Wall Attitude - Which way does the wall face? If the space is shallow, try alpine plants – they are naturally found in rocky spots and will grow well in poor or shallow … 4. There are a variety of plants suitable for this situation but the three plants I have trailing over my dry stone wall are Arabis, Aubrieta and Saponaria. Flowers in spring and early summer with clusters of pure white flowers. Aubrieta – If there’s a stone wall in your neighbourhood, you’ll probably find one of the beautiful Aubrieta hybrids spilling over the edge. I think your birdbath or sculpture idea is really good - if you have a go you should definitely make a hub about it. Some plants, not all, have the ability to grow on buildings. Toomuchmint thank you for voting. I love this hub, it gives me a lot of great ideas now, very inspiring! Nettlemere (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on July 18, 2012: rbm - thank you for commenting - I was surprised too when I saw foxgloves growing in walls when I moved to Lancashire. There are red, white and pink varieties of red valerian. In desert climates Korean Boxwood is a better choice. I always worried that walls would receive bad effects(like destruction), if anything were growing there. Vines are among the best plants to cover walls, since they climb naturally. Most have yellow or white flowers. Wall Purpose - If a wall is structural, e.g., part of a house, you probably ought to avoid growing plants in it, because if there is space for plants, there is space for damp to get in, and the structure may be deteriorating. Red valerian has naturalised in the UK, but is none the less popular as an easy garden plant for a dry situation. It carries smaller flowers or trumpets 2.5 centimetres long, variable in colour from bright to pale sky blue, and sometimes white. It's quite an exposed site right on the coast. Blooms in late spring and early summer. Plant in sun or partial shade. 10 Top Perennials for Garden Walls 1. Continue to 21 of 24 below. All three are flowering at the moment. For autumn colour, the intense blue G. sino-ornata blooms in early to mid autumn. Because it's not practical to change the display of plants in your wall from season to season, it is good to choose plants with long flowering seasons, attractive foliage or which are evergreen so that you get a pleasing display for longer. Plants will cloak a large area with pink or white flowers. May just have to build a wall in order to try it! Dracaenas are popular plants for the home and a majority of them grow upright with strap-like leaves. Leaves are evergreen. for those who love creeping plants , some of those non creeping and creeping plants mentioned above can be used also in landscaping combined with hardscape. Grows 1.8 to three metres tall. Can be somewhat fickle to grow. A number of different sedums, as well as Sedum acre, are known as stonecrop. They are all suitable for growing in walls being a hardy, drought tolerant succulent. Its a moist area with little sun. Plants are low-growing, and form a thick mat. Campanula growing in a factory wall makes a stunning display. BCLiving keeps you in the know on everything West Coast, highlighting local trends, eats, entertainment and travel ideas. Do allow some of the beauty of the rock face to show through by keeping a portion of the surface area free of plants. Have often wondered if it's possible to plant any - I've certainly got weeds growing in gaps in walls, so now I think I might follow your advice and sow some seeds. Joyce Haragsim from Southern Nevada on July 08, 2012: Great hub and I love your wonderful photo's. Marcy Goodfleisch from Planet Earth on July 28, 2012: This is fascinating! It isn't a particularly showy flower and the violet/blue flowers don't stand out very well against a natural grey stone wall, but it could look more effective against a white painted wall. It is also east-facing with a hedge opposite, so rarely gets full strength sunshine. Trim lightly after flowering. Although free-standing stone or rock walls are a pleasure to behold, without the addition of plants to soften their hard edges, they can be rather stark and featureless. They are used mainly in the North of england and hardly ever in the south. Climbing vines for hot, dry gardens: In a desert climate, try bougainvillea, yellow butterfly vine, lilac vine, or Queen’s wreath. Dracaena (Dracaena sp.) Like other Dianthus, has a clove-like fragrance. Easy to grow and tolerant of most soil conditions. Others, like honeysuckle, twine their stems around hand holds. Nettlemere (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on July 17, 2012: Interesting to know that dry stone walls are part of the heritage in