Climbing plants are an essential part of most gardens. Whether you’re a homeowner or a landscaper, you’ll be planting them sooner or later.
But once you bring a climber home from the nursery, the question becomes:
Do you leave it as it is, or untwine it for better coverage?
The decision is often made for you — by time, budget, or experience.
If not, here are a few practical pointers.
👉 Watch the quick video below or keep reading.
🌱 Option 1: Leave Climbers As They Are
You can plant climbers with the bamboo cane they came with from the nursery.
Simply attach the cane to your support system — whether that’s wires, a fence, or cladding — and let the plant grow naturally over time.
When this works:
- Tight budgets
- Quick installations
- Minimal labour available
This approach is perfectly acceptable if you’re happy with slower coverage and less control over the final shape.
However, untwining and properly training climbers — especially larger ones — is time-consuming. That’s often why this step gets skipped.
In some cases, it’s not just about time:
• General builders doing landscaping may take this shortcut
• Or they may simply not know a better method
🌿 Option 2: Untwine and Maximise Impact
Untwining allows you to spread stems across a wider area, creating better coverage and a more established look from day one.
But — and this is important —
👉 Not every climber can handle being untangled.
Before removing the cane:
- Check stem flexibility
- Consider plant type
- Avoid rushing the process
Some deciduous climbers can be easier to disentangle when dormant — but not always.
How Different Climbers Respond
🌿 Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine)
One of the most popular evergreen climbers — and the one featured in the video.
- Tough and flexible
- Twines around supports and itself
- Can be untangled with patience
👉 Best practice: Untwine it
In my opinion, this is a must-untwine climber.
Planting it with the bamboo cane still attached often limits its visual impact.
Some small shoots may break during the process — that’s fine.
Think of it as light pruning.
🌸 Clematis
Available in both evergreen and deciduous varieties (the one in the video is deciduous).
- Thin, delicate stems
- Very brittle
- Easily damaged
👉 Best practice: Leave it on the cane (usually)
Always handle clematis carefully:
• Never carry it by the stems
• Support the pot when moving
If you do train it, be extremely gentle — stems snap easily.
Clematis climb using their leaf petioles, wrapping around supports, canes, or other stems.
🌳 Wisteria
An iconic, vigorous climber.
- Twining growth habit
- Thickens and hardens quickly
- Stems often fuse together
👉 Best practice: Depends on age
• Young plants: can sometimes be untwined
• Older plants: usually too stiff and established
Because stems rapidly increase in girth and grip tightly, reshaping older nursery plants is difficult.
However, since wisteria eventually develops thick, structural trunks, early training can be very worthwhile.
✂️ Key Rule to Remember
👉 Flexible climber = safe to untwine
👉 Brittle or woody climber = leave or prune
🪴 Tools & Supports That Make a Difference
To get the best results when training climbers, consider using:
- Garden wire systems
- Trellis panels
- Bamboo canes
- Sharp secateurs for clean pruning
- Soft plant ties
👉 These help you guide growth early and avoid problems later.
Final Thought
Untwining isn’t always necessary — but when done right, it can completely transform how a climbing plant performs in your garden.
Take your time, understand the plant, and train it with intention.
