Garden Designers & Landscape Gardeners
Garden Buildings in South & East England

Campsis radicans 'Mme Galen'
A close relative of the Bignonia family, this climber probably has the largest red flower of any climber we can grow in the UK, except perhaps a climbing rose. This flower was photographed on a plant growing in the 3 Crescent Garden in London which flowers consistently scrambling amongst a climbing rose.  With its finely cut, pinnate, dark green leaves growing on thick woody-looking stems, this is a classy plant, even though it does not completely cover itself in flower. This is because they appear at the ends of the stems, rather than all along them. Its is still an impressive sight and the flowers may be produced for many months in a good hot season - its impact is achieved from the size and intensity of the red flowers and buds.
Campsis like rich deep topsoil and /or plenty of manure mulching over the winter. They only achieve a really good floral display in full sun, and of course, if they are growning against a wall the heat stored in the brick or stone will help to ripen the wood, making it stronger and more likely to bear large quantities of flower. Most winters cause the plant to have a little die back at the ends of the stems; harsh winters more so, but apart from this, Campsis are faily hardy anywhere in the UK. 

Excellent photos courtesy of Coanri on flickr.com, see their link on our Resources Page.
Left - a huge plant growing on a Greek Island. Although the flowers are bigger in Mediterranean heat the deep red colour easily gets bleached in the heat of the sun there.
Right - deeper coloured flowers growing in the Netherlands.