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I'm new to gardening and looking for a some climbers to put in my North facing lightwell. It is very sheltered and gets a little bit of sun in the summer evenings. I have bought two very large containers (60x60x60cm) to put the plants in and erected some trellis for them to grow up. Ideally I would like something that flowers but my main priority is to ensure good coverage. I will be getting one trachelospermum jasminoides recommended in other posts but would appreciate any advice on something else to get.

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The problem with Trachelospermum is it likes not only sheltered situations, but full sun, or as much as it can get, so I'll be interested to hear how well that does in the circumstances you describe.

Evergreen, low light conditions most of the year, and the constriction of a pot makes for limited choices. Have a look at Fatshedera lizei - this isn't a climber as such, it will need tying in to your trellis or other support to keep it upright as it grows, but it tolerates low light conditions, has attractive architectural leaves and is evergreen, but does not flower. There are variegated versions available (F. lizei 'Annemieke', F. 'Aurea' or 'Variegata'), but the variegation may not be noticeable under low light conditions. Otherwise, Hydrangea anomala (syn. petiolaris) should cope. Note that all these will need regular attention paid to watering because they are in containers, and that the containers should have drainage.

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  • hey, I got 4 plants in the end. The trachelospermum is doing ok actually. It has had some pretty strong growth in the first year but no flowers so far... Thanks for the other tips, I think I'll need to put in an automatic watering system to stop me having care for them every day :)
    – Ossie
    Jan 18, 2014 at 22:10
  • Every day?! Unless the surroundings are very hot, a good soaking every 5/7 days should do the job. I'm still wondering if the Trachelospermum will flower though...
    – Bamboo
    Jan 19, 2014 at 11:54

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