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NICK BAILEY


                              The inspirational


                              GARDENER




                               Award-winning designer, TV broadcaster and best-selling author
                Lesley Cook
                Headshots
         Wire up



         your walls



         This simple method
         will last a lifetime

              limbing plants unquestionably make
              a huge impact in the garden but
         C without the right support they can
         turn into tumbling torrents of tangled stems.
         All too often when I’ve taken on a new garden
         I find beautiful plants bereft of the space or
         support they need. This regularly leads to the
         ‘disembowelled mattress’ look, as the late                                           Wire supports help you
         great plantsman Christopher Lloyd once                                               to create a beautiful
                                                                                              climber display
         described top-heavy clematis as having!                                                                  Photos: GAP
           Ensuring a well-fanned out plant, which is
         clothed to the ground with both foliage and
         flowers, calls for correct pruning, but just as   Step 1 Identify the wall you want to   Step 4 Slot the rawl bolts into the holes
         importantly the correct structures for them   add wire plant supports to and ensure there   and tighten them by inserting a skinny
         to grow up. I’ve tried and tested a few   are no services such as electricity buried in   screwdriver through the eye and tightening
         approaches over the years and the one I   the bricks.                 until they’re solid and the eye of the rawl
         return to time and again is simple and only                           bolt is vertical. Next, cut your straining
         requires straining wire, expanding rawl bolts  Step 2 Decide on whether to opt   wire to around 20cm (8in) longer than the
         (with an eye) and marine eye bolts. They’re   for vertical or horizontal wiring. The   wall width you’re wiring.
         all available from www.screwfix.com and   horizontal approach works for most
         other hardware suppliers. There are many   climbers but some true twining species,    Step 5 Insert the marine eye bolts into
         styles and looks which can be achieved using   such as thunbergia, appreciate vertical   the rawl bolt eyes, then bend the cut
         this method but the basic approach is this:  wires to climb up.       straining wire on one end to make a hook.
                                                                               Slot this through the marine eye bolt on
                                            Step 3 Using a spirit level, mark two   one side of the wall and wrap the wire
                                            vertical lines in chalk or pencil at the   around itself to make it secure. Fully loosen
                                            extremities of the area you intend to   the opposing marine eye bolt and attach
                                            wire, extending the lines to the height   the wire. Now comes the clever-ish bit!
                                            you’re aiming for. Then measure up   Using a spanner, tighten the marine eye
                                            from the lowest course of bricks, marking   bolts at both sides of the wiring. This now
                                             the chalk vertical line at 20cm (8in)   provides you with very tensioned wire
      Use pliers to bend                     intervals. Drill holes at these intervals   which can be tightened in future should
      and secure your wire                   using a masonry bit the same size and   the plant stretch it out. The method is
      through the eyes
                                             depth as your expanding rawl bolts.  simple, sustainable and will last a lifetime.

         Useful tips

         O  If you’re wiring an   pa	erns. Get creative with   O  Straining wire can be quite
           expansive width of wall   your wiring so it looks good   springy so take care when
           aim for horizontal rows of   with or without plants on it!  cu	ing it.
           supporting rawl bolts at   O  Create a fan-shaped   O  Minor kinks and bends in
           1.5m (5ft) intervals across   support by using a single   straining wire can be
           the wall.              rawl bolt at the bo	om of   removed by tightening the
         O  Once the rawl bolts are   the wall which has a series   marine eye bolts.
           installed in a grid pa	ern   of straining wires a	ached   O  Use soft twine to tie    This cobaea is
           it’s possible to create   to it stretching out into a   climbers on to the strained   being planted on a
                                                                                                 fan-shaped support
           numerous, a	ractive wiring   fan shape.       wire support system.


         Subscribe and get 4 issues for just £1! Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn     January 27 2018 /Garden News33
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