UP AND OVER

Whether you have oodles of space or just a balcony, plants that climb can give you another opportunity to squeeze more garden into your property. The joy of climbing plants is that they provide colour, aesthetics, green shade and insulation. And deciduous plants such as grapes and kiwifruit can give you the best of both worlds for all seasons: shade in summer, sun in winter.

Of course, if you grow a climbing plant that bears fruit you’ve really hit the jackpot, meaning all of the above plus an edible harvest.

So why not take your harvest to the next level by growing edibles vertically on fences, pergolas, roofs, trellises, up trees and more?

PASSIONFRUIT, PASSIFLORA AND CULTIVARS

The Passiflora genus comprises some 500 species, most originating in South America. About 50 species of these vigorous climbing vines bear delicious fruit, the best known being the small black passionfruit and newcomers such as the large-fruiting ‘Panama Red’ and ‘Panama Gold’. And there are quite a few Australian native species as well.

Technically a berry, the fruit is round with a thick skin that contains a fragrant pulp and edible black seeds.