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Mon 17 Feb, 2003 06:57 pm
I will be moving into a new place in a few months, and this place has a beatiful large garden. Unfortunately at the rear end there is a hideous tall wall that ruins the entire sight of the garden. I want to plant something crawling to cover it up, but know very little of gardening in this area. I was considering the decorative peas, but don't know whether it would grow dense enough to cover the wall sufficiently, if it blooms long enough, and if it would do well in partial shade/partial sun. The wall is not extremely stable, thus I thought the Ivy would be too rough on it. I also don't want anything poisonous not to harm my cat who likes to roam around outside and eat anything that is accessible. Would be grateful for any suggestions.
What is the wall made of? Were you thinking that the planting would grab the wall directly, or a trellis in front of it?
The wall is cement-related, perhaps brick (I only saw the garden briefly). I want something directly on it, thick enough to cover it, but gentle enough not to disintegrate it further, as it supports the neighbor's garden, which is higher up, like a terrace.
Kerria japonica double flowering
and
Hollyhock
I'm not sure this'd be good for an old wall....
Trumpet Vine
A big favorite of mine - also not sure how it'd do on a wall...
Akebia
Clematis (wide range of colors and look) needs a trellis....
clematis
And a good shrub (might have to prune a little), it grows really fast to 15 feet...
Euonymus Burning Bush
I'd have to agree with clematis! You can get such a range of colours that you could plant a few different kinds for spectacular effect!
If there is more shade than sun, you might consider honeysuckle. Again, you'll need a trellis, but evenings in the garden will be heavenly scented!
If you love sweet peas however, then I can guarantee that you can get a thick dense effect from cultivated varieties, they covered one of my back fences and grew about seven foot high!
Ah, good old Boston ivy - it climbs and is easy to maintain (e. g. ours thrives, and we're pretty neglectful gardeners, truth be told).
Thank you all so much. Need to check out Clematis. Am not sure if the Ivy would not be too harsh on the poor old nasty wall. I do not wish for the neighbors garden to slide down into ours. I love the Kerria Japonica double-flowering, my mom has had it in the backyard since I even remember, nothing kills that thing (that's what I need) and it flowers oh so beautifully. But I could not find seeds for this brush online! All the major online sellers don't carry it. Where would one look?
we'll check into to some nurseries around here Dag.
www.coldmountainfarm.com seems to carry it:
http://www.cloudmountainfarm.com/catalog/orn_hyd.pdf
$7.95 (one plant?), ships anywhere in US.
Maybe also search under "Japanese Rose", which seems to be the common name.
If you don't want anything to grow onto and perhaps in through the wall, I would plant a line of shrubs several feet in front of it, or put vines on a trellis in front. (They can reach a wall behind and take hold, so leave room behind the line of lattice on posts to prune a vine). A line of shrubs would be easier and you can trim them so they grow "sideways", like a hedge. Which shrubs are a question, as you wouldn't want roots undermining this wall either. Just avoid the local aggressive ones. Or plant a few full bushy shrubs in front of the wall.
I was thinking burning bush as a part of the wall camoflage
it surely would distract the attention, wouldn't it. there is a bunch of shrubs already, but right now i can't tell what they are and they are not against the wall. i will go trim them anyway, what the heck.
Dag I don't know if I'd use English Ivy, it is very invasive and hard to get rid of if you decide you don't want it anymore.
How about some ornamental grasses like Miscanthus or Pampas? There are varieties that grow 6' or more, and they spread nicely. Some varieties of ornamental grasses set seed to attract birds. The grasses tend to mix nicely with other tall flowering things like hollyhocks and sunflowers. And the grasses won't "climb" on the wall, if you are trying to avoid that.
I love some of the other suggestions too. Clematis is a lovely plant. Honeysuckle is a nice vine too.
Oooh, I like the idea of grasses and birds. I am sure Malti the cat will be equally thrilled. I will go raid the Mahoneys plant store soonish.
gotta chime in on Clematis and Honeysuckle, they do very well around here, <however honeysuckle is quite hardy and watching it doesnt take over could be a job in itself> and also have to say nay to the ivy as well...usually more destructive than productive but, you can reasearch the types and find the best one for you.
Best of Luck!
thanks, but i will need more encouragement than that. last weekend, with best intentions, i have pruned all shrubs in that backyard. little did i know that they should be pruned in the fall... some will just not flower this years, others, well, will not need to be pruned ever again... oh well. life, so tough... but hey! all the more space for that clematis and honeysuckle!
actually, after seeing that back yard, even at night, I'm thinking you might need to find some shade loving vines.....
and a gardener. gardner? one or the other.
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