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Container climber for a North facing wall

DedekindDedekind Posts: 172
in Plants
I am looking to cover a very sheltered North facing wall with a climber. It is in my sheltered patio and it's one of the house walls, there is no ground to plant it on. So it needs to be in a container. I am willing to get a large one, maybe a big rectangular through or similar.

I'd also like a self clinging type such as ivy or virginia creeper. Do you think any of these is OK for a container? The wall is 3m high and 3m long, north facing, and does not get sun at all. 
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  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    I wouldn't personally grown any self-clinging plant against my house wall, to avoid any potential damage to mortar/brickwork, or to encourage damp.  A trellis attached to the trough would allow your plants to have support, but keep them away from the wall, and leave a small gap for airflow.

    If you ever needed to move the plant, for maintenance/painting, etc, it would be a lot easier to simply move the pot & trellis, than to have to rip the plant off the wall.

    The plants you mention would grow fine in a large trough, as would Hydrangea Petiolaris, although I found it a bit too thirsty when I had one in a trough.
  • CostumedVoleCostumedVole Posts: 257
    Hydrangea Petiolaris is self-clinging, though, and therefore not one to consider for the reasons you mention, plus it gets very large.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The Virginia creeper would never be happy in a container IMO, or the hydrangea, unless you're talking about something several feet in each direction.
    They both want to be huge. I was just admiring a V.creeper this morning which grows over the entire gable end of a house near me. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DedekindDedekind Posts: 172
    edited September 2021

    @KeenOnGreen It will be a brand new rendered wall so it should be fine for many years I suppose? We see these climbers covering walls of houses all over the country. I've read they are even beneficial in terms of insulation etc. But I understand your concern 

    @Fairygirl would ivy be a better choice you think? 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ivy will cling by itself, and will grow in a container no problem. 
    There are some nice variegated ones which will be suitable - I have Gloire de Marengo on a fence near my shed, and I've had it in previous gardens. It struggles in colder winters here a little bit, but I just hack off the dead stuff and it recovers. I don't know whereabouts you are, but in most locations it would be fine.
    Sulphur Heart is also nice. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    We have a 40 + year old climbing hydrangea on the front of our house, well it covers the whole front tbh, and it hasn't done any damage at all because it's only a problem if your brickwork is already damaged. Ivy is one I'd be more wary about but as it's in a container I don't think you'd have any problems. 
    Another plant that could be worth considering is euonymus, I don't know the name of the cultivar but the one that has white varigation on dark green leaves likes to climb if grown next to a wall. It's one that's evergreen and doesn't cling to the wall rather is just pushed up by it.  
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Euonymous Emerald Gaiety will  'climb' against a wall or fence. Doesn't get very substantial though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Please don't do virginia creeper. We did and have regretted what we did. It took over the whole area and we are still trying after 20 years to stop it.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's 'designed' to cover large areas though @bertrand-mabel, so it's a question of right plant, right place. One of my favourite climbers - in the right location   :)
    The OP has to have something in a container, so it isn't going to be suitable anyway.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Looking at the difference in colour between the North and west facing Virginia creeper on a block of flats near us, it doesn’t appear to colour up well on a northfacing wall.  The difference in colour is quite marked. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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