I think everyone's forgetting that there's a climbing hydrangea already planted. Becaussse that will take a little while to get going, I don't think it's worth doing anything other than annuals. Anythiing else will just become compromised once the hydrangea gets going. Sweet peas will be perfectly fine in that aspect. They don't need as much sun as is often touted. There will be others too. You would need some supports - wire on vine eyes would suffice. I certainly wouldn't use alpina clematis - completely wrong conditions. They aren't like the larger flowered later ones. They like poorer conditions, and drier soil. It's also a myth about the 'shade at their feet' for clematis. What they need [the Group 2s and 3s] is a cool, deep root run. That isn't the same as being shaded.
One thing I would do though, regardless of what space you make for plants, is to create a gap between the grass and the garage. It would be very easy for the grass to spread and get into the garage base, and more importantly - for it to become damp with water ingress. That may not be a problem , depending on how you use the garage, but if you want to store anything there that could be affected, it's quite important. The gap also makes it easier for cutting/edging the grass. It can be filled with gravel or paving or whatever suits.
Thanks, I think annuals seem to be the consensus so I’ll opt for that!
Do you think I should move the Fatsia?
We only use the garage for storing bikes and my gardening bits, nothing we’d be worried about damp penetrating but it’s always good to know, thank you!
If you're in a consistently wet enough area, it would be fine. We can have plants close together here, even when they need plenty of moisture, but it's also quite hard to see just how much room each plant has from your photo. They do look quite tight, which wouldn't be ideal for either plant.
They've only been in a short time, so won't be that well established, so either could be moved. I'm inclined to agree about having the hydrangea in the middle of your wall though, as it will have room to do it's thing in a better way. You would tend to get stems coming along that other wall where the fatsia is, which wouldn't be great. The fatsia can be pruned as well, so if it gets a bit large [happens very easily] don't worry about doing that. I have to cut mine back after winter every year, or at least remove the worst foliage, as they get a bit knackered here with the weather. They grow away again no problem. While it's certainly possible to have a clematis with the hydrangea, I'd be inclined to wait and see how well the hydr'ea does. It'll take a couple of years to establish and start growing well, but once it does, they are quite vigorous if they have the right conditions, and can easily cover very large walls. They grow outwards, and that's when you get the flowering stems. If you keep cutting it back too hard, you remove that flowering potential, which defeats the point of having it. Re the wall colour - if you want to change it, that's a good opportunity to do so, but that's down to your personal preference. It will be hard to change it once the hydr'ea grows
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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It looks a little like a cottage.
We only use the garage for storing bikes and my gardening bits, nothing we’d be worried about damp penetrating but it’s always good to know, thank you!
They've only been in a short time, so won't be that well established, so either could be moved. I'm inclined to agree about having the hydrangea in the middle of your wall though, as it will have room to do it's thing in a better way. You would tend to get stems coming along that other wall where the fatsia is, which wouldn't be great. The fatsia can be pruned as well, so if it gets a bit large [happens very easily] don't worry about doing that. I have to cut mine back after winter every year, or at least remove the worst foliage, as they get a bit knackered here with the weather. They grow away again no problem.
While it's certainly possible to have a clematis with the hydrangea, I'd be inclined to wait and see how well the hydr'ea does. It'll take a couple of years to establish and start growing well, but once it does, they are quite vigorous if they have the right conditions, and can easily cover very large walls. They grow outwards, and that's when you get the flowering stems. If you keep cutting it back too hard, you remove that flowering potential, which defeats the point of having it.
Re the wall colour - if you want to change it, that's a good opportunity to do so, but that's down to your personal preference. It will be hard to change it once the hydr'ea grows
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...