A boundary wall can either enhance or detract from the surrounding space. If you have an ugly wall it can both spoil the view and upset the ambience of the garden. Fortunately there are several ways that you can improve the situation including attaching some form of covering such as wood or metal or by planting a climber. The nine suggestions, some of which are quite exotic, are described by Falon Mihalic in her article which I found on the Houzz website.
Unsightly walls bring down the look and feel of a garden. For large gardens, the view often can be fixed with plantings that screen the wall. However, an unattractive wall is often more imposing in smaller gardens because it takes up a big portion of the view and becomes a dominant element in the space. Learn how to hide an ugly wall and transform an eyesore into an asset.Wall checklist: Before you can dream up ways to disguise an unsightly wall, you need to consider a few factors. Your answers to these questions should guide what kinds of solutions you use to hide the wall:
- Ownership: Do you own this wall, or is it your neighbor?s? If you own the wall, you have more possibilities for making permanent changes. If it?s your neighbor?s, you will be constrained to using plants or other ways of altering the view.
- Governance: Will changes to this wall need to be approved before construction? Is the wall visible from the street? It?s common for walls that are visible from the street to use only prescribed materials as defined in your homeowner?s association or municipality rules and regulations.
- Structure: Is this wall an exterior wall of a home or outbuilding, a retaining wall or a nonstructural site wall? The type of wall affects what you can and cannot do.
Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata, zones 4 to 8) grows on this exterior wall in Portland.
Grow vines on the wall. Growing vines directly onto the wall has some challenges, but they can be a great option for site walls or walls that are not a part of the home.
Look for vines that have the ability to grasp directly onto the wall?s surface and are not invasive in your climate. Hot-climate gardeners may consider creeping fig (Ficus pumila, USDA zones 9 to 11), and gardeners in cool climates may use something like climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris, zones 4 to 8).Orange clock vine (Thunbergia gregorii, zones 9 to 10) grows on a custom iron trellis in Los Angeles.
Put a trellis in front. Instead of planting directly on the wall, grow vines on a sturdy trellis in front of the wall to screen it. This method is especially useful if you do not own the wall ? it?s on a neighboring property ? or you can not grow vines directly onto the wall.
A trellis is typically made of either wood or metal and is firmly secured in the ground with footings. Any vine that twines ? attaches itself by wrapping around a structure ? is a great pick for trellis.
See more at Houzz
