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Climber Wall Shrub

Codonopsis clematidea

A twining herbaceous climber to 1.5m high, with slender, branching stems and narrowly ovate grey-green leaves that have an unpleasant scent when crushed. Nodding, bell-shaped, palest blue flowers, with dark purple-blue markings on the insides and a yellow and black central eye, are produced at the tips of the stems in late summer

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Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Campanulaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Genus: Codonopsis can be erect and bushy, or twining herbaceous perennials with fleshy or tuberous roots, simple leaves and bell-shaped or star-shaped flowers in summer, often beautifully veined
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Thrives in light, fertile, moist but well-drained soil in sun or part shade, with shelter from strong winds. Will happily scramble through shrubs to give a second flush of flowers. Plants die back to overwinter as tubers and can be late to emerge in spring, will benefit from a winter mulch in colder regions

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Climber and wall shrubs

Pruning

Cut back faded stems in late autumn

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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