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The Great North Wall 😊

fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
in Plants
Hi all,

Requirements:
North wall, partial shade.
New to this so something not too tricky to maintain 😊

I have bought two trellis 60cm wide and am considering Armandii and Armandii Apple blossom clematis. I would also like to put another climber alongside each one to add interest later on as the Armandii flower March and April. Any ideas what I could use? Would Group 2 clematis be ok or would they intertwine making pruning too difficult even if each end of trellis? I was going to use Star Jasmine but I don’t think they are suited to a north wall. Does anyone have any suggestions? 

Also, any suggestions for perennials to go in front and at side of trellis with climbers on? Have a long strip to fill and would like colour throughout the spring and summer.

So grateful for any advice! 

😊


Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Hello @fizzyliz :)
    Could you supply a few more details please?  What is the height and length of the wall, and the size of any bed in front of it ?
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    60cm of trellis is very small for a Clematis Armandii so you will need to keep it well trimmed and tightly tied in. If you do mix clematis it makes sense to choose ones with the same pruning regime otherwise as you’ve guessed you will have difficulty disentangling them. You could make sure that you plant them a good distance part and each with its own trellis, that way you can easily keep them separate.

    Heuchera, liriope muscari, Carex Everest and Evergold, Saxifraga urbinum are small evergreen perennials which are good in shade.

     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    AnniD said:
    Hello @fizzyliz :)
    Could you supply a few more details please?  What is the height and length of the wall, and the size of any bed in front of it ?
    @AnniD - I’ve measured it. The ground below is 420cm long and 31cm wide. In terms of the wall, the wall is obviously bigger than the trellis but the trellis I want covering is 180cm high x 60cm wide. I have bought two of them and they are going to be going either side of our lounge window. Thank you! 😊
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    edited March 2021
    Butterfly66 said:
    60cm of trellis is very small for a Clematis Armandii so you will need to keep it well trimmed and tightly tied in. If you do mix clematis it makes sense to choose ones with the same pruning regime otherwise as you’ve guessed you will have difficulty disentangling them. You could make sure that you plant them a good distance part and each with its own trellis, that way you can easily keep them separate.

    Heuchera, liriope muscari, Carex Everest and Evergold, Saxifraga urbinum are small evergreen perennials which are good in shade.

    @Butterfly66 thank you! The trellis are both 60cm wide but 180cm in height... is that still too small? I wanted the Armandii as wanted some evergreen cover you see... 
    Yeah, I guess maybe I should have bought 4 smaller width trellis so whichever climbers I get didn’t have to grow together... wanted some colour in summer too so all those (from what I’ve read) in Group 1 flower early... hmmm! So don’t really wanted more of those ideally.
    Thanks for the perennial suggestions! Will look them up 😊👍
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    As regards clematis, there are some suggestions here for a North facing site. The majority are out of stock on this site, but there are other clematis suppliers available if one catches your eye  :)
    https://thorncroftclematis.co.uk/shade-tolerant-209-c.asp

    Also other suggestions here for plants other than clematis.  
    https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/gardening-advice/climbing-plant-advice/climbers-for-north-facing-walls
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    edited March 2021
    Star jasmine is worth trying on a north wall, in fact mine have done much better on a north facing aspect than being baked on south facing walls.

    Clematis 'Alba Luxurians' (type 3) would be on my shortlist too.

    Personally I am leery of the big type 1 clematis, I prefer a type 3 that can be cut right down to the base and then re-trained. Although that means disentangling from other climbers which don't get hard pruned.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    AnniD said:
    As regards clematis, there are some suggestions here for a North facing site. The majority are out of stock on this site, but there are other clematis suppliers available if one catches your eye  :)
    https://thorncroftclematis.co.uk/shade-tolerant-209-c.asp

    Also other suggestions here for plants other than clematis.  
    https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/gardening-advice/climbing-plant-advice/climbers-for-north-facing-walls
    @AnniD thank you - I will take a look at those 😊
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    Loxley said:
    Star jasmine is worth trying on a north wall, in fact mine have done much better on a north facing aspect than being baked on south facing walls.

    Clematis 'Alba Luxurians' (type 3) would be on my shortlist too.

    Personally I am leery of the big type 1 clematis, I prefer a type 3 that can be cut right down to the base and then re-trained. Although that means disentangling from other climbers which don't get hard pruned.
    @Loxley thank you for your reply 😊 ok maybe I should try Star Jasmine then... would that grow nicely with the Alba Luxurians? Want some evergreen cover you see. If one is evergreen and one isn’t that would be ok. 
    I’d read somewhere that group 1 were easiest as no pruning and as a novice and wanting an evergreen that’s why I picked Aramandii... thanks again!
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