Wall Shrubs to grow as climbing plants
Many shrubs adapt well to being grown up a wall or fence and, once trained in, are normally easier to maintain than climbing plants. Wall shrubs tend to be slower growing than climbers, making it easier to keep them to their allotted space. Evergreen varieties provide foliage cover all-year round, particularly useful if you’re looking to cover an unsightly wall, fence or outbuilding with many also producing beautiful blooms. Pyracantha is perhaps the most common wall shrub, making a berrying architectural feature with their distinctive spines and clusters of white spring flowers. Ceanothus plants work particularly well trained against a sunny south or west-facing wall, producing tight thimble-like clusters of blue flowers from May to June or August to September. Garrya eliptica ‘James Roof’ is another choice wall shrub with fabulous, wavy-edged, glossy dark green leaves which make an excellent backdrop to showy flowers. It looks best in winter when it becomes clothed with long, silky tassels of silvery blooms.