Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_10.gif)
Friday - May 21, 2010
From: Charlottesville, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Shrubs, Vines
Title: Plant to hang over and cover a wall
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
HI! this is a stumper for me! I have a 6 foot wall bracing a hill on one side and a lawn on the other. It is currently cement and I would like to find something to cover it --evergreen would be the best--and I would also like to find something to plant above that might spill over without causing root damage to the wall. I had thought of wisteria, but have been told that the roots would eventually ruin the wall. Wouldn't mind a flower, but don't want to go to orange/red/yellow colors. The house is a strong red brick. Thanks for your help, Deborah Adair.ANSWER:
Instead of planting at the top and letting the vine spill over, you would probably be better off to plant the vine at the bottom of the wall to climb it. The roots are less likely to harm the wall if they are growing down at the bottom of the wall rather than down beside the wall at the top. Two of the evergreen vines that are attractive do have red flowers. These are Bignonia capreolata (crossvine) and Lonicera sempervirens (trumpet honeysuckle). Gelsemium sempervirens (evening trumpetflower), another evergreen vine, has yellow blossoms. Smilax smallii (lanceleaf greenbrier) is another evergreen with inconspicuous yellow or green flowers. There are several non-evergreen vines with that would be attractive, e.g., Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper), Passiflora incarnata (purple passionflower), and Clematis virginiana (devil's darning needles). You can see more possibilities for native vines for Virginia by doing a COMBINATION SEARCH in our Native Plants Database and choosing 'Virginia' in the Select State or Province box and 'Vine" in the Habit (general appearance) area.
Have you considered planting something in front of the wall to hide it? Here are both evergreen and decidious shrubs native to your area:
Evergreen
Deciduous
Clethra alnifolia (coastal sweetpepperbush)
Lonicera dioica (limber honeysuckle)
Physocarpus opulifolius (common ninebark)
Photinia pyrifolia (red chokeberry)
Viburnum dentatum (southern arrowwood)
To find more possibilities for shrubs, do the COMBINATION SEARCH as desribed above substituting 'Shrub' for 'Vine' in your search.
Here are photos from our Image Gallery of some of the plants above:
More Shrubs Questions
Privacy Screen for Heavy Clay and Full Sun in Louisiana
April 19, 2013 - What would be a fast-growing plant for privacy in Louisiana? I have heavy clay and full sun.
view the full question and answer
Erosion control in West Union IA
June 22, 2010 - Erosion control and native grasses/plants for steep, shady slope in northeast Iowa.
We are building a house in northeast Iowa (near West Union in Fayette County). The road that was graded to the ho...
view the full question and answer
Is a Texas Mountain Laurel too messy for swimming pool area?
November 24, 2008 - Our landscaper has recommended a Texas Mountain Laurel to plant beside our swimming pool. We recently removed Cherry Laurels from the same location because of the mess they made in the pool (especiall...
view the full question and answer
Failure of hybridized red hollies to grow
April 17, 2008 - I have 2 red hollies planted in my yard about 20' apart, 3 years now. They won't grow. Do I need to have a male with them?
view the full question and answer
Non-native eleagnus from Jesup GA
January 17, 2014 - An elderly farmer has told me about a plant called Alley Agnes, but I can't find any plant by this name anywhere. He doesn't know another name for it, says it's what everyone has always called it i...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |