Brick wall covering ideas

leewallbankw7_acjT5 · 24 February

Hi all, I’m Lee and just joined! I’m looking for any ideas to see if I’m able to put trough planters on top of this wall to cover with something evergreen/living?

We’ve just dug the front garden out and laid a new driveway, there was some shrubs and a tree covering the wall and it’s covered in efflorescence. My wife wants to clad it with those fake ‘living’ panels but I’m really keen to try and find a solution to keep it actually living.

If I either made large planters on top, or placed a load of premade, could I either use trailing plants or a climber of some sort and train it downwards? The drive is on a slope so I don’t see how putting pots or planters on the ground would work. The wall is 220mm wide and pretty much 10m long, peaks at around 1800mm high.

Sorry for the newbie questions, we only move in last summer and it’s the start of the garden work!

Thank you!

Ladybird4 · 24 February

Hello and welcome to the forum. It would be possible to have troughs on top of the wall but they would have to be firmly attached for obvious reasons and the wall is not very wide at all. I would be tempted to attach planters to the wall rather than perch them on top. Because the planters would probably be quite small, the compost would need relatively frequent replacement but you could always opt for plants such as Sempervivums that wouldn't mind those conditions. Ivies could be used to trail downwards from planters. For a Spring pop of colour you could use Primulas - always a cheery sight.

Fairygirl · 24 February

Hi @leewallbankw7_acjT5. As @Ladybird4 says, it wouldn't be ideal to attach anything to the top as it's too narrow to be effective long term.
I'd try some of those hayrack style planters if you can find them, as they generally have a good depth. I've got a few - two different sizes, and they're plastic rather than the traditional iron, but they have good volume. I've grown sweet peas in them, for example. Those will want to go 'up' but will eventually drop down. I've also grown nasturtiums in some. You'd need to make sure that they're fixed firmly, but can be removed for maintaining the planting. They'd possibly need lined according to the type of planter you use.
The biggest factors for anything whether in the ground or in a planter, are your location/climate, and the aspect of the wall. If it's shady, you'll need different plants from ones which would suit full sun. If you're in a drier area, you'll need plants that will cope with that. The opposite if you're in a much wetter area.
There isn't really a problem putting planters on a slope - you can simply put bricks or battens on the lower side to level them up. Purpose built ones of a decent size are better, so that you can have a good range of plants, especially if you wanted some evergreen, shrubby planting to cover the wall as much of the year as possible. The biggest problem might be the amount of room you have because of your car, but that room might be variable if you can angle it another way. You could make something for the wall too, if you're handy enough with tools

The mix you use for any planter depends on the plant, but usually you need a heftier mix than compost alone, and we can guide you a bit with that too. Anything long term will need mainly soil, but everything needs decent drainage, so plenty of holes in the bottom, and you can always add grit or similar, for anything that likes sharper drainage.

GardenerSuze · 24 February

I would look at fixing to the wall too. Live plants will attract insects in what seems like a hostile area for wildlife, always good to help the environment. I have just moved from a house near a wood to a new build. There are bats and dragon flies but no garden birds like robins or blackbirds it is the one thing I miss and it makes me sad. I am starting to plant my new garden and already some early flowers have attracted bees. I am determined to make a mini oasis on what is at present a building site.

leewallbankw7_acjT5 · 24 February

Thank you all for your input, the driveway size isn’t an issue, it’s just the way my wife parked.

Seems the best way would be to put some sort of planters lower down and screwed to the wall, then maybe use some sort of climber? I’m not too fussed on the plant if I’m honest, my wife wants it evergreen and I just want to keep it alive!

I’m just outside of Cardiff so usually wet! The wall tends to get sun more
midday and then afternoon/evening.

Thanks again, Lee

Fairygirl · 24 February

A heavy and sizeable enough container on the ground wouldn't need to be attached, unless you were concerned someone might pinch it!
If they were timber, they'd need to be lined with plastic to help maintain them longer, and you'd need holes in the bottom. Raising them on battens or similar will also ensure drainage. Lots of climbers would suit, but there aren't as many evergreen ones, but you could have two or three planters with evergreens in one or two, and then it wouldn't matter if the climber itself was evergreen.
You'd need some supports for most climbers - trellis/wires etc., depending on your likes and dislikes. The plus point of trellis is that you can paint it, and it will also help to disguise the wall, even if all the planting wasn't evergreen. Many shrubs will also 'grow' in a similar way to many climbers - some Euonymus actively do that, and don't need supports.

Just be aware that if you made decent sized planters to attach somewhere on the wall, as opposed to being on the ground, they'll need to be really soundly attached. A batten or somehting similar, attached below them would help, and is less noticeable than standard brackets, but you could also consider using the fancier brackets with curled hooks, which are readily available, and you could hang bird feeders on those if you liked. I've often attached those to the fence for that purpose.
You might find other ways to utilise them, but they're more attractive than bog standard brackets.

ciaranmcgrenera · 24 February

There’s a company in Dublin who do living plant walls. They might provide some inspiration, or there bought he someone similar near you…

https://www.instagram.com/livingplantwalls?igsh=N3JiMXVraDZjMnBy

welshcake · 24 February

Welcome Lee! I am also from Cardiff 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 and still very much a learner! There are some amazing gardeners on this forum who are so helpful….as you have already seen from the answers given.

I just wanted to suggest one plant to consider, depending on the amount of sun the area gets. I have a Star Jasmine as a climber next to my drive. It’s in the ground but they should also grow in pots. They are evergreen but a bit more interesting as they have red leaves in Autumn and then beautiful fragrant flowers in the summer (especially if you give them a regular potash feed from spring to August).

Loxley · 24 February

I know it's an unhelpful comment, but it would have been so much better if you had left a planting bed at the foot of the wall!

Personally I would just live with the bare wall - dinky little planters can end up looking scruffy and an eyesore. At least what you have looks tidy.

Plantminded · 24 February

Have a look at last night's episode of Monty Don's Spanish Gardens. There's a fantastic cascading ivy wall inside an office block. Most climbers without a surface to climb upwards will cascade. You could secure some troughs to the top of your wall with some clever boxing in but I can't advise you on that 😊!

Bluejayway · 24 February

I agree with @Plantminded , the cascading ivy in that Spanish office block was spectacular

Brick wall covering ideas

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