Not sure if this is the right thread to post this in... I have a (UK) small backyard. It's ugly.. Think concrete base, tall breeze block walls. My fantasy is to turn it into a lush green courtyard - as cheaply as possible. The hardcore base is there for good so it will have to be covered with pavers. I d like tall columnar style plants (in plant pots) to mask the walls. They need to be evergreen.
So, my questions are
1. Any suggestions of these sorts of plants? The walls are 2 meters high
2. Does it matter if they are in plant pots? And what size planter?
hi Spudcounter,
you don't say which way your yard faces, though having high walls I guess there will be limited light for part of the day?
Hydrangea petiolaris is good for covering walls and is self clinging after its established....you will need to help it initially with a frame or canes. It can get large but pruning will keep it in check. It will need a large pot or half barrel. Oh this isnt evergreen though :drunken_smilie:
There are evergreen clematis you can train up a trellis....clematis sieboldii is nice.
Have you thought of hanging baskets for summertime? you can do seasonal ones too for all year round interest :toothy10:
I think that in the end evergreens become boring. They are simply green and take up space. They tend to be expensive. I think the cheapest way of brightening up your walls might be to paint them. Perhaps think of it as an outside room and decorate the walls like you might a room in the house. Instead of pictures you could hang plants. Or stand a few more colourful things in front of them. Paler colours create more of an illusion of space.
For me a garden is about an ever changing kaleidoscope of different colours not just evergreen. Have you thought of a horizontal garden? You could even grow edibles in pots hanging on walls. Mirrors can make the space seem larger as they do inside. The nicest most interesting plants are not evergreen.
How much time to you want to commit to it?
Once you can feel more positive about your outside space you might be able to be more creative.
Yes..you can 'go up' as well as 'come down' with plants to cover areas that may be bit eye sore. Everything and anything is possible..and doing it with containers too. It just all come down to you..how much you can spend, how much time and energy you have for looking after the plants and how much imagination you have in you. As for planters...bigger the better as evergreens/perennials have to live in them number of years before they get some TLC again and you don't want to be watering them all the time.
When it comes down to plant choices..amount of day light is limiting factor. Doing it with just evergreens can be interesting and exciting look but then you have to play with some shades of green and different leaf textures. Evergreens are not necessary the cheapest options and certainly they are not the fastest growers. Good size specimens can be lot of money. Perharps just getting odd couple to start with and perk the surroundings up with seasonal plants that you are able to pick up from shops and nurseries for small change..unless you are keen to grow lot of the seasonal ones your self.
Bamboo is nice on containers, though they defiantely need big containers and looking after, perharps some sort of palms or yucca? If your yard gets some sun..how about those long and narrow Italian cypresses..hostas (though low growing and not evergreen neither) look good and will fill gaps between taller plants and some are suited more in shaded areas than others and some varieties have quite striking patterns on their leaves so they look interesting. Camelias and Rhododendrons can be grown in containers and they are evergreen with bonus of flowers for short period of time in spring.
So how's the light situation on the yard?
Oh..something just popped up in my brain...
Runnerbeans! :icon_cheers:....if you are not up to stocking the area with expensive plants in one go...runners are excellent as summer climbers. They grow quickly..they have flowers...loads of green leaves that will cover the sight of anything behind them...you can get to eat the pods ...they are cheap and easy to grow and don't need huge containers :icon_cheers: Just plenty of water, some support to climb on and not fussy with compost neither.
My mother grows runner beans on her balcony just for ornamental purposes..green wall with some flowers...she don't even eat the beans but just saves few for seeds to grow more again following year. :icon_thumleft:
Me again...just looked outside from my window and thought of you.. :drunken_smilie:
I've got area in my backyard that is concreted all over..almost forgot as it does look like 'jungle' out there. I built big permanent 'planter' with bricks some years ago..just straight on the concrete and left just few little drainage holes at the bottom of the brick work. In that planter I have bay tree (evergreen) that is BIG now.., clematis, climbing rose, small bush rose, mulberry tree and various other plants dotted under the bigger things. It is full of plants and look more like garden border rather than a 'planter'.
It all comes down to how much root space the plants have and you can go and pick almost any plant that you would grow in a garden.
I have two Elaegnus Ebbingei which I have had in pots for a few years now. Not only are they evergreen and fast growing but they have a lovely perfume when they flower in the autumn.
There are varigated forms of Elaegnus but I don't know how they would fare in pots. Elaegnus are usually used as hedging plants so are normally not very expensive to buy.
Are you able to paint the walls of the yard to brighten it up and are you able to put up trellises? If so, you could grow roses and clematis. There are quite a few climbing roses that will do well on a north facing wall too.
Oh thankyou all for these suggestions. Goodlife - how big is your brick planter? We painted the breezeblocks white some years ago and grew ivy up (we had a few brick planters then). The ivy clung to the wall and after a while, it started to peel (it was outside paint) so looked awful. One of the walls has a car garage door from previously. This is such an eyesore. I wondered if I should install green fencing as this would instantly help with colour. I think the yard is west facing but the three walls needing to be covered are east (carport door), north and a small west facing)(breeze block). The only wall that looks nice is the south facing one (old red brick) with an Austin rose tumbling over it from next door. Cypress trees might be an idea
QuoteGoodlife - how big is your brick planter?
It is about 3 metres long...about 2 ft deep and 1-1-ft wide (it is lightly curvy.. not fully rectangular) I've never painted mine..just left the bricks be and now as it is aging some moss has taken , I really not take even notice of the construction.
In the same area I have various size of terracotta pots and plastic containers..varying from half barrel size to about bucket size pots. I grow all manner of things but always leave few planters for odd seasonal bedding plants and some veg too...more the merrier and when it is all bit 'jungly' you don't see the planters neither :icon_cheers:
Just don't do the mistake that I did some years ago...wasted lot of money for not using appropriate growing medium. I used far too much multipurpose which is not good for anything for permanent growing. In the end I had to start mixing in soil to keep watering work down. Plants are much happier now and they get water only when they need it...not everyday like with 'wrong' compost.