Small Plant Reccomendations

[HakunaMutataa]

We're looking to make a wall in our garden look a bit nicer. We're thinking of adding shelves and having lots of little plants. Hoping people might have some wonderful suggestions for plants to go in these pots, wanting more evergreen but from googling I'm not sure evergreen plants that stay small exist?? Thanks

Sounds a nice idea, you need to consider that small plant pots will dry out quickly and the plants in them be susceptible to frost.
Succulents and Alpines would stay small.

Heucheras - lovely little foliage plants - they do have flowers but you really grow them for the colourful foliage. Some bigger than others.
Ivys would do well for this I think too.
These guys specialise in Heucheras and related plants, I've bought from them they're great. Loads of info on the website as to colour, which ones like sun and shade etc, what size they grow to etc. www.heucheraholics.co.uk/

get pots as big as you can or you'll have to water them every day (even twice a day if it is a sunny wall). All those 'green walls' and fancy pots in magazines / Pinterest don't last without a LOT of care.

I'd grow a plant up any plain wall - something like a climbing hydrangea can be lovely. Or clematis.

lots of little plants means lots of watering. in the heatwave I had to water any pot below 5liter twice a day.

would a hessian vertical 'garden' with an irrigation system built in be an option?

Alpines can often stay quite small/ be slow growing. And they're dainty and fairy like 😁

Thanks for all the replies. I really hadn't thought about the need for all the watering... might have to rethink. We're planning on trellace either side but it's a really large expanse of wall so don't want too much

Could you put a large pot (Or 3) and a tree or bamboo or tall shrub.

What size pot are you thinking of? What direction does the wall face?

Bay trees grow slowly when small. Lavender and rosemary are also evergreen.

The classic arrangement of small plants in pots is an auricula theatre

I’ve got lots of little terracotta pots with alpines in. They look great and have stayed fine. Succulents seem to fair exceptionally well and if they get too big or you want more, there’s normally a baby one you can steal.
I water them once a day in the heat and submerge them every so often when I can be bothered. An auricula theatre is definitely on my want list though. I’m going to trawl the second hand shops once the kids are back.

You can make an Auricula theatre out of an old step ladder or adapt a wooden free standing book case.
This was also on my to do/ get list, but DH has adapted a stepped growing trug thing!
When the Auriculas are resting somewhere shady in the summer, I put pots of Hostas on it, away from slugs.

I'm not sure it's the sort of thing you're after, but a house nearby has a brilliant topping to a low wall which probably doesn't need watering. Basically they've sunk half a drainpipe into it (I imagine they've drilled drainage holes and/or got it slightly sloping to avoid waterlogging) and filled it with lots of different varieties of Sempervivums and small sedums, topped with a gravel mulch.