Cover for North facing wall

[hillbilly]

I'm trying to find something to grow up an ugly north facing wall. I will have to grow it in a pot - am I mad in thinking that a pot would limit virginia creeper or boston ivy so they won't be so invasive?

Any thoughts?

I'm told honeysuckle does well on North facing, shady walls.

I planted mine last year and it seems to be doing really well already. Much better than anything else I planted there.

Chinese virginia creeper is a lot less invasive and very pretty, I've got some with an evergreen honeysuckle doing well on a north-facing wall.

Climbing hydrangea is nice but quite slow growing.

Clematis armandii will do well on a North facing wall and is evergreen but woudl need a deep pot.
Pileostegia is nice and evergreen as well and does well in shade.
Pics of both on google.

Thanks all! You have given me some great ideas, more than I have found searching on various websites.

Pannacotta - I already have a beautiful clematis armandii on a west facing fence which is in flower right now - I did not realise it would do well in the the shade though.

hillbilly you may not get many flowers but the foilage does very well in shade IME - it gets less wind damage and you get fewer brown leaves. Also its very quick growing, so a good bet for fast cover. But you would need to plant it in a very large pot...

I second climbing hydrangea, but I don't think it is slow growing! Ours runs riot and our only problem is cutting it back. Beautiful white flowers in the summer, and it doesn't mind complete shade - ours is on a north facing wall and has thrived there.

Climbing hydrangea with white flowers sounds divine.

when you say slow growing, is it painful? How long to say, 6ft?

I don't know I'm afraid, as ours has been there since we moved in 5 years ago. But I would say it grows about a foot every summer at least.

Have a look here: www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/climbers/other-climbers/hydrangea-anomala-subsp.-petiolaris/classid.1665/

IME Hydrangea petiolaris is slow to get going, but vigourous once it has taken off.
Mary, if you need cover up to 6ft your best bet is to buy a good sized plant in a 5 or 10l pot.