Recommendation for trailing wall covering plant?

Hi everyone!!

I'm completely new to outdoor gardening, and man oh man has it been overwhelming trying to educate myself!!! Never realised indoors was so much easier, it sounds somewhat counter intuitive! I'm looking for some help finding a good trailing wall covering plant.

CONDITIONS
I have a balcony that I've lined with wall hanging baskets. It's L shaped, south facing and east facing (so the parapets the baskets are hanging on are north facing and west facing I suppose). A third of the south facing one is sheltered by balcony above, but the vast majority is unsheltered. Was hoping to cover the wall with trailing plants and just put up a ton of wall baskets. I'm really strruggling to get consistent info on what would do OK. I live in Glasgow incidentally. The balcony is quite windy as it faces a park and very sunny, though the south facing part will have the parapet shade the trailers. No conservatory or indoors options.

DREAM LIST
If I could get something with variegated leaves like Paddy's Pride I'd be really happy...If that's too much to ask for anything hardy and evergreen that is happy being pruned (but also capable of reaching down to the ground, so around 1m).

Would really be obliged with any help!! Attached a pic too in case it helps to visualize it. Thanks in advance!

 

How are you Marley Farley,

thanks for the welcome and the reply. I've literally spent every second outside work researching plants, this stuff is so addictive, I'm glad to be here!

You understood right, trail down the inside of the balcony all the way to the ground eventually hopefully Look forward to any suggestions, glad it's not impossible to start with given my conditions and location!

 

Hi,

Think I would avoid trying to cover the wall with strong hardy Ivys as they can be thugs and can really mess up the walls surface. On brickwork its remains can take several years to come away.
They can be very dusty and home to lots of bugs, welcome or not !

With such a nice looking balcony wall I would still use your baskets, but smaller plants that can be set off against the wall rather than trying to cover it.

For spring you could use plants like Aubrieta etc and bulbs

Top of my list would be trailing Fuchsias and of course many of the typical hanging basket plants like Petunias etc. Tradescantia zebrina and similar are nice trailers for a warm spot.

Also look at this link for some ideas Trailing Perennial Plants at Thompson-Morgan

I know they are all summer/autumn plants so for your all year cover I would continue to use your pots for low growing hardy evergreens to keep the winter interest.

 

Hi Ricky and many thanks for your reply! My mrs is also scared of ivy (I've been somewhat obsessed with ivy since i was a kid but OK, I can live without it and also I know it's stupid for someone who likes plants but i have a bug phobia:P

I know this is a newbie question, but when you say for spring do you mean its annual, or just flowering in spring? The balcony is so wide I doubt I'll be able to afford to renew the plants annually.

Are the ones you recommended hardy enough for a Glasgow winter you think? I'll have a proper look now...wall to wall coverage isn't essential but it'd be nice to cover a lot of it if possible. I'll look at the link and your suggestions more closely now

Thanks again for your help!

PS: the baskets are not up yet, the ones in the pic will be replaced as they're too sparse.

 

Hi again Ricky,

wow the Zebrinias look amazing!!! Sadly not as hardy for a Glasgow winter though? Same with Petunias...both would look perfect otherwise. But some fuchsias are fully hardy? Can you recommend one or two hardy trailing ones for me to look into?

Thanks again!!

 

Also the link is amazing!! Thanks!

 

Hi,

If you really wanted ivy then I think I would grow it in pots with its own little trellis so it did not cling to the wall and mess it up, plus it allows you to get behind it to clean it etc.

Be aware that when repotting ivys can just sit there for a year establishing its roots before pushing out much top growth.

Things like the Petunias are just tender annuals, but things like Aubrieta hardy, as are a good selection of Fuchsias. - sold/labelled specifically as Hardy.

However the catch for hardiness of any plant, is as to what they are grown in; planted in a garden bed is taken as the norm, but when in planters their hardiness is really tested as it so much easier for the roots to be totally frozen.

Can you take any indoor over winter, or make a temporary shelter / mini greenhouse to protect against the coldest weather ? - even wrapping the pots/baskets in bubble film will help, though not that pleasing to look.

Think you need plant advice from another forum member who lives in the same area and /or go to a proper garden centre who should be stocking / can advise on the hardiest plants for you.

Even with advice its always a bit of a risk as your growing conditions just might not favour a particular plant thats said to be tough as old boots, yet you find other more 'tender' plants have survived, the highs and lows of gardening.

Its trial and error for all of us, but that half the fun, seeing what works and what doesn't.

Just enjoying what works for you is the key.

 

Hi,

Most hardy Fuchsias are the upright types compared to the more tender fancy trailers, however once loaded with blooms they can look semi trailing.
Some examples here, though have not grown these specific ones , my hardies are grow in the garden beds as uprights.
Buy Fuchsia Plug Plants | Fuchsia Plants Online - Brookside Nursery
Still think saving or buying some really fancy trailers each year is well worth the trouble.
Think you will 'grow' in to it ..

What I did forget to list for your wall was the Ferns, which can look so great this time of year as they send out the new year fonds and even keep some greenery all year long.

I was looking back at some of my old photos for a big Trad that I once grew in the greenhouse which was companion to a wall of Ferns, the first pic not long after planting, then by the end of the season... oh happy days !

 

Thanks again Ricky that's so kind! It's about 25 meters or wall in total, I think it's gonna be impossible to replace yearly or bring indoors:( I haven't been able to estimate but I think the cost will be slightly crazy. I mean look at me, I look homeless:D

How about some less interestig but still better than bare wall idea ssuch as Heucherellas, Clematis Old Mans Beard? Do you know anything about
Pansy 'Avalanche Bronze Lavender or the viola volante? I went through all the ones on the link and hese seem to be listed as hardy. Your trad looks amazing...no leaf burn, no curl, no spots...fantastic!!!!!

I will start another thread for help with more ornamental trees for the space, but the wall I'm less picky about.

 

Hi,

Have not grown those plant you list, but sure other members will have, so hopefully they will come in and offer some more suggestions for you.

Expect you are doing ice sculptures for the balcony in todays weather !

 

It's not been so bad!!! Got a big sunny spell too today...did a lot of stuff, repotted everything i already have into 50L pots, got grossed out by huge millipedes in the soil, placed the ones with bigger leaves to more sheltered positions and kind of getting ready for phase 2! I still need 3-4 trees apart from the trailing plants but don't want to muddle the thread, hopefully someone can chime in regarding the existing shortlist or add to it. One of the sellers I've emailed grows his clematis outdoors in York and vouches for their hardiness so that might be another option to source them! I'm so excited about all this i can barely sleep! Off to work now, hope you have a good evening!

 

Hi Marley!

The ferns look fantastic...I think you got me sold!! How big are the containers your friend uses for them? Just keep hearing I gotta use 70L plus containers and trying to figure out the space for more ground plants. You think they'll be OK over a Glasgow winter? I really need lavender too...I've got a hibiscus too Do you know any hardy geranium names? Sorry for all the follow up questions!!!