Plants for Walls 

The first thing to decide, when choosing a plant for a wall, is do I like it? - Is it a plant that will please me with its fragrance, its colour, or its overall appearance? If the answer is "no" then I suggest that you find another plant. Secondly, consider the wall space. Is it a warm, south or west-facing wall? Or a much colder, north or east-facing wall? There are suitable plants for each location.

East-facing

Plants on east-facing walls benefit from morning sunshine. Chaenomeles speciosa 'Geisha Girl' is a shrub that grows to about 1.5 metres (5ft) with pale orangey-pink flowers. Garrya elliptica 'James Roof' appeals to the garden connoisseur. This choice evergreen shrub will grow against a wall in half-day shade. It will also thrive in coastal regions. Long grey-green catkins hang from the branches in the winter and early spring months.

For the coldest shadiest walls, evergreen ivy makes a better background than many people realise. A plain green curtain of leaves is surprisingly pleasing in a garden that is otherwise busy with flowers and leaves of numerous kinds and colours. But if you prefer variegated ivy, some of the small leaf varieties sold as pot-plants can be persuaded to grow outside. They root fairly easily from cuttings.

Three reliables that I grow in a cold north-east facing site are Jasminum nudiflorum for yellow winter flowers and evergreen winter stems; Kerria japonica for bright green winter stems and yellow pompon flowers in spring; and honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica 'Halliana', for scented white flowers in summer that turn yellow.

Climbers

Besides shrubs, consider a climbing plant such as a hybrid clematis for a wall. Large single open flowers compensate for the lack of scent. Plants are hardy, but keep watch for the first signs of powdery mildew and consider spraying regularly with a fungicide or sulphur preparation. Try 'Niobe' - a really deep red, mid season variety, that can also be pruned hard and grown as a late summer flowering type.

An unusual early flowering clematis is Clematis cirrhosa 'Freckles'. Maybe I shall find a spot for this variety. Bell-shaped winter flowers are more intriguing than beautiful.

Spring and autumn-flowering clematis species and varieties that I grew from seed last year are now small plants - C. tangutica 'Helios' (Mr Fothergill's) produced a few yellow flowers in its first autumn. If you prefer to begin with purchased young plants, the following colours are widely available: C. montana Elizabeth (deep pink) C. montana rubens (Mid pink) C. m. grandiflora (white, larger than the type); C.macropetala (deep blue), C.m. Markhams Pink (lavender pink) C. viticella Kermesina (crimson red).

South-facing

A small Acacia dealbata mimosa tree blooms every March or April here. The fluffy, yellow ball flowers have a characteristic scent, but even the evergreen pinnate leaves are attractive all year. They are not difficult to raise from cuttings. Although they will grow on a south or west-facing wall in parts of Britain shelter is necessary in some areas.

Figs and grapes

A 'Brown Turkey'fig and four grapevines, including Vitis 'Brandt', also grow well against a sunny wall here - one of the vines is in a large terra cotta container. All produce edible fruit every year.

Apples and pears

Apple and pear varieties can be trained espalier fashion with horizontal branches outstretched, flat against the wall. Ken Muir has a good selection of varieties. Notcutts and Marshalls are among other excellent nurseries that stock them.

Apricots

Unwins include new apricot variety Doucoeur in their catalogue for 2002, which is available in the GoneGardening.com shop. They recommend this variety that produces ripe fruit in mid-August for a sheltered corner of a sunny wall. Late flowering helps to protect against frost damage. Apricots can be trained and pruned in a fan shape on a south or west-facing wall. Delivery is scheduled for February.

Gooseberries

Gooseberry Invicta is illustrated against a wall in the Unwins catalogue and available from the GoneGardening.com shop. One standard bush of this variety plus one blackcurrant Titania and one redcurrant Jonkheer van Tets is offered in Unwins' Standard Fruit Bush Collection.

A tall English holly covered in glossy red berries, towers over the roof of a garage in this garden. Evergreen myrtle (Myrtus communis) is growing against the wall. Black-purple berries - an interesting winter feature - follow its scented summer flowers.