We are trying to soften a retaining wall (5' x 30') with plants. Any suggestions? The wall receives alot of sun, we are located in central PA. Thanks!

Lucky! Few things are finer than a heat-absorbing garden wall (unless you have to use the North side)

You have many choices.In your zone, the really fast growers will do well:

Honeysuckle
Clematis
Passiflora

All 3 will grow up and along, a mess of flowers will soften up the hard edges.

Old Fashioned Roses
If they like their spot, you will have an attractive "cover".

My suggestion is to buy 2 or 3 different colors/bloom times so as to stagger display times.

Climbing plants:

You may have to provide some support as they grow.
Sweet Peas can be sown directly.
Nasturtiums (climbing)

Remember that a sunny side wall causes dry soil, so if you can, amend the soil with compost.

Hope that this is what you were looking for.

John / Ecologicalsgardens

What about trailing rosemary or sedums? Some rosemary will bloom but most all the sedums will. They'd look lovely spilling over the wall and both take full sun and very little water.

I assumed it was a wall that you were planting on top of, not the other way around...sorry.

Atually, you can simply make a "bump" by hilling soil a few feet up, say a 2' high x 5' long x 2' wide hill, in the center or in 2 places, plant sedum and also herbs that like heat, why not? If the aim is to "soften" the wall's straight lines, having a bit of contour to the soil is an immediate visual solution. And then, your suggestions make perfect sense.



John / Ecologicals

I can't think of any clematis that could climb a retaining wall unless it was covered with a mesh screen of some kind for the clematis leaves to cling to, but if you'd attach some strong bird netting, it'd be lovely. Clematis is a very long-lived plant (50+ years) & if you chose a type that gets cut down to stubs annually, that would be a lovely solution, as you could remove the netting when you prune it down, & put it up again the next spring. The types of clematis that bloom on old wood need a climbing support that is as long-lasting as the plant is, so I'd stay away from those kinds for this area. My recommendations: Jackmanni, or Sweet Autumn, for rapid growth & prolific bloomage, & both get pruned down to stubs each early March. I'm in central PA too.

How about some vines which produce fruits or vegetables such as cucumbers or beans, maybe the yardlong ones. Fun and useful at the same time.

Actually, I was just looking at my own retaining wall, also about 5' high. I have hollyhocks growing against it, happy with the reflected warmth & protection from winds. Directly in front of the hollyhocks, I have rudbeckia & echinacea (black-eyed Susans & purple coneflowers) mixed with various daylilies & blue flag irises. Actually, I expanded the garden in front of my retaining wall until it was 15' deep because ALL of my beds seem to get longer & deeper constantly, but you get the idea. I'm thinking you may be happiest to create a nice little mixed perennnial flower border in front of your retaining wall, (maybe 4' deep) with some tall plants in the very back, gradually getting shorter coming towards the front.