If you need height and colour on your patio and you have a couple of large pots to hand, there’s still time to plant a mixture of climbers to cover an obelisk or wigwam this summer to provide you with a riot of colour.

Sweet peas are the most obvious choice and are still available in garden centres. Just a small pot of them should give you enough plants to cover canes or other supports.

Don’t let them run to seed, or the plant takes that as an indicator that flowering is over and stop producing more blooms.

Some clematis work well in pots. Clematis which build up a framework of branches, such as the early and mid-season hybrids, are the easiest to train, but take note of the height they’ll reach before buying.

Good specimens for pots include C. ‘The President’, which has deep purple-blue flowers from late spring to early autumn, growing to 3m (10ft) and C. ‘Edith’, which bears large white flowers and deep red anthers, growing to 2m (6ft).

Some climbing annuals can provide a blaze of colour during the summer months, including black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata), which is perennial in its native Africa, but an annual here.

Its stems wrap around supports to reach 2.5m (8ft) and it produces pretty yellow or orange flowers with a chocolate eye from summer through to autumn. Put it in a sheltered spot, shaded from the sun.

Of course, no obelisk would be complete without nasturtiums, those sizzling flowers in shades of acid yellow, orange and red, which can ideally be placed near the kitchen so you can add the peppery leaves and flowers to salads.

Other climbers which are ideal for containers include Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor), a half-hardy annual with large, trumpet-shaped flowers in blue or purple which will reach 1.5m (5ft) in a pot, Clematis ‘Evening Star’ and ‘Kingfisher’, as well as Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Variegatum’, one of the best scented white climbers, which bears showers of starry-white flowers which turn cream as they age.

When choosing a climber for the patio, select a container at least 45cm (18in) deep and wide. Plants always do better in larger pots. Bear in mind that one container thoughtfully positioned can serve as a focal point. It you want more than one pot, plant matching or toning plants in containers grouped around it, but not masking the climber itself. Make sure the grouped pots are similar in style and colour.