Trailing plants for an ugly front garden wall (approx a 3ft high)

[user1471530109]

Hi all,
I've been googling and not getting very far. I seem to be getting suggestions of climbers I would use to cover a huge fence. Things like star jasmine seem too big?

Is there anything anyone can suggest to climb up and over (then trail) a 1m boundary garden wall? I have in my head that I've seen something with purple flowers? It is a South east facing garden but I suppose that little wall is north facing? But not high so not convinced it blocks any sun. Clay soil full of rubble.

I'm going for pretty cottage garden . Well trying!
Thanks

You might be thinking of aubretia, OP. It’s very hardy (it survives minus 18C in my Scottish garden), and is flowering now. There are pale purple, lilac and white versions.
It tolerates rubbish soil and scrambles happily over walls.

Was going to say aubretia also - it will grow from cracks in wall which may help you.

Oh fab! Thank you! Off to Google

That's exactly what I was thinking of!

Is it able to grow from ground, up the wall and then trail over the other side? Or something I may need to put in a tall pot next to wall? My ugly wall has those 50s concrete flower bricks along the top. Maybe I could stuff one with soil and plant that way? Is that a stupid idea? images.app.goo.gl/Bkde668TrMy9t9gQ8
I'd love to see it trailing over hiding the wall

I don't think it would go up then down - it likes to trail rather than climb. I think stuffing the holes in the flower bricks and planting it in there would be perfect. You might need something to keep the soil in, at least at first.

Trailing nasturtiums are fantastic in the summer and would flower alongside the aubretia when it fades.

Clematis

I was thinking clematis too. Possibly combines with aubretia in the top bricks. Not a Montana but a small evergreen clematis type. If you look for something that does ok in a container that should work, there’s ones that have lovely seedheads they keep over the winter.

www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-evergreen-clematis/

There are a couple of geraniums that do that - I had an Ann Folkhard, and Rozanne is very like it. They produce long stems that can be guided upwards. But they are perennial so die back in the winter.

I second ceilingsand - see if you can buy one of the small summer flowering clematis.

Another alternative is one of the smaller horizontal cotoneasters. They can be kept clipped and will go up and over a wall. They have white flowers in spring and bright red berries in autumn.

like this

You could also try sedum ,dianthus and creeping thyme all of which can colonise the cracks in a wall. I would put in some vinca at the base of the wall, it will spread outwards , easy enough to control, but will also go up the wall a bit.

I would try campanula portenschlagiana or Mexican fleabane.
They both have a far longer flowering season than aubretia.

Oh thank you! So much to think about. Do you think all these suggestions will be in garden centres now? I have probably the ugliest front garden on the street-mainly because the hedge was removed by the previous owners and replaced with this old wall and lots of grey gravel. I've spent some time planting lots of perennials last couple of years and now an amelanchier and a ceanothus to try and pretty it up.

These suggestions sound and look fab. Do you think a mismatch of many different types would work? I am loving the idea of lots of colour and things flowering at different times.

B&q had lots of sedans, vincas and aubretia in this weekend, 5 for £11 I think. Mix and match, if it doesn’t work just take them out or move around.