In article ,
Janet wrote:

I have a bed in the rain shadow of the eaves, but where a plant can
run its roots sideways a couple of feet to where there is ample
water. Currently, I grow Clematis cirrhosa, Passiflora incarnata
and Cyclamen coum (which love it!) It faces north-east.

The C. cirrhosa doesn't flower much, and is becoming a nuisance,
so I would like to replace it by something with a maximum height
of 10-20'. There are wires for the first 10', so self-clinging
is not required. Either evergreen or flowers.

But the key is that it must be happy with NO direct rainfall!
And, of course, take moderate frosts (hard by West Country
standards, mild by Highlands ones).

In a similar situation in Glasgow I grew a garrya elliptica James
Roof, evergreen and lovely when dripping his long pale flowers.

Admittedly, in west Scotland, even a rain-shadowed eaves bed may be
somewhat damper than yours, but as far as nutrition goes it had only a 6
inch strip of very poor soil between the stone house wall and a concrete
path running any rain that fell on it, away from the bed. I found James
very amenable to shaping so he hugged the wall tight leaving the path
unobstructed.

That's a thought. From the point of view of a shrub like that,
the dryness is only while it is running its roots out to the
water. It is next to a permeable block paved parking area.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.