In article HorYc.203973$8_6.101424@attbi_s04, "Tess" wrote:
Hello--I'm in Zone 8 and I'm looking for ideas on what to plant atop my tall
retaining wall that will give it a little color and some "softness",
cascading downward. While we get a lot of rain, the summers are droughty,
so it should not be too delicate. Any suggestions?
It can be a little hard to track down, but if you can find the New Zealand
Appleberry Vine, they are delightful evergreen vines with teency leaves,
yellow tube-flowers late in spring, & largish purple, white, or violet
berries the texture of eggplants. They will cascade down a wall to four or
five feet, or climb up a wall three or four feet, but won't cover a wide
segment of wall, as they're relatively small vines. Article he
http://www.paghat.com/appleberry.html
A more full-coverage dangling vine would be Vinca major "Maculata," not
quite as aggressive as regular wild Vinca major, variegated gold & green
leaves half the size of the regular form, evergreen, rapid growth & will
dangle many feet down a ledge & spread as wide as you permit them, large
dark blue-purple flowers. Article he
http://www.paghat.com/vincamaculata.html
Some ornamental strawberries can also be trained to dangle down a ledge.
Their fruit is quite edible & pleasant but not large producers, but the
trade-off is bright red flowers that persist spring to early winter. I
have two hybrid varieties, "Pink Panda" is a bit more clumping, but
"Lipstick" has long dangling stems. Evergreen to semi evergreen.
http://www.paghat.com/strawberrylipstick.html
Another big-coverage vine is Golden Hops, though it is deciduous so
nothing for winter looks, its golden leaves are really something. I have
it planted two places, one where it is a climber going straight up a wall,
the other on a top of a stone ledge that it has dangled down & hidden the
wall. Article:
http://www.paghat.com/hop.html
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl:
http://www.paghat.com