Vertical Gardening - Covering Walls and Fences

In suburbia most of us enclose our gardens with fences to create privacy from the neighbours. Some gardens may be enclosed on one side by a tall ugly wall of a neighbouring building. These enclosures are not always the most attractive features in the garden especially if they are wooden fence panels which have become grey with age.

Plants are an ideal, eye-catching way of covering walls and fences. Tall shrubs disguise the boundaries, thus not allowing one to see where the garden boundaries actually are, which means the garden can appear larger than it is. On the other hand climbers can emphasise a wall and define exactly where the boundary is of the garden.Spirea nipponica is an example of the former as the large beautiful cascading, deciduous shrub which has stunning white flowers in early summer will disguise a boundary and be eye catching.

Wall shrubs such as Pittosporum tobira can tolerate sun and shade. The shrub has shiny, evergreen leaves with small, fragrant white flowers in the spring. It will provide a solid background to show off any plants in front of it. A further advantage is that you won't see the ugly fence poking through in the winter.

If you are after a wall covering with large flowers, then the Hydrangea anomala (Climbing Hydrangea) will not disappoint. Like any hydrangea it needs to be in a shady spot or partial shade. It is slow growing initially, but well worth the wait as the delicate, white flowers will light up any dark wall in the garden throughout summer. It is self supporting as it climbs up walls and trellises in a similar way to ivy but it is not as unruly.

Of course there is always ivy which will cover both a sunny and shady wall. The solid, hardy evergreen characteristics of ivy have probably contributed to its popularity. However, ivy is like an unruly child and needs a lot of attention to keep it within its boundaries. It will spread very successfully on both walls and the ground and into neighbouring trees. Do be careful about planting it on walls as it will remove the mortar when pulled down and it can damage wooden fences once removed from them. However, if you are not too precious about your wall or fence then this is an attractive option.

Another more tamed wall shrub is the Pyracantha 'Orange Glow'. This thorny evergreen shrub provides some security on walls as any intruder will not want to battle with the sharp thorns on this plant. In late spring, beautiful white flowers are produced and these are followed by red or orange berries in late summer into autumn, attracting birds into the garden. This shrub can be left to look bushy or it can be trimmed neatly to cover a wall.

In summary there are many options to cover walls other than the traditional clematis.When choosing a shrub or climber for your walls, always note if it is suitable for the spot , which may be sunny , shady or have partial shade. You will also need to note the type of soil it requires. A few other options for covering walls include Wisteria, Garrya elliptica and Itea illicifolia.