Wall Gardens – Choosing Plants

For a sunny wall of weathered rocks, Sempervivums are desirable. The tight mounds of Sempervivums arachnoideum, covered with cobwebs of fine white wool, are intriguing. The rosettes of Sempervivums rubicundum are a deep red – they lose their ruddiness even in light shade. The common hen-and-chickens, Sempervivums tectorum, is an old standby, and in the form violaceum, the leaves have a soft pale purple cast in late Winter and early Spring.

Not all Sedums are nuisance plants as is Sedum acre. There are well behaved members of the Stonecrop tribe – some real gems, in fact. Sedum brevifolium has tiny grey-green leaves on tiny, twisting, red stems. It forms a very small mat which is starred with dainty, little, white flowers in July. Another compact species is Sedum spathifolium. Grown in full sun, the grey leaves are reddish. My small plant has yet to bloom – I hope to see its light yellow flowers this coming June. Sedum spathifolium may be grown in sun or light shade, as my Sedum nevi. I like this last Sedum very much. It is neat, compact and colorful. The small mound of grey leaves turn a lovely rose color in the Fall, and the pretty white flowers are produced freely in June and July.

Sedum dasyphyllum is another free bloomer. The tight mass of roundish, grey-green leaves is almost completely hidden in the Spring with pale pink stars. Sedum sieboldi puts on a good show in September and October when its bright pink flowers are in evidence. The arching stems of blue-grey leaves, with a touch of pink, fall gracefully out of a cranny in the wall garden.

Both Sedums and Sempervivums are useful in planting an established dry wall. Being shallow rooted, they can be tucked more easily into pockets and crevices than can plants with long roots.

For mats of blooms on a sunny wall, try Arabis alpina flore plena, Aubrieta deltoidea Lavender, Dianthus delloides albus and Dianthus gratianopolitanus, Phlox aubulala brittoni Pink, and Phlox nivalis Cumin. Either on the sunny side or the shaded side of a wall garden, the Campanulas will give a good account of themselves: carpatica, elatines, elatines garganiea, and portenschlagiana.

Summed up, then, the proper way to build a wall garden is to have rocks, soil and plants assembled on location before work on the project gets under way. However, us a member of the North American Rock Garden Society once said to me, “I probably never would have achieved a wall garden had I waited till husband, garden helper, rocks, soil and plants all arrived at the scene of operation at one and the same time. Friend, husband, and helper took care of the foundation, laid the first row of rocks; then I covered them with soil and planted. When opportunity presented. on went the next layer of rocks, and I in turn added soil and plants. It was not the ideal way to build this wall and we did lose a few plants in the process. But the final results are not too bad.”

The results were not “bad” at all, but very beautiful. The rocks were gracefully draped with well-flowered Alyssums, Arabis, Saponaria, Dianthus, Phlox, Campanulas and others too numerous to mention.

The question is sometimes asked: “Can an established dry wall be planted?” The answer is in the affirmative, if moist soil is rammed into the rock pockets, very small pot plants put in them, and a flat stone inserted under the collar of each plant to hold it in position. To plant this way is somewhat awkward and it is difficult to make the roots secure. The choice of material is more or less limited to plants that can take it, but such a wall can eventually be transformed into a thing of beauty. Friends of ours succeeded in getting foliage effects in an old dry wall with the use of ferns, Violas in variety, Dicentras, Aquilegas, Kenilworth ivy, Cymbalaria pilosa and baby wintercreeper, Euonymus fortunei minimus.

I cite these two instances for all-too frequently, people are discouraged from attempting a project when they read the recommended methods and, for one reason or another, find themselves unable to adhere to them strictly. We should heed the advice of professionals and experts and apply them as closely as our particular circumstances will permit – in other words, with common sense.

by D Ebell

Related Articles Of Interest:

• Building Wall Gardens – Strength beauty and Style
• Garden Walls Can Be Beautiful
• Pep Up Your Rock Garden!
• Perennial Pleasures From Fall Planting