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North facing wall.
Hi Guys,
I am hoping to create a scented garden behind the house. the plot is quite sheltered as it is surrounded by a 5' wall
I am looking for scented climbers to plant against the north facing wall. Apart from honey succkle and a few clematis species I have not found anything suitable, I would like something a bit different and new to me. Does anyone have any suggestions for scented climbers for this spot? They need to be hardy as I don't have a green house yet, and am not always home to cover with fleece if needed.
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There may be a few roses which will be happy in that aspect Balvinder, but I'm not any kind of expert I'm afraid. You could take a look at some of the specialists online such as Peter Beales Roses, as they will give loads of suggestions and all the info you'd need. Someone here will have experience of roses in that aspect as well.
Does the site get any sun at all, or is it shady most of the time?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Roses - Guinée, Souvenir du Dr Jamain, Mme Alfred Carrière, Golden Showers are all good climbers for north facing walls. New Dawn should be fine and is repeat flowering though less scented. Falsatff (David Austin) is a rich deep Crimson with good perfume and will get to about 2 metres.
I strongly recommend Jasmine spp as an easily trained 'filler' - horizontal wires spaced 12" apart will help you keep it under control. I transferred an established plant onto a similar wall last spring and it's now romping all over the wires I placed there BEFORE the move.
I have 2 roses on a north facing wall, obelixx has mentioned them both, Mme Alfred Carrie, and Souvenir du Dr Jamian, they both thrive and it really is a sight and smell not to be missed during the summer months.
thanks for that I love roses and was hoping for some suggestions. I will definitely try those. Another quick question, do I need to remove all the concrete under the beds or can I leave some hard core for drainage will the cement leech into the soil and make it more alkaline?
Yes it will and it will also stope the plants getting their roots down as deep as they'd like so remove as much as you can or else make a raised bed to deepen the soil for them. Roses are very hungry plants and need good soil full of nutrients to grow well. They can cope with clay but not concrete.
They're good on here aren't they Balvinder! I knew someone would know which roses would suit you. I'd agree with obelixx about the concrete. If you want a good display, it pays to get the preparation right. It would be a shame to spend your money and then always be struggling to get the plants to perform. I had a similar problem last year when creating a raised bed in front of a fence. There were 2 large concrete blocks underneath part of it and, although I could have left one of them as it was on it's end, I dug it out to give my plants the best chance of success. The soil would have been shallow and it could also have affected the drainage.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks again guys. I will get him indoors to dig it up we can use it has hard core under the patio!
balvindre i have zepherine drouhin on north facing wall doing good in it's 1st year flowered last summer smells divine