[suziequeue]

We (architect, builders, us.....) all underestimated the size of the bank we would have to cut into in order to build our new house and workshop and we had to have a retaining wall put in in a bit of a hurry...... So now I have a slab of grey concrete 6ft high by about 30ft long.

It's an eyesore but it's also got tremendous potential. It's been back-filled with shingle from behind which is easily accessible and I was thinking that if I removed some of the shingle (the builders say that would be OK) and replaced it with soil (say - to a depth of two feet) then I could plant lots of things which would cascade over the wall and obscure it somewhat.

Any suggestions for cascadey sort of plants? I am thinking along the lines of lots of different varieties and colours of lobelia. Any other suggestions? There isn't any soil at the base of the wall as this has all been excavated to level the slope. Not that keen on pots of climbers really. The wall itself is fairly shaded and north facing but the top of the wall would get the midday and afternoon sun.

Any suggestions much appreciated

[HappyHippy]

I'd go for some Ivy as a permanent year round backdrop first  It'll completely cover the wall and provide good habbitat for birds and bugs  Then play about with plants for colour from there.

Or, you could use the opportunity of a big blank canvas and go all creative on it maybe  Colour or big panels of garden art would look quite funky on it I think, or you could put in a cascading water run from the top of the wall down (with a return tank hidden somewhere) and cover the wall with mosaic designs. It all depends whether you want to make a feature of it or not ?
I'd be tempted to get all arty (but that's just me  )
Good luck and show us photo's when you're done 

[bloomer]

anything except ivy, long term it will damage any wall/concrete

i hate ivy with a passion!!!

there are lots of cascading plants do you want perrenials or something for more instant wow factor this year.

6ft is a long way to get stuff to cascade, what about a couple of larger planters at the base to get some climbers in to give you more options!!!

[Rosemary]

i hate ivy with a passion!!!

 

[HappyHippy]

i hate ivy with a passion!!!

 

See, I like it cos of the benefits  (but did forget to say that I'd put trellis on the wall for it to grow on)
I'd listen to Bloomer though - he does it for a living 

[bloomer]

i have spent too many hours on too many properties scraping ivy off walls only to find a lot of damage underneath.

its also immune to most weed killers so its impossible to get rid of once you plant it!!!

can you tell I have ivy issues!!!

[YorkshireLass]

My neighbour's passionfruit has cascaded all over our dividing fence  It's very pretty too...but maybe it's supposed to climb?

Orrrr

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/11-buildings-wrapped-in-gorgeous-green-and-living-walls.html     

[bloomer]

passion flowers are climbers but they won't cope on a north facing wall

[suziequeue]

I'm very excited by the mosaic idea. I hadn't thought of that but I was really taken with the mosaic work in Morocco whe I was there a few years ago. Then I thought I could reproduce some of my Mum's pictures on the wall...... then I thought - well - I may as well ask her to draw the outlines on the wall herself which I could then fill in with mosaic. That would be great.

I remember we all got "arrested" by the police once when I was a kid because Mum took us down to paint some animals and stuff on a load of corrugated iron that had been put up round a building site at the end of our street in London. "The Bloomsbury Zoo" we called it...... and despite Mum being hauled off to the nick, they never painted over it. They were there for years whilst Bovis or somesuch built a block of flats on the old bomb site.

So I think mosaic with some slightly traily plants at the top.

Thanks all for helping me formulate some ideas on this.

[Sylvia]

You can get different colours of Aubretia.

[suziequeue]

Ah - having looked at web pictures of aubretia - that's what I had in mind when I was talking about lobelia earlier.

Thanks Sylvia

[Possum]

Prostrate rosemary does really well on a dry wall that gets a lot of shade. Spreads to 2ft by 2ft in two or three years and produces a lovely smell when you brush past it.

[Mel]

Winter Jasmine
Beautiful scent,fairly fast growing,evergreen and lovely flowers!

[xemonsus]

You could try a russian vine (not sure of its proper name), it grows like mad and does look rather nice when in flower, but beware it does go alittle mad!