There are plenty of plants that welcome the chance to grow ever upward, from annuals to perennials, herbaceous to woody, and deciduous to evergreen. The easiest to grow are those that twine or cling on for themselves; others need the help of a tie or two to keep the growth in place.

Roses and Clematis are the two classic climbers that look good grown on their own or in combination. Pillar roses and climbers (preferably not too exuberant) soon smother supports - once the framework of stems is trained into place. Coupled with self-clinging spring-, summer- or autumn-flowering clematis, the flowering season is easy to extend. Early and mid-flowering types needn't be pruned; late-season Clematis can be cut back hard in late winter.

Climbing jasmines are reasonably hardy and their green stems become covered in sweet-smelling white or yellow blossoms every summer. Sweet peas also provide glorious scent and are easy to grow from seed each year, either in the autumn or spring.

Nasturtium has no scent but plenty of vigour, along with showy trumpet flowers in scarlet, orange or yellow that can also be picked to brighten up a salad. This frost-hardy annual scrambler is easy to grow from seed, and is most showy on a poor diet. Too much nitrogenous fertiliser and it will just grow leaves. Its perennial relatives have tinier leaves and flowers but make quite a splash.

The Kolomikta vine (Actinidia kolomikta) is another twiner that is most attractive. Grown for its leaves that are variegated pink and white, it needs full sun for the best coloration.

The hop vine (Humulus lupulus) is a tough twining perennial that despite being cut down by the first frosts will miraculously repeat its previous year's performance of 3-6m/10-20ft. The leaves are rough though, so not a good plant to have to brush past frequently. The green-leaved species is easy to grow from seed; the yellow-leaved 'Aureus' is often on sale at garden centres.