| Hello all, new member to the forum! Looking forward to getting a lot of good information from this site as a new home/garden/lawn owner. We recently moved to San Antonio and have a wall in our backyard separating us and a street. It is yellow and I would like to cover it with some green  So my questions are:Will vines grow on wall or do I have to put up a trellis? I think I would rather stay away from ivy because I don't want it encroaching into the grass/yard/sod? We want something that is aesthetically pleasing as well, and for me, jasmine just doesn’t look great. We also have young children. But if that is the best for my situation, jasmine would be fine. Also aiming for an evergreen perennial. We have a sprinkler system that waters regularly. I have attached some images of the hideous wall we are trying to cover (it is mostly in the sun). It is 6 feet high and about 50 feet long. Below are the plants I've targeted through research. I guess my final question is, do you have a recommendation or two for our situation given the Texas climate, etc., or a few I should definitely delete from the list? Carolina jasmine Star jasmine or confederate jasmine Moonflower Dutchman’s Pipevine Bougainvillea Passion vine Butterfly vine Queen's crown or coral vine Coral honeysuckle Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you. Best, Scott   |
| You will have to build a trellis for the plants you have listed. There are very few vines that will attach themselves to walls. I can think of Ivy, Boston Ivy and Creeping Fig. There are probably others. If you build a trellis, make it good and strong. Your vines, no matter which you choose, will weigh hundreds of pounds by the time they are full grown. Trying to replace a trellis with a full grown plant on it is not an easy task. Most of the plants on your list will twine themselves onto a trellis without your help. Bougainvillea will need to be tied and trained. All will need a lot of pruning to keep them on the trellis and not all over your yard. Have you thought about hiding the wall with a row evergreen shrubs? |
| Thanks for the reply Daisy! Helpful information. I have not thought about the shrubs, but I guess I assumed that they wouldn't be tall enough to cover the entire wall. I really want the entirety of the wall covered so none of it can be seen. |
| You will have to choose the right shrubs: tall vs short, wide vs narrow, flowering? Will Arborvitae live in your area? Or Junipers? Both grow fast and come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. |
| The Thuja Green Giants are very nice looking now that you've suggested the shrub/tree options. My concern with the bigger shrubs/trees is the size of my backyard. From the patio to the wall is about 20 feet. I don't want to lose any of my yard as it isn't terribly big to begin with. I am in the 8b and 9a Grow Zone. |
| There are other options available to you. How about clumping bamboo? |
| I never considered that. And really like the way this looks: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/df/9... Because it would also provide some sound coverage as the street behind is somewhat busy. Will it grow well in my area? And does it stay green all year? And how about the maintenance between bambo and one of the vines I listed? |
| Yes, and yes. Bamboo is pretty maintenance free. If you choose one that runs, you will have to keep it contained by cutting the runners back or building an underground barricade. Clumping bamboo is much more polite. There are hundred of choices depending upon the look you want. One of my personal faves is Black Bamboo (and its a clumper). |
| Thanks again! The bamboo looks cool, but my wife seems to be set on something that is on the wall so as to not lose ANY of the yard. |
| We have a type of Ficus climbing on a wall. It does not require support, is evergreen and grows quite dense. |
| Creeping Fig. I suggested that in my first post. |
| Yes, I am confirming my experience with its usefulness in this application. |
| Thank you Porkpal. I've always thought it was really cool but have never lived anyplace it would survive. My only caution would be that if you live in an HOA, they may not be happy with plants that dig their toes into stucco walls. |
| Will the Creeping Fig grow in my warm/hot/humid grow zone? We do live in an HOA, but as far as I'm concerned, the wall is mine now lol. Will it dig into the stucco and destroy the integrity of the wall or just the paint? |
| I see you're in Richmond, Porkpal, which is about five hours north of San Antonio. I know it gets warm there as well. How is the maintenance on the fig? Does it dig into your lawn and detract from the grass growth. We have St. Augustine. Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make the right choice and I'm very new at all of this. Thanks so much for both of your time and assistance. |
| Our Creeping Fig is growing in Fort Bend County southwest of Houston, so, yes it will thrive but not ruin the wall. |
| Great. And how about affecting the grass? I was told (not from an extremely unreliable source) that ivy can grow under the sod and take away nutrients. (sorry, meant to say unreliable) |
| Our grass seems unaffected. The vine can run along the ground with your grass so you may want to watch it and cut back any undesirable attempts. |
| Thanks for all the help porkpal and daisyl. I think I'm going with the Creeping Fig just for simplicity sake. |