parts of the US Aviannovice. Native to Southern Europe, Ivy leaved toadflax has naturalised in the UK and easily colonises walls. Commonly called Basket of Gold, perennial alyssum makes a wonderful wall or rock garden plant. Either pop a seed into a marble-sized ball of moist compost and press that into a gap in the wall or sow some seeds thinly in to a seed tray and, rather then pricking them out to grow on in pots, prick them out with a bit of compost attached and slot them gently into the planting gap in your wall. Provide a well-drained, alkaline soil in full sun. All Rights Reserved. Take cuttings in spring. You’ll have to put in a support to allow these to climb. Thank you. Prefers well-drained soil, but will tolerate most soil conditions. Having plants winding their way up your outside walls can look very pretty but the actual damage some plant life does to your house exterior walls could make some people think twice in allowing the plant to grow in the first place. 6. Marcy J. Miller from Arizona on April 21, 2013: This was such an enjoyable hub! Voted up and interesting. Aubrietas are ideal creeping over a low wall, or growing in its crevices, but many are rather pale and thin in their colouring. Once it has a firm root-hold, nothing will stop it. Nettlemere (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on March 24, 2013: Hello Fulloflovesites - I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you spot lots more interesting plants growing in walls. Cerastium tomentosum (snow-in-summer or snow-on-the-mountain) is a great plant for spilling from crevices in walls. The flowers you've shown are so pretty. They're beautiful plants, and they make their environment look charming and old-fashioned. Thumbs up and voted useful! Birch tree saplings growing in a wall - probably not what you want! It does well in full sun and prefers poor soil—hence its suitability for growing in walls. If you want inspiration, a walk around your neighbourhood should provide some with a combination of self-sown wild plants and intentionally sown garden plants growing on walls in your vicinity. Freelancer Jutta Boras divides her time between writing about flowers and growing them in her garden on the Sechelt peninsula. Yellow corydalis looks very attractive growing in a wall and will flower between May and November. This is definitely something I'm looking into. Commonly called ‘Rock Cress’, Aubrieta is a traditional rock garden plant that is lovely spilling out of crevices, growing over rock walls or placed in stonewalls. Aubrieta ‘Doctor Mules’. Gentiana acaulis (trumpet gentian) bears graceful, arching stems with intense-blue trumpet-like flowers, over five centimetres long. Spilling over the top of the wall is brighter green ornamental grass and, behind that on top, a low growing hedge of English Boxwood ( Buxus microphylla) which encloses a traditional lawn. It does best in partial and full sun, and require moderate watering. I consider us lucky to just have some lichens on some of those rocks! 10. Never thought about flowers growing out of walls. It will grow quite happily in limestone walls or where there has been a limestone mortar used. Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’. Propagate in autumn, or take cuttings in summer. To me the best displays of plants that grow on walls look as though they occurred naturally without any human intervention. I wonder about whether the roots will start appearing on the inside of the factory! Here’s a selection of the best climbing plants. Flowers freely June through September. You’ll know you’ve hit the right combination when passersby stop to take a second look, then make a mad dash for their camera! Iberis sempervirens is a perennial candytuft that is outstanding in a sunny place. Jill Spencer from United States on July 09, 2012: Really gorgeous. Climbing plants and wall shrubs cover walls, fences, unsightly features, arches, obelisks and pergolas. Plant in well-drained, alkaline soil. Thank you so very much. Plants growing on a wall are effectively living on a cliff face. Nettlemere (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on July 09, 2012: Thank you writer20 - you must have about the opposite conditions I would think to here in Lancashire. These are all so pretty - and some are just plain growing on their own. In warmer regions this plant can be short-lived, so replant every year or two. I really don't know about all those.............thanks for sharing. Arabis caucasica is a perennial which grows to 9 inches high and spreads to about 24 inches. Many people think of boxwood as a deep green plant, but there are also beautiful white variegated and gold varieties. Nettlemere (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on July 10, 2012: Hi Joyce, One plant which might work in Nevada walls is the Hottentot fig Carpobrotus edulis - it's native to South Africa and I've seen it growing over rocks by the shore in Jersey UK so it's tough enough to survive wind and sun. The downside is a fairly short flowering season of June-July. I have a brick home with ivy growing on it and that's the extent of my green thumb! Nieva Airra Sulit from Philippines on June 08, 2019: Great and helpful article esp. USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8 This is a somewhat cantankerous plant that requires well-drained soil that doesn’t dry out and prefers to have cool roots. Use for edging or rock walls. We're having a window fitted in the cellar & I thought it would look nicer if we put a fern in a pot & maybe some wall climbing plants on the wall that is set into the garden. It grows wild in France and Germany and flowers from May to September. Will plants that grow in/on walls grow on my cellar wall under the grill? Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on July 11, 2012: Such beautiful plants and flowers. The plant will cascade over rocks and low stone walls in a rock garden to soften the setting. A dry stone wall is the ideal site for drought-resistant plants. From the editors of BCLiving, a seasonal subscription box of beauty products & decor treasures. This allows the beauty of the stone to be enhanced, rather than obscured. I think it's a bit heavy looking to work well higher up a wall, but planted below knee height, it can be effective. 1. Trailing plants can be a real bonus for the gardener. Climbing plants, including favourites such as honeysuckle and jasmine, all share the successful strategy of relying on the support of other plants or objects to reach the sunlight. I guess they've been replanted on the ground, as it should be. Plants with a trailing habit, such as ivy leaved toadflax, are designed for cascading down rock faces or scree slopes and can thrive in a wall. Ivy … Nettlemere (author) from Burnley, Lancashire, UK on July 21, 2012: Hello eugbug, I bet your aubretia looks lovely - so far it seems to find my garden a bit too damp. Blooms in late spring and early summer. You can get a yellow leaved variety "Aurea" which is less vigorous. I don't remember seeing the others, but I'll keep an eye out for them now. Few flowers can match the brilliant blue of the gentians. Instead, start with seeds or very small plants which can then send out roots to establish themselves firmly. What time of year can I start planting the seeds into the wall? Thanks a lot for putting your hard work on here, Joyce. Crows and pigeons are good examples. Foxglove. They grow well across a range of temperatures but they tend not to … I loved your hub a lot. Plants with single stems, such as foxgloves, are best avoided in windy positions because these snap off more easily. Cloudy Cool, thank you for reading I'm glad you enjoyed it. 21 of 24. Forms a large mat of flowers in loose clusters, and may be too invasive for a small area. This training style is decorative and makes good use of space, beautifying an otherwise blank wall. Creeping Jenny: Lisimachia nummularia. These plants can also be grown successfully from seed. They have very little growing medium, may be subjected to windier conditions and will get limited water and this will usually dry quickly, unless yours is a water-splashed wall near a waterfall or leaky gutter, for example. North-facing walls may be more suitable for ferns such as the magnificently named maidenhair spleenwort. Here, our arid central Arizona conditions make it unsuitable for such pretty plantings ... but you've given me some ideas. Their shallow, … Pages-By-Patty from Midwest on July 08, 2012: I, too, enjoyed the photos and your vast knowledge of plants and flowers. Great hub! Something also to consider is dealing with the cuttings of an enthusiastically growing plant. Are dry stone walls something you get in America? Thank you for reading and voting Dirt Farmer - I think the hard labour of wall building could just be worth it! Easily propagated from cuttings, or grown from seed. Sumona Ireen from New York, US on September 17, 2014: Good hub. Easy to grow and dependable, it provides a stunning visual effect. Foxgloves are a good choice if you want to attract bumblebees to your garden. Verbena (Verbena peruviana) Just found this site and it's exactly what I've been looking for. Easy garden plant for a small area true climbers that use aerial roots hold! Spot lots more interesting plants growing in a wall and lovely pink lilac... 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