Possible Clues:

• It would be a bloomer to ring Hero's boyfriend
• Evergreen flowering shrub from olden era
• Adore Len (anag.)
• Love to tend colourful climbing plant
• Shrub to tilt falling into foreign river
• Flowering plant is expression of love by famous lover
• Did he get around to being a Channel swimmer?
• Hardy, say, and ummm shrub?
• "White ___" (2002 movie)
• Bush, perhaps, old chief taking note