Many gardens will have a planting spot at the base of a house wall, garage wall or fence. Often this is a long, narrow strip which may need more than just climbers to give it interest.

Since growing conditions – sun or shade, wet or dry – vary depending on the

In gardening, ‘aspect’ refers to the direction in which a garden or plant is facing. This can affect the amount of sunlight and shade that plants receive, as well as the temperature and wind exposure. South- and west-facing aspects are usually warm and sunny, while east- and north-facing aspects are colder and shadier.

Borders at the base of walls can offer a number of challenges;

• They may be drier than a more open bed due to the wall or fence casting a ‘rain shadow’
• They often have shallow soil, rubble or restricted access due to cement footings, drains and path edges
• They are usually narrow, limiting the use of broad or spreading plants, especially where they border a path required for access

To a limited extent, the border may be improved prior to planting by digging out loose rubble and replacing with topsoil. When adding soil next to a house wall, remember to keep it lower than the damp-proof course.

Most wall-side borders benefit from having organic matter dug in and can be mulched after planting with either more of the same (e.g. garden compost, leafmould or composted bark) or a more durable mulch of bark or gravel.

A selection of smaller growing shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs for narrow borders next to walls and fences.

Also visit our other pages on climbers and wall shrubs for sun and climbers and wall shrubs for shade.

Suitable for training against or up a wall

Sunny and dry borders

Shrubs

Evergreen
Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’ AGM, C. linearis AGM, C. salignus AGM (W)
Cistus × cyprius AGM, C. × pulverulentus ‘Sunset’ AGM, C. × purpureus AGM (W)
Euonymus fortunei
× Halimiocistus sahucii AGM
Hebe
Lavandula
Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius
Phlomis fruticosa AGM, P. russeliana AGM
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’ AGM, P. tenuifolium ‘Warnham Gold’ AGM
Rosmarinus officinalis
Mahonia aquifolium
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ AGM
Ruscus aculeatus – Native to GB 
Skimmia japonica
Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ AGM – cultivar of native to GB
Vinca major, V. minor - Archaeophyte to GB and Ireland 

Deciduous
Artemisia
Buddleja crispa (W), B. fallowiana var. alba AGM, B. ‘Lochinch’ AGM
Ceratostigma willmottianum AGM
Daphne mezereum – native to GB 
Elsholtzia stauntonii
Phygelius aequalis, P. capensis, P. × rectus
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Abbotswood’ AGM – Cultivar of native to GB and Ireland
Romneya coulteri AGM
Ruta graveolens ‘Jackman’s Blue’ (avoid direct skin contact) 
Salvia ‘Blue Spire’ AGM

Herbaceous plants

Acanthus mollis, A. spinosus
Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta – Subspecies of a native to GB and Ireland
Cynara cardunculus AGM
Dianthus Including – Dianthus deltoides AGM – Native to GB
Dierama dracomontanum, D. pendulum, D. pulcherrimum
Eriophyllum lanatum
Eryngium
Erysimum
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, E. epithymoides, E. myrsinites AGM, E. nicaeensis
Geranium renardii AGM, G. sanguineum – Native to GB and Ireland
Helichrysum ‘Schwefellicht’ (syn.  H. ‘Sulphur Light’)
Hylotelephium cauticola AGM, H. spectabile AGM
Iris unguicularis
Kniphofia
Linaria triornithophora
Nepeta × faassenii AGM
Oenothera macrocarpa AGM
Onopordum acanthium (biennial but seeds freely) – Archaeophyte to GB and Ireland
Phlox subulata
Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’ AGM, P. × tonguei AGM
Rhodanthemum hosmariense AGM
Sedum spurium ‘Schorbuser Blut’ AGM
Sisyrinchium striatum ‘Aunt May’
Stachys byzantina
Thymus (evergreen)
Verbascum
Yucca filamentosa AGM, Y. flaccida ‘Ivory’ (evergreen)
Epilobium canum 'Western Hills' AGM

Bulbous plants

Allium christophii AGM
Amaryllis belladonna AGM
Chionodoxa
Crocosmia
Iris tuberosus
Nerine bowdenii AGM
Sternbergia lutea AGM

North facing (sunless/shady) drier borders

Shrubs

Evergreen
Aucuba
Berberis microphylla ‘Pygmaea’, B. × stenophylla ‘Corallina Compacta’ AGM
Cotoneaster conspicuus ‘Decorus’ AGM
Euonymus fortunei

Herbaceous

Ajuga reptans  – Native to GB and Ireland
Alchemilla mollis AGM
Aconitum carmichaelii, A. napellus
Anemone × hybrida, A. hupehensis
Asplenium scolopendrium AGM
Convallaria majalis AGM – Native to GB
Digitalis lutea
Dryopteris filix-mas AGM – Native to GB and Ireland
Duchesnea indica
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae – Variety of native to GB and Ireland
Geranium endressii AGM, G. × riversleaianum ‘Russell Prichard’ AGM, G. sanguineum – Native to GB and Ireland
Helleborus foetidus AGM – Native to GB
Iris foetidissima AGM – Native to GB
Lamium maculatum
Liriope muscari AGM
Luzula sylvatica ‘Marginata’ – Cultivar of native to GB and Ireland
Polypodium vulgare – Native to GB and Ireland
Polystichum setiferum AGM – Native to GB and Ireland
Pulmonaria
Viola cornuta AGM
Viola odorata – Native to GB and Ireland 
Waldsteinia ternata (evergreen)

Bulbs and tuberous plants

Chionodoxa
Erythronium dens-canis AGM
Galanthus
Hyacinthoides non-scripta – Native to GB and Ireland
Narcissus
Muscari
Scilla hyacinthoides
Trillium grandiflorum AGM, T. sessile

Moist shady borders

Shrubs

Evergreen
Danae racemosa AGM
Daphne laureola – Native to GB
Gaultheria mucronata, G. procumbens AGM (lime-free soil)
Hedera colchica
Pachysandra terminalis (sub-shrub)
Pieris japonica (lime-free soil)
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ AGM
Ruscus aculeatus – Native to GB
Skimmia
Viburnum davidii AGM
Vinca major ‘Variegata’ AGM, V. minor – Archaeophyte to GB and Ireland 

Deciduous
Cornus canadensis
Fargesia murieliae AGM
Hydrangea involucrata
Salix hastata ‘Wehrhahnii’ AGM, S. lanata AGM – Native to GB

Herbaceous perennials

Ajuga Including Ajuga reptans – Native to GB and Ireland 
Alchemilla mollis AGM
Anemone nemorosa – Native to GB and Ireland
Astilbe
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum AGM
Darmera peltata AGM
Dicentra formosa
Digitalis grandiflora AGM
Epimedium
Filipendula ulmaria – Native to GB and Ireland, F. ulmaria ‘Aurea’ – Cultivar of native to GB and Ireland
Gentiana asclepiadea AGM
Helleborus
Hosta
Kirengeshoma palmata
Lamium
Lamprocapnos spectabilis AGM
Ligularia przewalskii
Liriope muscari AGM
Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ AGM – Cultivar of native to GB and Ireland
Monarda
Onoclea sensibilis AGM
Persicaria
Primula bulleyana AGM, P. japonica, P. pulverulenta AGM
Primula veris AGM – Native to GB and Ireland
Primula vulgaris AGM  – Native to GB and Ireland 
Pulmonaria
Rodgersia aesculifolia AGM, R. pinnata
Tellima grandiflora
Thalictrum
Tiarella wherryi AGM
Trollius
Viola

Bulbous plants

Anemone nemorosa – Native to GB and Ireland