They give privacy, prevent banks and slopes from collapsing, act as wind breaks, create intimate spaces and often support other garden features. They naturally weather as the years pass but not all walls are made of handsome materials or are built so imaginatively that they look better left bare.
What better way to take care of that than to use plants. There are a multitude of native and exotic plants available. Evergreens such as ivy, New Zealand jasmine, carmine rātā, some camellias plus many deciduous plants including clematis, roses, climbing hydrangea and virginia creeper can be used to great effect. Not only will they soften and take away the hard edges of a wall but use it to display their own unique features, foliage, stems and flowers.
Many of these plants will cling happily to a wall by themselves, some may need help such as a trellis, hooks or wires. Shrubby species can be trained or espaliered to grow hard up against a wall to great effect as can be seen with the Camellia sasanqua hybrids on the terrace wall in the lower garden.
Choosing the right plant is particularly important — consider orientation to the sun and prevailing winds, shade and soil type. Another important consideration is not to plant too close to the wall. Stay at least 250mm out from the base, so the roots are not cramped against the foundation and hence less likely to suffer from severe dryness or even waterlogging during heavy rain events, as the wall sheds and channels water.
Garden Life is produced by Dunedin Botanic Garden
For further information contact David Askin
