Boxmoor Direct May 2025 | Page 26

happily romp away through trees but, beware, they need to be strong enough to support its mature weight and few people will be able to enjoy its flowers, which will appear high in the canopy, hidden from view.
Euphorbia
Taming Wisteria Most people want Wisteria to be wellbehaved so that the sight and scent of those purple, lilac, blue, pink or white flowers can be fully appreciated. It needs vertical wires to climb up, then horizontal wires to aid the training of the side shoots. Remember that many of the racemes( clusters of flowers along one stem) are long – indeed, some can reach more than a metre in length, depending on the variety. These can easily obscure the windows of a house and block the pathway through a pergola. A Wisteria-
Acid reign Those fortunate enough to have acidic soil may also be enjoying Rhododendrons and Azaleas in all their blousy glory. Both forms belong to the same family but Azaleas tend to be smaller, with diminutive foliage and more delicate flower heads. If you want to plant some, be sure to check flower colours look good together and give them room to spread. Some of the larger varieties can easily reach a height and width of four metres.
Queen of climbers Talking of spreading, one of the most easily recognised garden climbers is Wisteria, which looks stunning when trained onto a house frontage, over a pergola or against a tall fence. But a bit of research and planning is essential if gardeners are not to regret the planting decision.
Wisteria is vigorous and certainly not low maintenance. It’ s easy to please if given a sunny position, where it can form the very best blooms. It will
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