Growing flowers in old brick wall gaps

[minipie]

We have a section of old, unlovely brick wall at the back of our garden. The mortar is missing in quite a few places and I wondered about growing some trailing plants in these gaps to prettify the wall a bit.

Has anyone done this? Any suggestions on what might grow happily in these gaps and how to start it off?

I see various plants growing out of walls all over the place but they are obviously self seeded and I’m not sure of their names…

Thanks!

Aubretia and Erigeron karvinskiana (sp?) both grow in cracks very happily.

Houseleeks would also be happy in small gaps and their flowers are beautiful in the summer, and the rest of the year they have good structure in their rosettes.

I think Mexican fleabane is quite happy to grow in wall gaps

Just been looking these up thanks! Erigeron we have lots of elsewhere in the garden so could try transplanting a bit and see if it takes. Aubretia is very pretty. Hadn’t thought of succulents but yes they could work and would give more of a year round interest.

The wall doesn’t get a lot of sun (possibly not any?) so that may mean some things won’t flower I guess… need to look at the requirements.

My houseleeks, aubretia and Erigeron all live on the shady side of my house, and get very little direct sun, and they all flower nicely.

Corydalis lutea aka Yellow fumitory is often seen growing on walls, with pretty fern-like leaves and sprays of small yellow flowers, Chiltern seeds sell the seeds. Ivy-leaved toadflax ( Cymbalaria muralis )is another wall-lover, also available as seeds from Chiltern seeds.

I was going to suggest Corydalis lutea too - it's ever so pretty with blue green feathery leaves and yellow flower. And the Erigeron.

I had a very neglected wall that various things self-seeded into - a perennial wallflower (not kidding) was one, campanula another.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

My houseleeks, aubretia and Erigeron all live on the shady side of my house, and get very little direct sun, and they all flower nicely.

Oh good to know! Thanks

Ivy leaved toadflax is one of the ones I was thinking of that I see everywhere! Thank you!

The other one I see a lot is bellflower/campanula, I think?

Anyone know how these do in shade…?

Corydalis lutea is pretty but I am trying to stick to blues purples pinks and whites (sorry that sounds ridiculous when I say it… and obviously DD’s beloved geranium and sunflower have already messed with the scheme!!)

I've seen ordinary biennial wallflowers growing in walls ...I assume it was named for a reason! Not sure anything that large does the wall any good.

One of the plants often seen growing on walls is a small fern - I think it may be maidenhair spleenwort. It looks good in combination with some of the others already mentioned.

Watching with interest as I shall be doing something similar a bit later this year.

Erigeron/Mexican fleabane is gorgeous. So easy and flowers for months and months.

Valerian? But I think that it is a bit of a thug and may damage the wall. Which brings us onto, of course, ivy ...

I have self sown Valerian growing along the side of my house. Looks fab and hasn’t done any damage.

Corydalis lutea aka Yellow fumitory is often seen growing on walls

Well, that answers my longstanding question about what grows with wild abandon along the fence line with next door! 😀

Nottingham catchfly. Delicate and scented. Wallflowers

If you want something bigger, I have been surprised to see quite large buddleia growing out of walls and gutters on derelict buildings, and flowering happily.

Nottingham catchfly is pretty too! Buddleia would grow I reckon but might not be too good for the wall?

Any ideas about how I physically plant stuff in the cracks? Do I just remove the plant from its pot, knock off some soil and then squeeze it into the gap between the bricks… ?? Feels like there ought to be more science to it…

With Erigeron grown from seed in individual plugs and basically shove those in the gaps. They self seed too over time into all the other crevices.

Having lived in a house which had a buddleia growing in the wall, and seeing the extent of its root invasion (we thought we had dry rot because the roots were literally everywhere, under floors, visible behind plaster on walls etc) I'd steer clear of that one. X

Omg, not sure how the 'x' crept in. How un-mumsnetty of me

That might explain why I’ve only seen them on derelict buildings. They probably weren’t so derelict until the buddleia got going…!

@minipie, on how to plant, it depends how big the crevices etc are. I did something similar but with gaps in paving and it was hard to buy anything small enough from shops that to squeeze in. I grew some from seeds myself in pots and then transplanted them - but the most successful were things that grew from seed in situ. Thyme (one of the creeping ones) is another one that could be lovely in the right spot.