An Ode to Climbing Plants
Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash
Is there not something magical about a plant growing up a wall or fence?
I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with ivy, despite the negative aspects of it covering your home. It grew all over the house I lived in until the age of twelve and when I see it crawling over our current house I swell with a little nostalgic happiness. I think this may partly stem from The Secret Garden too. Both book and film conjured this magical place with doorways hidden in ivy, to be brushed away like curtains if you knew the right spot.
A few years ago we fed my climbing plant addiction with a passion flower. If you haven’t seen this plant before then look it up now as it has an other-worldly bloom and climbs fast (and everywhere) in tight twists and curls. We had to leave it in our old garden as it had become completely entwined with the house. The new occupiers are probably less than happy about it but my current garden will not feel complete until one of these plants entangles itself in somewhere.
Honeysuckle is the classic climber, and I have such fond memories of my grandparents garden arch festooned with this sweet and heady bloom. Some believe that honeysuckle grown around a home’s entrance can bring good luck. We’ve just planted some by my new workroom so here’s hoping a little luck will run that way…
So many plants that I am fond of are connected to memories of my childhood. I suppose this is no surprise as my family loved to be in the garden, but it does bring a nostalgic edge to my own forays outdoors. The magical aura of climbing plants enhances this feeling but I find I do not mind. If all I must do to find a little escapism is sit beneath a climber then I consider myself quite lucky. We could all use a little escapism every now and then.