container with prepared soil and routine fertilizing will do."

Climbers are best grown in areas with full sun exposure or that receive about six hours of sunlight.

Basic knowledge of the technique in training climbing plants -- which is not as difficult as most people think -- like pruning skills and artistry are also essential.

Fiify said training a climber needs to be done after planting, by loosely tying the plant's main shoots to a trellis or a post of a pergola, using gardening wire as support. As the plant grows, keep on training the shoots to grow upwards.

Climbing plants need to be kept orderly by means of pruning, aiming to keep only several strong main shoots and removing all unwanted side shoots. This way the plant uses its energy for the main shoots and will grow higher.

"Regularly prune bound branches. This helps neaten the plant's shape and makes sure it grows upward. Apart from that, when combined with fertilizing, pruning encourages more flowers."

Pruning a climber can be done by pinching the tip of a shoot -- usually to remove unwanted side shoots -- and thinning, or removing whole stems (usually old and unproductive ones) to reduce the plant's bushiness and control its size.

According to Fiify, the best time of the year for pruning is before the rainy season.

Results may show as early as six months to a year later, depending on the size of the climber when first planted.

Climbers, she added, were quite hardy and disease resistant plants. The common pest is ants that often plague passiflora climbers. The problem can be overcome by spraying insecticide.

Watering the plant twice daily and removing dead flowers and leaves are part of routine maintenance, while fertilizer, compost and manure can be given every other month.

In order to keep it clean, discard falling flowers and leaves that are usually trapped on top of the pergola or carport.

"It is easier to get rid of dead flowers and leaves from an open top pergola or carport. Unlike the one covered with polycarbonate which usually traps and allows dead leaves to accumulate, providing an unattractive view from below," she said.

I-BOX:

Why prune?

When we snap a wilted flower, cut off a dead branch, trim a shrub or mow the land -- whether we realize it or not -- we are pruning.

Pruning is an important gardening activity. When it is carried out regularly it can keep plants growing into a desired shape, bushiness, compactness and height.

Apart from maintaining the plants' appearance, pruning weak stems, broken branches or disease-infected shoots also benefits the plants and helps them grow healthily.

By cutting off sick or dead branches, we are not only neatening the shape of the plant but also avoiding it from getting damaged by disease from the affected branch.

And like other living creatures, plants do get old and weak. Pruning helps rejuvenate them since by cutting off old canes and unproductive, weak branches, the plants can use their energy to grow young strong shoots.