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what to plant

katrinkempkatrinkemp Posts: 81
in Problem solving
I got this wall which only gets about 2/3 hours of sun a day. I like to plant something in front of the shrubs but it can’t have deep roots. I only have 5 cm of soil on top of the wide stones to play with...
I am quite new to gardening and couldn’t find anything - would like some colour🙏🏻

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited August 2020
    Not much will be happy in such shallow soil and mostly shade, and competition from the shrubs as well. Maybe try London Pride (Saxifraga x urbium). Sembervivums and some of the low-growing sedums will cope with not much soil but prefer sun. Might be worth trying a few if you can get hold of some cheaply. An alternative would be to let the shrubs grow out more to hide the bare area.
    For temporary spring/summer planting you could stand some troughs on top of the wall with small bulbs and shade-tolerant bedding plants (viola, bedding begonia, busy lizzie, maybe trailing fuchsias that are sold for hanging baskets).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Do you know what the shrubs are?
    It seems a shame, you have a lovely walled bed and enough room for shrubs and climbers, but there is nothing currently giving any interest. If the shrubs varied in size that would  leave room for a climber or two.  I would want to have  one or two shrubs for early flowers and others for later interest, with flowers and berries that would carry on well into winter. Then there might even be spots at the front where you had enough room to plant some other things.
    I have a south facing stone wall and have several plants that look good all year. They were all planted just behind the stones, as small plants, and grow forwards and overhang. They get no food and no water except in severe drought. They would perform for you, if you could find space to make the planting holes, and room for them to grow until they get established.
    Some herbs can cope with poor dry, soil.
    Bushy  thymes would grow on top, while creeping thymes would grow into cracks in the wall and overhang a little. Choice of green/grey or yellow leaves, pinky-purple flowers. There is a prostrate form of Rosemary, and my purple sage decided of its own accord to grow down the wall. Both these have blue flowers as well, in summer.
    Armeria maritima or Thrft is not a herb, but thrives in poor soil and makes a  green cushion of tiny leaves with flowers on taller stalks in summer. Comes in white and shades of pink.
    Iberis sempervirens has evergreen dark green leaves and white flowers during spring.
    Helianthemums come in a range of colours and have slender grey leaves. They are ground huggers, but shrubby Potentillas have similar flowers and make twiggy bushes with thin green leaves. They happily grow down a wall, as well as upwards so have a more rounded profile and as shrubs need a bit more space for roots, though not much. They can be triimmed if necessary. Both flower continuously all summer.
    Alchemilla mollis has attractive grey-green leaves all year round and cascading bunches of frothy yellow/green flowers in summer. I deadhead this after flowering to stop it seeding around and this is the only attention any of them need!




  • katrinkempkatrinkemp Posts: 81
    Thanks Buttercupdays and JennyJ i actually already ordered a few of your suggested plants. I appreciate all your input. It’s made my day, amazingly detailed suggestions🧡
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Hardy geraniums would probably do OK, especially the big thuggish ones (you could plant further back where the soil is deeper and they will spill forward over the wall)
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • katrinkempkatrinkemp Posts: 81
    good idea @Loxley
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