With the right plants for covering walls, it’s easy to brighten up a bland wall or conceal an unsightly boundary. Dense evergreen climbers or deciduous choices that retain good structure over winter are ideal. As well as hiding the wall you don’t want to see, they will make the garden seem bigger by concealing the boundary with a leafy or twiggy curtain.
If you love wildlife, these substantial climbers are one of the best things to plant in the garden. The wall of leafy greenery provides birds with shelter and nesting sites, in turn filling your garden with song. And many also offer birds berries, as well as producing a rich supply of nectar for pollinators (such as bees) when they flower.
Get one of these gorgeous climbers in the ground and look forward to it coating your garden walls with a verdant curtain that will be alive with birdsong in no time.
1. Star jasmine
- Height: 3-6m
- Spread: 6-10m
- Best for: Urban elegance
To create a smart wall of glossy evergreen leaves, star jasmine is a superb choice. In summer, starry cream flowers fill the air with a tea scent, and in winter the leaves take on red tints.
Trachelospermum jasminoides (available from Thompson & Morgan) requires a sheltered garden wall and a mild climate. T. asiaticum (also from Thompson & Morgan) is similar, but hardier, less vigorous, and more richly scented.
Being twining climbers, they require a frame of trellis ideas, or wires to climb. Plant in fertile, well-drained soil and water regularly in hot weather until established.
2. Ivy
- Height: 6m
- Spread: 6m
- Best for: Birds
For easy evergreen coverage, ivy is one of the best plants for covering garden walls and garden fences. Self-clinging, it doesn’t require any frame to clamber up, and it offers shelter and berries for birds, as well as nectar for bees.
They are best planted in the cool semi-shade of a north or east-facing wall, where they grow lush and glossy.
Persian ivies (such as ‘Sulphur Heart’) have attractive big leaves, as does Canary Island ivy (Hedera canariensis). Plant in well-drained neutral to alkaline soil.
A self-clinging, variegated ivy with mid-green leaves that is ideal for covering a shady wall. Will grow well in most soil types, but does best in fertile, well-drained soil.
3. Sausage vine
- Height: 6m
- Spread: 3m
- Best for: Spring flowers
Holboellia latifolia (syn. Stauntonia latifolia) doesn’t have the most elegant of names – broad-leaved sausage vine – but it’s a superb evergreen climbing plant for pergolas, fences and walls. The substantial, dense, glossy green leaves are paired with mauve, red-purple, or cream-lime spring flowers that smell of melon and jasmine, and edible sausage-shaped purple autumn fruit.
Plant in fertile, retentive, well-drained soil against a sheltered wall in sun. In cold areas, it is only semi-evergreen. Prune after flowering to keep its vigour in check.
4. Climbing hydrangea
- Height: 6-12m
- Spread: 2-3m
- Best for: Semi-shade
Pileostegia viburnoides will clothe a wall in semi-shade with glossy evergreen leaves and fleecy ivory flowers whose nectar makes them great plants for pollinators in late summer and early autumn.
Other self-clinging climbing hydrangeas to consider for a wall in semi-shade include Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris, which has huge lacy flowerheads during summer; it is hardy, but deciduous. H. seemannii is evergreen, but requires a sheltered wall in a mild area. They are all slow to establish, but live for years and are well worth the wait.
A good choice for north-facing walls, this self-clinging variety will create a dense backdrop for the large white flowers in summer. Only requires occasional pruning to keep its size in check.
5. True jasmine
- Height: 3-12m
- Spread: 3m
- Best for: Scent
For romantics, this ancient climber beats fashionable star jasmine hands down: the heart-stopping scent of the starry white flowers hangs in the air on summer nights, and it is no surprise that it’s used by the perfume industry. In mild areas, it is evergreen and vigorous.
Jasminum officinale ‘Devon Cream’ (available at B&Q) has buttermilk flowers; J. officinale f. affine has large pink-tinted white blooms.
Grow jasmine in well-drained soil against a sheltered sunny backyard wall or front garden wall. Avoid hard pruning if possible. In cold areas, protect the base with horticultural fleece in winter.
6. Firethorn
- Height: 3m
- Spread: 3m
- Best for: Autumn colour
Pyracantha is a fantastic evergreen shrub for growing against walls and one of the best plants for wildlife gardens. It provides birds with shelter, as well as food when it is a mass of berries in autumn; and it offers bees nectar-rich ivory blossom during early summer
Saphyr Orange (available from Crocus) has blazing-orange berries and Saphyr Rouge (also from Crocus) has red berries. Plant against a wall in sun or semi-shade in well-drained, fertile soil. Prune after flowering and wear gloves and long sleeves because the thorny stems are very sharp!
7. Winter jasmine
- Height: 3m
- Spread: 3m
- Best for: Winter colour
Jasminum nudiflorum is a deciduous shrub with long, arching green stems that look great trained over a wall. From winter to early spring, it is covered in bright yellow flowers; unlike the flowers of true jasmine, they are not scented, but they inject much-needed cheer and colour under the bleak grey winter sky.
