On 14/11/05 13:15, in article , "H
Ryder" wrote:

We have a north facing wall. It already has a pyrocanthus growing (well) up
next to it but i want to plant something else which will balance it on the
other side (i.e. it needs to be tallish). We are nervous about planting into
the soil as we are on heavy clay and worried about subsidence if we plant
the wrong thing. any suggestions as to what i could either safely put in the
soil or grow in a large pot? I'd like a "good all-rounder" if possible but
failing that would like something to brighten up the area in winter as I'm
going to put in some feverfew and crysanthums anyway (which grow like weeds
here so I'm assuming are tough enough to survive the location and children).
Thanks,

If you're thinking of a climber, Holboellia coriacea is great. It's
evergreen, it grows fairly quickly and the non-showy flowers are highly
scented in late April/May. It will need a trellis or some wires to grow up.
A climbing hydrangea is good and there's one called H. seemannii which is
evergreen. Clematis rehederiana is evergreen here and has the bonus of
flowering late in the year. It's rampant and can be hacked back after
flowering. Lonicera nitida Baggesen's Gold is a marvellous colour and can
be clipped to any shape you want, once it's established. Pittosporum would
be good or Coprosma Fireburst, which is a fantastic colour. And if you can
find it, Rhamnus (variegated type) is a lovely shrub but might get too big.
If you're thinking of planting in a pot, had you thought of using stone or
brick to make a raised bed which would act as a container and then planting
into that? If it was high enough and had drainage at the bottom, it would
solve your root worry, or you could grow trailing evergreens in it.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)