Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice on climbing plants for a north-facing wall at my home in the North of England. I've got a small space between my front door and a bay window, and I want to add some greenery and color. The area is pretty narrow, so I need a plant that won't spread too much or requires heavy pruning. Here's what I'm hoping to find:
1. A plant that thrives in shade with no direct sunlight.
2. It should fit in a planter that's about 0.5 m wide, 1 m long, and 0.5 m deep.
3. Ideally, it should grow to about 1.5 to 2 m high, or can be pruned back to that height.
4. Avoid suckers like ivy; I'm okay with using a trellis but don't want the plant attaching itself to the wall.
5. Flowers would be a big plus!
6. Evergreen would be nice for year-round interest, but it's not essential.
I'm flexible on some criteria—mainly focusing on the size limitations and being okay in low light. Would love to hear your suggestions!
5 Answers
You might want to consider climbing hydrangea. I'm not sure it checks all your boxes, but it does well in shady spots. Definitely do your own research on how it meets your other criteria!
I have a star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) planted in a similar shady location. It took a little while to start growing, but now it’s doing great covering a north-facing panel without being overbearing.
That sounds promising—thanks for the tip!
I'm in a similar boat; my pyracantha isn’t thriving at all. I'm now leaning towards a climbing rose, but not many do well on a north-facing side. I'm considering Garrya elliptica (specifically 'James Roof'). It’s evergreen and doesn’t have aerial roots, although it doesn't flower, it does have some long tassels that look interesting.
Those tassels look great!
That’s quite a list! I'm not sure there’s a plant that fulfills all your requirements, but I'm curious about the suggestions too. I would’ve suggested a variegated ivy, but it doesn’t meet your no-suckers rule.
Thanks for the ivy suggestion, but I'd prefer something that doesn't cling to the wall. I'm aware I'm flexible on some criteria, but size and low light are crucial.
Pyracantha and Chaenomeles (Japanese Quince) are classic choices that might work for you. Pyracantha tends to be pretty aggressive, so it's worth keeping that in mind. Chaenomeles blooms quite early and may not be evergreen, but it's full of flowers now and has nice fruits later on. If you're looking at wall shrubs, you could check out plants that grow on the woodland floor. Also, consider true rambling roses; they’ll need support to climb from the get-go. Compact ramblers from places like David Austin Roses could be a good fit! I had an 'Albertine' in a north-facing garden and it thrived.
A rambling rose sounds intriguing! I thought they wouldn’t do well without much sun, but I’m keen to explore it further.
Thanks, I'll definitely look into it!