Allow it to tumble in a waterfall over the top of a wall or clip it (after flowering) against a wall, facade, or porch. It is happiest in fertile, well-drained soil in sheltered sun or semi-shade.
8. Mountain clematis
- Height: 3.5-9m
- Spread: 1-6m
- Best for: Cottage gardens
Clematis montana is a gorgeous, vigorous climber that fills the air with a vanilla-clove scent when its pink or white flowers bloom in early summer. It is deciduous, but when the bronze leaves fall, they reveal a dense, twiggy frame that will still cover the wall.
Blush pink ‘Mayleen’ (available from Thompson & Morgan) is enormous; ‘Miss Christine’ (white) is big; and ‘Van Gogh’ (cherry pink) is less vigorous.
For best results, plant them in well-drained, fertile soil in sun or semi-shade, but ensure the roots are shaded (for example by a shrub). Prune after flowering.
9. Passion flower
- Height: 10m
- Spread: 3.5m
- Best for: Exotic style
The fabulous blooms of passion flower are straight out of the jungle and make one of the best tropical plants. Their flowers are produced in abundance from early summer into autumn. Evergreen in warm climates, it will easily clad a large wall if given a frame (such as wires or trellis) to twine itself to.
The hardiest, Passiflora caerulea (available from Thompson & Morgan), still benefits from a sunny, sheltered wall. It has white and purple blooms and orange egg-shaped fruit. ‘Amethyst’ is not as hardy and has pale-purple flowers. Plant in moist, well-drained soil.
10. Pineapple broom
- Height: 4-5m
- Spread: 3-4m
- Best for: Sun
A joyous wall shrub for a sunny wall, Argyrocytisus battandieri (syn. Cytisus battandieri) produces enormous bright-yellow flowerheads that smell deliciously of pineapple. These are borne in summer above attractive green-grey leaves.
The more compact variety 'Yellow Tail’ has flower cones that reach 17cm long and attract bees. Hailing from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, this drought-tolerant plant (which can be evergreen in mild areas) needs very well-drained soil and a sheltered sun-baked wall.
If you want something a little different to cover your garden walls, give this pineapple-scented flowering shrub a go. The lemon-yellow, nectar-rich flowers will attract lots of bees and pollinators.
11. Camellia
- Height: 4m
- Spread: 3m
- Best for: Acid soil
Camellias are large shrubs with dark, glossy evergreen leaves and large red, pink, or white flowers in winter or spring. They are good screening plants, live for a long time and some types of camellias can be grown as wall shrubs – especially C. x williamsii, which is hardier than most and flowers well from an early age.
‘J.C. Williams’ (soft-pink) and ‘E.T.R. Carlyon’ (white, available from Thompson & Morgan) are upright, spreading Williamsii varieties that bloom in spring. Grow camellias in well-drained, humus-rich acid soil against a sheltered wall in semi-shade. Prune lightly after flowering, if necessary.
12. Roses
- Height: 3.5m
- Spread: 3m
- Best for: Summer flowers
The romantic, buxom blooms of climbing roses fill the air with scent on summer days. There are vigorous forms for tall walls and less rampant varieties of plants for covering walls for lower garden boundaries. All are deciduous, but over time the stems can be trained into an attractive pattern for winter interest. You can also plant your roses in pots in front of a garden wall to achieve a similar screening effect.
Étoile de Hollande’ (crimson-red) is a fabulous choice for a sunny wall, while ’Madame Alfred Carrière’ (pink-white, available from Thompson & Morgan) is perfect for a shadier spot. Provide trellis or wires to tie the rose to. Prune in mid-late winter to maintain health and flower power.
A vigorous climbing rose with a beautiful scent and dark crimson flowers from June onwards. As it's a repeat-flowering variety it will continue to produce flowers into autumn. Perfect for covering walls and arbours.
FAQs
What is the name for a plant that can grow up a wall?
Climbing plants scale walls. If you don’t want to attach trellis or wires to the wall for a climber to twine around or be tied to, it’s best to purchase a ‘self-clinging’ climber (such as ivy), which will attach itself well without any additional help.
How do you cover a brick wall with plants?
If you’re not choosing a self-clinging climber, add a frame for climbing plants to scale the brick wall. Wooden trellis can rot over time, so a tensioning system of wires is arguably better. The wires either need to tighten themselves as the plant grows or be easy for you to tighten (via turnbuckles, for instance).
Opt for plants that complement the colour of the brick too. For example, the climbing rose 'Madame Alfred Carrière’ has blush-white flowers that look good against red brick, and the rose 'Ghislaine de Féligonde’ has soft-apricot blooms that would suit pink brick.
To give your plant the best possible chance of thriving and covering your garden wall effectively, it's important to select one that suits your garden soil type, the planting spot and space available, as well as the general growing conditions. Make sure you read the planting information carefully before purchasing to avoid costly mistakes further down the line.
And if you are a fan of low-maintenance gardening make sure you go for a variety that won't require lots of ongoing upkeep.
The original version of this article previously appeared on Gardeningetc, a sister website to Homebuilding & Renovating.
