PUSHING THE BORDERS

I suppose that makes me feel better :)

I don't grow it, but there's a large, vigorous one growing on and over the garden wall of a house across the road. It flowered impressively in 2012 and again, not quite as prolifically, last Summer. I keep meaning to take a photo of it in flower and then forgetting to do so, as it's not anywhere I'd normally carry a camera.

I don't know Campsis well enough to ID it for certain, but it would surprise me if it were anything other than 'Mme Galen', as the garden was designed and installed for the previous owners, as opposed to planted by them, and I wouldn't really expect a garden designer to use anything else from this genus.

I have this growing in terrible dry and hungry soil and despite not making huge amounts of foliage as it does at Wisley for example it does seem to flower most years. Although this year it was very late and some buds did not open it was the best show yet. It survived winter 2010, but it is planted against my neighbours extention.