Why a north-facing wall is not the problem you think

A north-facing wall is often written off as the awkward corner of the garden — the spot where nothing flowers, the soil never dries out and the fence turns green by February. In truth it is one of the most generous growing spaces you have. You get soft, consistent light rather than baking sun, which is exactly what a whole tribe of woodland and mountain climbers want. Put those plants on a south wall and they scorch, sulk and drop their leaves by August.

The trade-offs are real, though. Soil against a north wall stays cool and damp, frost lingers longer in winter, and flowers tend to be later and more muted. There is also a rain shadow: the wall itself keeps the ground beneath it surprisingly dry in summer, even while the wall surface stays damp. Work with those conditions rather than against them and you can clothe an entire boundary in green.

Evergreen climbers that shrug off the shade

Start with the backbone. Evergreens give you screening, nesting cover and something to look at in January, and most of the best ones are self-clinging.

• Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris — the climbing hydrangea. Aerial roots grip the wall, lacecap white flowers appear in midsummer, and the leaves turn buttery yellow in autumn. The old saying holds: first year it sleeps, second it creeps, third it leaps.
• Pileostegia viburnoides — an evergreen relative with leathery leaves and frothy cream flower panicles from late summer into autumn. Slow to settle but thoroughly reliable once it does.
• Schizophragma hydrangeoides — similar habit, flatter and larger flower heads. The cultivar 'Moonlight' has silvered foliage that lifts a gloomy corner.
• Hedera helix — ivy, and don't be sniffy about it. 'Hibernica' makes dense, neat cover; 'Goldheart' brings a splash of cream and gold. Trim in early spring before nesting birds move in.
• Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus' — a modest self-clinging evergreen that flushes deep purple through winter.

Flowering climbers for cool, shaded walls

You will not get a wall of blowsy colour, but you will get flowers — just subtler ones, arriving a little later than elsewhere in the garden.

• Clematis alpina and C. macropetala — nodding bells in April and May in blue, pink or white. They are Group 1 clematis, so prune only lightly after flowering. Both adore cool roots.
• Clematis 'Nelly Moser' — the paler, striped large-flowered types cope with shade far better than the deep velvety reds and purples, which fade to mud.
• Lonicera japonica — Japanese honeysuckle. Semi-evergreen, intensely fragrant in the evening, and vigorous enough to cover a garage. Be ruthless with the secateurs or it will annex the shed.
• Akebia quinata — chocolate-scented purple-brown flowers in spring on a semi-evergreen frame. Needs tying in rather than clinging.
• Pyracantha — berries and flowers are reduced in shade, but it clips beautifully, provides superb nesting cover and works hard as a security hedge.

Scent, autumn colour and winter interest

A shady wall does not have to be a dull one if you plan for the seasons rather than for high summer alone.

• Holboellia coriacea — evergreen, with scented white and purple spring flowers. Plant two clones for the extraordinary sausage-shaped fruits.
• Hydrangea seemanii — an evergreen climbing hydrangea for a sheltered north or west wall, with creamy-green lacecaps. Slower and fussier than petiolaris, but handsome.
• Parthenocissus tricuspidata — Boston ivy. Self-clinging, utterly shade-tolerant and unbeatable for fiery crimson autumn colour.
• Garrya elliptica 'James Roof' — evergreen with long grey-green catkins dangling through midwinter. It flowers best with a little sun, but a bright north wall still gives a decent display.
• Cotoneaster horizontalis — herringbone stems, tiny glossy leaves, red autumn berries that blackbirds strip by December. Excellent at the foot of a north wall.

How to plant and train for success

Preparation matters more here than on any other aspect. Damp, airless soil kills more climbers than cold ever does.

• Dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter and a handful of grit. Drainage is everything against a north wall.
• Plant 30–45cm out from the wall, angled slightly towards it, so the roots sit in ground that actually receives rain.
• Fix a wire grid or trellis at least 5cm off the wall to let air move behind the foliage and reduce rot.
• Water thoroughly for the first two growing seasons, even in a wet year — the rain shadow under an eaves overhang is deceptive.
• Mulch in spring with compost or bark, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Tie shoots in horizontally where you can; it encourages lateral growth and covers the wall far faster than letting everything run straight up.
• Avoid the frost pocket right at the base of the wall by choosing later-flowering varieties if your garden is cold.

What to leave off the shopping list

Some plants will simply disappoint you, and it is kinder to say so. Wisteria needs sun and heat to ripen its wood and will give you leaves and nothing else. Jasminum officinale and Trachelospermum jasminoides will survive but flower sparingly, so treat them as foliage plants at best. Ceanothus and most climbing roses sulk in shade, and sun-loving clematis such as the large-flowered reds will flower poorly and look leggy.

Spend that money instead on two or three strong evergreens and a clematis or honeysuckle threaded through them. A north wall planted well is quietly lovely — cool, green, scented in the evening and never needing a hose. It simply asks you to choose plants that come from the shade in the first place.