Design Sleuth: What to Grow on a Brick Wall - Gardenista
English walls of sandstone or ironstone are very covetable: they are a perfect warm-neutral backdrop for anything that grows. An old walled garden with mellowed bricks is generally flattering to anything (with the exception of bright red, arguably). Photographs by Kendra Wilson, for Gardenista. Pale colors seem to work: cream, shell pink, butter yellow. Climbers should be well-pruned so that they provide a traceable network over a wall. A New Dawn Rose is $17.50 from Heirloom Roses. Maintained wisteria allows the brick to show through, as it drapes itself about elegantly. Pale, neutral viburnum is espaliered here to mimic a climber. A Viburnum Farreri Nanum, shipped for fall planting, is $26.95 from White Flower Farm. The law does not state that flowers require a traditional green backdrop. In the UK a selection of foxgloves including the above is available from Pioneer Nurseries, priced from £3 to £5.50. The wall in the distance is just as effective as a wall close by for these ‘Northern Lights’ leeks. A packet of 140 seeds of Hannibal Organic Leek is $3.95 from Burpee. Espaliers were invented to clothe brick and they look especially brilliant with spring blossoms and autumn fruit. Not forgetting their winter structure and summer greenery.