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Arizona Gardening

Want to cover cement wall in full sun!

18 years ago

I would like to cover my cement wall (fence) with

different vines. I have put lattice up on each

section about 2 inches from the wall. Now I'm

looking for vines that like full sun...

Anyone have any ideas what would take our heat

in full sun... I prefer some I could start from

seed. I'm hoping to try to start them in the

end of September so they will have a good root

system by next summer.

Gemfire

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Comments (9)

Garden_trolip
18 years ago
I have Honeysuckle on a west facing wall. It does great, BUT needs a lot of water!
eileenaz
18 years ago
Catclaw will fill the bill, but may take over your entire neighborhood- and I'm not kidding.
If you want something deciduous, how about vigna caracolla- snail vines? They're tough, and very pretty.
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Autumnlayne, It sounds like your clay is very compacted. From experience I can tell you that it will take an awful lot of organic matter to amend this spot into good garden loam. My suggestion would be that (unless you want more garden space for some reason) you make a simple path through the area - a few flat stones, or if room add a bench or seat, as someone else suggested, maybe add a small boulder or two, or a statue, plants in a big pot - whatever would please you. Try to make a small vignette I would raise the area to the level of the existing flower bed (I assume a few inches), using leaf mold, humus, soil from emptied out flower pots, a bag of composted manure, and lots of organic mulch (as the finishing touch at the end of the project). I would then pocket plant a few spaces right around the flat stones, boulders, statues or bench. Thyme (there are many varieties - wooly, lemon, etc.)would really like the warmth of the rocks, especially if they are raised up a bit for better drainage. (Some Dianthus also tolerate wet clay when grown around stones.) Creeping Jenny, as mentioned would work, if the area is wetter. Add a couple of taller plants for accents, coreopsis as mentioned by someone would look nice, either annual or perennial. You could also plant an edging or a block of annuals in your new bed. They can manage in 5 or 6 inches of soil. Voila - a new attractive space, that can take balls and foot traffic. Now the reason that I suggested using leaf mold, humus, etc. in the bed, but not planting much of it, is that I never have enough garden space. LOL. I'd keep the area in some annuals, a few easy perennials, and I would keep adding leftover bits of compost, soil from pots, manure, & leaf mold to the area for a few years and let the worms do the rest. Now someday - there would be a garden there!
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Planting recommendations may say otherwise, but I've had great success with pachysandra (japanese spurge) in both full sun (south facing wall) and full shade. Very hardy and excellent groundcover, attractive, and evergreen for me. Read my response to "ideas for shade groundcover as lawn replacement" - a thread posted just after your own on this forum. I don't have deer but I believe they are deer resistant.
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If you're doing a cover crop then part of the sequence is to actually cut the crop before it comes to flower so you get plenty of juicy material that rots down quickly - and has enough fibre to not make a felted mess (like you see with heaps of grass clippings.) The roots stay in the soil and, as they rot down, add even more humus to the soil. It is really important to not bury the cover crop deeply, It can combine with clay to make a bit of a toxic brew for a while. If you live in a rural area observe how the farmers disc in the crop residue (hoping that they don't burn off.) You might also notice that some farmers turn stock onto the crop residue to clean up and add manure before they disc. You'll need to have an acceptable process to add extra nitrogen to the soil as the cover crop rots down. Something slow acting, such as blood and bone could be useful, although it can attract animals. Perhaps dried animal manure would be an alternative. Your biggest hassle would come if you have a perennial weed (like dandelions, dock, twitch grass, or whatever your local nightmare/s happen to be) growing in your cover crop. The darned things LOVE being disced. It spreads little bits of root everywhere - and, being weeds, they usually all grow. A cover crop can be highly useful in a poor soil - and to give protection if wind or heavy rain moves soil in your area. You might also want to consider growing a cleaning crop such as potatoes, or rows of peas that need regular weed control and/or hilling up. If you were to lay down a mulch between the rows, along the lines that lindac has suggested, then you could have 'the best of both worlds'. If you do decide on doing the cover crop - and leaving it over winter (a ryegrass, mustard, lupin, barley, clover, vetch crop would probably all be suitable) remember to leave enough time between the cutting back, digging in - and your planned planting date - for the material to rot down, or plant crops that will tolerate quantities of partially rotted material in the soil. Also think about any fertiliser/liming that needs to be done, too. Those additions need time to become effective in the soil for following crops - and some crops don't like them too fresh.
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birdlady_in_mesa
18 years ago
I have a cement wall in full sun, entirely covered with an Incense passion vine. The flowers smell fantastic and it grows rapidly. Yes, you get bothered with caterpillars, but I sprinkle Bt around every now and then, so some of them grow and some of them die, and the plant doesn't look like it is skeletonized. But- I do get the pleasure of all those beautiful butterflies. :)
I planted a Frederick passion vine with it, so they are now happily intertwining. Can't wait for this guy to start blooming!

Susie
Easygoing
18 years ago
Heck, you don't need trellis with the Cat's Claw either, it climbes straight up solid cement. One warning, once you have it, you have it for life, and if you want to keep it looking nice and formal you have to trim it every 4 or 5 months. Disadvantage, it only blooms once per year in a big flush. You might get occassional flowers after that. Having planted it to do just as you requested, and then changing my mind about it, and not being able to get rid of it. I would never plant it again. ;)

Easy
Kathleen W
18 years ago
Catclaw will definitely do the job. But as noted it is hard to get rid of so be sure you want it there. Also don't put it where it can grow up the house or other building - evidently the claws are destructive to buildings. Mine bloomed a lot this spring and then another big bunch just this past month following the rains. Very pretty flowers. I planted one against a RR tie fence post (with 5'wire fence) 3 years ago. It now covers 30-40 running feet of that fence from about 18" above ground level.

Bougainvilla would be beautiful there and needs little water.

Honeysuckle is fine too but it does require a lot of water. Smells great though it only blooms in the spring.

I have a passiflora frederick that I put in same time as the catclaw and it is just as big only lusher with la rger leaves, more thick coverage and growing closer to the ground along that same fence. Doesn't seem to need a lot of water to stay very green and pretty.
aguane
18 years ago
I've had very good luck with Star Jasmine trained on a trellis against a cement wall. You can keep it dense or open in patterns. Flowers smell great, leave drop a little but not bad.
Pam Honeycutt
Original Author
18 years ago
Hello and thanks to all who answered my question.
I like all these vines but especially the
passifloras since there as so my of them.
I do have to be careful not to plant anything
that is poisonous as I have two English Springers
that love to eat plants. I may plant some passifloras
and also some moonflowers on the front walls where
the dogs can't get them. And some of the others
mentioned in the back. Does anyone know if the
kiwi vines will take full sun?

Thanks again and Happy Gardening,
Gemfire
usha
18 years ago
You can also try yellow orchid vine.
hoku1
18 years ago
We have Carolina Jasmine and tombstone rose planted next to a cement wall. Both bloom only once a year, but the foliage is always nice. They do need trimming a couple of times a year. Pyracantha is also nice because it has interest all year long. But it does have thorns that bite when you trim it. I think there are varieties that are not as monstrous as ours.

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