Flickr Finds: Suggestions for Lacy's Garden Wall

Lacy's new condo is on garden level and she has named this outside space her "garden's garden". There is space between one of her windows and a retaining wall, which she has started filling with potted greenery. She tagged these photos with "apartmenttherapychicago" and is looking for suggestions on how to beautify the retaining wall behind the plants which is the backdrop to the plants when viewed from inside.

She says "I'd like to put some glass tile over it. maybe some tin ceiling tile. Something pretty, not requiring mortar, and under $50."

We like Lacy's ideas - a tiled backdrop would really make the area feel finished and intentional, but our first thought was to let more greenery provide the wall cover. We might try planting some climbing vines at the base of the wall, installing a simple trellis or wires and letting nature take over. We did a little research and came up with a few that should cover a small area in no time: Clematis, Ivy and Honeysuckle.

What are your suggestions for Lacy's garden wall?

Comments (9)

Or she could stencil it, like the floor that was in a Slink somewhere else recently on AT.

Really nice Lacy.

I like the different levels you've created with the plants. That's got to look great from inside. Can you put anything on top of the ledge and let it creep down? I really like the weathered look of that stone wall. If you were to cover it I would go with some kind of trellis.

Chicago Botanic Garden at www.chicagobotanic.org might be helpful if you want info on specific plants. They also have a plant information phone line (with a real person there to talk to) who can answer questions

a trellis painted a fun color like the blue or green of your pots, with mirror in behind to reflect the plants and create depth!!

Large mirror - or one covering whole wall area - would reflect greenery and give the impression of space.

I like the mirror idea. Ikea sells mirrored tile for a couple dollars a piece. It would be kind of cool to weather them a little bit. Or I bet you could find a big vintage mirror at a garage sale or flea market for pretty cheap.

Wow, these are all immensely helpful ideas. Thanks so much to everyone! I love the mirror idea - I even have two good-sized mirrors that haven't found a home in my new place yet!
I'm now researching perennial hanging vines that can survive with partial sunlight.
Thanks, AT buddies!

Assuming you are in Chicago proper - ivy will be probably your best choice for the place! In fact, ivy is so easy to propagate, you might not even have to buy it, but instead take a few cuttings from some ivy plant and put them in water on a moderately sunny spot. They should develop water roots in a few weeks and can then be planted into soil to root properly. There will be some die off, but hey, it's free. Clematis and Honeysuckle both flower and like bright hot sun, so they might compete with your existing plants for attention and will not do so well due to shade. Ivy is nondescript green, tough as nails and does great in shade.

You can also attempt to naturalize moss on the concrete, though if the retaining wall belongs to someone else, I am not sure if they will appreciate it. To "plant" moss on concrete one needs to blend (in a blender) moss together with buttermilk and paint the concoction onto the concrete. If the conditions are right and it is moist enough, the moss will take in a few weeks. It grows slowly though and will not be able to act as main "cover up", but it does give things a nice "aged" look.

Also, I would replant the many little pots that you have into spacious long planters, which will help conserve on watering needs and your plants will be far more vigorous looking that way. It's not a problem combining several plants into one large planter, if they have similar soil requirements.