Wall-side borders
It can be challenging to select plants for narrow borders next to walls or fences. Conditions may differ from those in other parts of the garden and plants chosen need to be smaller growing or more compact. However these situations can be sheltered and also create opportunities to grow a range of slightly more tender plants.
Quick facts
Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta
Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ AGM
×Halimiocistus sahucii AGM
Scilla hyacinthoides
Cornus canadensis
Introduction
Many gardens will have a planting spot at the base of a house wall, garage wall or fence. Often this is a long, narrow strip which may need more than just climbers to give it interest.
Since growing conditions – sun or shade, wet or dry – vary depending on the aspect of the wall, choosing plants that best suit the site will offer most success.
Practical considerations
Borders at the base of walls can offer a number of challenges;
- They may be drier than a more open bed due to the wall or fence casting a ‘rain shadow’
- They often have shallow soil, rubble or restricted access due to cement footings, drains and path edges
- They are usually narrow, limiting the use of broad or spreading plants, especially where they border a path required for access
To a limited extent, the border may be improved prior to planting by digging out loose rubble and replacing with topsoil. When adding soil next to a house wall, remember to keep it lower than the damp-proof course.
Most wall-side borders benefit from having organic matter dug in and can be mulched after planting with either more of the same (e.g. garden compost, leafmould or composted bark) or a more durable mulch of bark or gravel.
Suitable plants
A selection of smaller growing shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs for narrow borders next to walls and fences.
Also visit our other pages on climbers and wall shrubs for sun and climbers and wall shrubs for shade.
W Suitable for training against or up a wall
Sunny and dry borders
Shrubs
Evergreen
Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’ AGM, C. linearis AGM, C. salignus AGM (W)
Cistus × cyprius AGM, C. × pulverulentus ‘Sunset’ AGM, C. × purpureus AGM (W)
Euonymus fortunei
× Halimiocistus sahucii AGM
Hebe
Lavandula
Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius
Phlomis fruticosa AGM, P. russeliana AGM
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’ AGM, P. tenuifolium ‘Warnham Gold’ AGM
Rosmarinus officinalis
Mahonia aquifolium
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ AGM
Ruscus aculeatus
Skimmia japonica
Vinca major, V. minor
Deciduous
Artemisia
Buddleja crispa (W), B. fallowiana var. alba AGM, B. ‘Lochinch’ AGM
Ceratostigma willmottianum AGM
Elsholtzia stauntonii
Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ AGM
Phygelius aequalis, P. capensis, P. × rectus
Romneya coulteri AGM
Ruta graveolens ‘Jackman’s Blue’ (avoid direct skin contact)
Herbaceous plants
Acanthus mollis, A. spinosus
Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta
Cynara cardunculus AGM
Dianthus
Dierama dracomontanum, D. pendulum, D. pulcherrimum
Eriophyllum lanatum
Eryngium
Erysimum
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, E. epithymoides, E. myrsinites AGM, E. nicaeensis
Geranium renardii AGM, G. sanguineum
Helichrysum ‘Schwefellicht’ (syn. H. ‘Sulphur Light’)
Iris unguicularis
Kniphofia
Linaria triornithophora
Nepeta × faassenii AGM
Oenothera macrocarpa AGM
Onopordum acanthium (biennial but seeds freely)
Phlox subulata
Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’ AGM, P. × tonguei AGM
Rhodanthemum hosmariense AGM
Sedum cauticola AGM, S. spectabile AGM, S. spurium ‘Schorbuser Blut’ AGM
Sisyrinchium striatum ‘Aunt May’
Stachys byzantina
Thymus (evergreen)
Verbascum
Yucca filamentosa AGM, Y. flaccida ‘Ivory’ (evergreen)
Epilobium canum 'Western Hills' AGM
Bulbous plants
Allium christophii AGM
Amaryllis belladonna AGM
Chionodoxa
Crocosmia
Iris tuberosus
Nerine bowdenii AGM
Sternbergia lutea AGM
North facing (sunless/shady) drier borders
Shrubs
Evergreen
Aucuba
Berberis microphylla ‘Pygmaea’, B. × stenophylla ‘Corallina Compacta’ AGM
Cotoneaster conspicuus ‘Decorus’ AGM
Euonymus fortunei
Herbaceous
Ajuga reptans
Alchemilla mollis AGM
Aconitum carmichaelii, A. napellus
Anemone × hybrida, A. hupehensis
Asplenium scolopendrium AGM
Digitalis lutea
Dryopteris filix-mas AGM
Duchesnea indica
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae
Geranium endressii AGM, G. × riversleaianum ‘Russell Prichard’ AGM, G. sanguineum
Helleborus foetidus AGM
Iris foetidissima AGM
Lamium maculatum
Liriope muscari AGM
Luzula sylvatica ‘Marginata’
Polypodium vulgare
Polystichum setiferum AGM
Pulmonaria
Viola cornuta AGM
Waldsteinia ternata (evergreen)
Bulbs and tuberous plants
Chionodoxa
Convallaria majalis AGM
Erythronium dens-canis AGM
Galanthus
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Narcissus
Muscari
Scilla hyacinthoides
Trillium grandiflorum AGM, T. sessile
Moist shady borders
Shrubs
Evergreen
Danae racemosa AGM
Daphne laureola
Gaultheria mucronata, G. procumbens AGM (lime-free soil)
Hedera colchica
Pachysandra terminalis (sub-shrub)
Pieris japonica (lime-free soil)
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ AGM
Ruscus aculeatus
Skimmia
Viburnum davidii AGM
Vinca major ‘Variegata’ AGM, V. minor
Deciduous
Cornus canadensis
Fargesia murieliae AGM
Hydrangea involucrata
Salix hastata ‘Wehrhahnii’ AGM, S. lanata AGM
Herbaceous perennials
Ajuga
Alchemilla mollis AGM
Astilbe
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum AGM
Darmera peltata AGM
Dicentra formosa
Digitalis grandiflora AGM
Epimedium
Filipendula ulmaria, F. ulmaria ‘Aurea’
Gentiana asclepiadea AGM
Helleborus
Hosta
Kirengeshoma palmata
Lamium
Lamprocapnos spectabilis AGM
Ligularia przewalskii
Liriope muscari AGM
Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ AGM
Monarda
Onoclea sensibilis AGM
Persicaria
Primula bulleyana AGM, P. japonica, P. pulverulenta AGM
Pulmonaria
Rodgersia aesculifolia AGM, R. pinnata
Tellima grandiflora
Thalictrum
Tiarella wherryi AGM
Trollius
Viola
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.