The walls that surround the garden and the party walls of your neighbor are not always very decorative. There are many solutions to cover them and hide them from view: with climbing plants, hanging plants, by installing wooden trellises or by reworking them to give them a second youth … Discover all our ideas.
Climbing plants to hide an ugly wall
Climbing plants are ideal for hiding an ugly facade of the house or a large party wall made of cinder blocks because they are long-lived and for the most part hang on their own to the support they are going to cover.
However, they must be chosen according to the surface of the wall to be concealed and its exposure to the sun. Depending on the condition of your support, also choose climbing plants that will not damage the wall. Here are some ideas to help you.
On a wall to the north, in the shade
Ivy (Hedera helix) is interesting because its year round dark green foliage is covered with paler young shoots in spring and late summer.
Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) produces beautiful flowers in summer. Its green leaves also change color in autumn to turn yellow, then purplish.
Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) is popular for its bright yellow flowers that open in the middle of winter, in January.
Pure camouflage a wall to the east
Honeysuckles (Lonicera): They bloom for a long time from spring to fall, almost continuously. They like a wall facing east because they hate being placed against a wall that’s too hot.
Golden hops (Humulus, hupulus aureus): Its yellow leaves light up the garden and give the impression of enlarging it.
The Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus henryana) takes on beautiful autumnal red colors, including the variety with decorative variegated foliage.
To hide an ugly wall facing south
Climbing plants or bulky shrubs that like full sun are recommended: ceanoths, small-flowered clematis, officinal jasmine, etc.
In regions with a mild climate in winter, where it does not freeze, flowering climbing plants such as bougainvillea, passionflower, shriveled solanum, Plumbago, and star jasmine complete this list.
To hide a wall to the west
Bignone (Campsis) and ornamental kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta) are the two best choices: the first is decorative with its beautiful orange or red colored trumpet flowers; the second with its leaves variegated with cream and rose.
Other climbing plants also thrive on a wall to the west: Persian ivy with large leaves (Hedera colchica), all lianas and climbing roses as well as wisteria (Wisteria) from China and Japan.
Camouflage the wall with a decorative trellis
The wooden, metal or plastic trellises make it possible to compose pretty decorations to hide an ugly wall. You can easily personalize this decor by playing on:
The form: by creating a drawing based on the perspectives, by varying the dimensions of the trellises and by voluntarily leaving voids on your wall to produce an effect or to lighten the whole.
The color of the trellis: which you must choose according to the wall. A light or white wood trellis goes well with a brick wall, while dark colors will work better to hide light walls.
Plants: The trellis is decorative in itself. It is therefore not a question of completely concealing it, but of choosing plants with low development to enhance it. Install small-flowered clematis (Clematis montana), climbing roses (such as the very flowery Pierre de Ronsard), but also annual climbing plants such as sweet peas, cobea, ipomea, Mina lobata … which will allow you to renew your decor each year.
Hanging plants to hide a dividing wall
On a dry stone wall or to dress an old pebble wall, you can choose hanging plants that offer seasonal blooms. They root easily in the more or less wide joints of the wall.
Plants to cover a damp wall
- Ivies, easy to contain by regular pruning
- Small-flowered periwinkles (Vinca minor)
- The Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea)
- The silver basket (Arabis), with many small white flowers
- Small ferns such as the false capillary (Asplenium trichomanes) or the rue des murailles (Asplenium ruta-muraria)
Hanging plants to cover a dry, very sunny wall
All of these plants need little water.
- The céraistes
- The wallflower ravenelle, with beautiful colorful flowers
- Alpine baby’s breath (Gypsophila repens)
- The many varieties of sedums
- Houseleek
- Valerian
A hedge or a flower bed to hide a wall
In partial shade, flowering shrubs with evergreen foliage and whose sizes are limited, are perfect: a Hydrangea, Photinia, Mexican orange, laurel-tin, shrub Fuchsia, Phygelius … Combine them to enjoy a flowering hedge almost all year round.
Using plants isn’t the only way to hide an ugly exterior wall. If the wall is yours or you have half-funded it with your neighbor, you can:
- Redo a new plaster
- Simply repaint it to restore its shine. Choose light colors to give the impression of expanding the space and darker colors, in tones of the rest of the garden, to blend it into the decor.
- Glue strips of stone facing to give the impression of a wall made of briquettes or dry stone. Take the time to seal well to avoid water infiltration and the risk of frost bursting.
- Attach wood panels. Choose a rot-resistant species or class IV treated pine so that it resists over time.
How to hide an ugly exterior wall from the neighbor?
If the party wall you want to hide belongs to your neighbor, you cannot do any work on it without his permission, or even trellis plants.
If you cannot obtain its authorization, you can still install trellises in front of the wall, on posts sealed 10 to 20 cm from the support.
Then recreate a green wall by hanging many hanging plants or shrubs grown in pots. Then choose those that are best resistant to lack of water because regular watering will be necessary for your project to be successful.