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Help - what can I plant against a north facing wall
Rob Trendall
Posts: 5
Hey everyone.
I want to soften the north easterly facing wall of my house. I want to plant something that will either grow vertically or climb but that wont become too rampant. I want to limit the height to approx 3-3.5m and I want something that offers seasonal interest throughout the year; preferably something that yields fruit or berries as well as flowers. I have considered a Japanese Quince but am put off by the slow rate of growth. Does anyone have any other suggestions or know of a relatively fast growing variety of quince?
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this post and consider my quandary.
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Posts
(A quandary, of course, is a camel with four humps, not to be confused with a humphrey or a dromedary).
We have a Hydrangea petiole rise on the north and east walls,fantastic in the growing season, even though it dies off in winter the dead flowers stay and look lovely. Well worth growing.
I have a pyracantha and clematis Armando - both do well.
White Clematis works well on my North wall. No berries though
I'd go for the Hydrangea Petiolaris - even in the winter the reddish bare stems make a lovely tracery on a wall, and every one I've known has attracted birds to nest in it - at my last place of work I had one on the wall outside my office window - every spring the robins nested in it, and in the winter the wrens and goldcrests investigated the bark for tiny insects - a really good wildlife resource
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I love the climbing hydrangea, but the OP wants something that won't get too big. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good when kept restricted.
I'd go for the Cotoneaster or Pyracantha. Great framework for a seasonal clematis, as Tetley says.
Methinks a good pair of shears will be required though, whatever the choice....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Mmmm - I'd have thought 3.5m would be ok for a H. pet
They don't grow overly fast and aren't difficult to keep under control.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Morello cherry?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01xl8z5
If I may just point out one grave error in that BBC GW clip I linked to: Morellos - being acid cherries - are self-fertile.
The text in the clip says the opposite.