In article ,
"Clive in Kent" writes:
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| Down here in deepest Kent I'm looking to cover an ugly north facing concrete
| garage wall. It does get some sun late afternoon / early evening but is in
| shade most of the day. Ideally I'm looking for something that is fairly
| drought tolerant, self-clinging with some spring and / or summer flowering
| and a fairly vigourous climber. Am I asking the impossible or do I have to
| compromise? Any suggestions will be gratefully received & acknowledged.

You are asking the impossible, unless someone can think of something
I can't.

Can you drill small holes, insert some wall eyes and connect them by
wire? If so, you can drop the self-clinging, and the impossible
becomes possible, with quite a lot of options. There aren't many
self-clinging climbers - the most common have negligible flowers,
Campsis isn't suitable for that, and I don't think that Hydrangea
petiolaris and allies are drought tolerant.

Alternatively, drop the flowering and grow an ivy or "Virginia
creeper". No problem there, except hacking them back at the top!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.