HARDY CLIMBING SHRUBS 59 



elements and especially to the strong winds and 

 draughts which are far more trying than low tempera- 

 tures. Under the lee of a stone fence is the ideal site 

 for planting climbers of all sorts and a far greater 

 number will thrive under such conditions than on a 

 trellis. Hook-climbers and many stem-climbers do 

 well and look most effective if planted among or on 

 top of large boulders where they can develop into a 

 dense tangle. On such rocks if planted at the base 

 root-climbers and those which have discs at the ends 

 of their tendrils do well. Root-climbers also thrive 

 on the north and west sides of buildings and likewise 

 on trees. If climbers be planted with the intention of 

 their ascending and wandering over trees it should be 

 borne in mind that sooner or later it means the death 

 of the tree by strangulation and suffocation. 



Climbing plants are found nearly all over the world. 

 They are especially abundant in the tropics where 

 they form a most striking feature in the forests. They 

 are also plentiful in moist forests of the temperate 

 regions of both hemispheres but they are absent from 

 alpine and arctic regions. Broadly speaking, it may 

 be said that they occur everywhere where trees and 

 large shrubs grow and the more moist the climate the 

 more exuberant their growth. Always they grow in 

 association with other woody plants which afford 



