Flowers for a Front Wing Wall

Conditions

• The growing conditions near wing walls provide the gardener with a challenge. The site is usually at least partially shaded, although west- or south-facing walls may receive some bright sunlight. The soil close to the wall can be dry if the rain does not reach it, yet may be wet if the ground slopes down toward the wall. Light-colored walls reflect the sun and especially the heat, producing a warm microclimate. The darkest, driest spot is where the wing wall meets the abutting wall, and conditions change moving toward the other end of the wing wall. Flowers for this site need to enjoy a sheltered, partially shaded site with a warm and fairly dry soil.

Annuals

• Most annuals grow successfully in some shade, but select those that prefer part shade for the best flower display. With their warm colors and broad flowers, impatiens grow best in a site with a sheltered southern exposure. Planting them in containers and regularly watering them ensures that their soil does not dry out. The cheerful flowers and colors of pansies bring brightness to any sheltered site, and they are suited to the wing wall location as they prefer the soil to dry out slightly between watering. Sweet alyssum provides a dense groundcover with small fragrant flowers of a bright white color, which contrasts with the shadow of the wing wall.

Perennials

• Perennials that prefer dry, shaded soil and those that thrive in warm, shaded sites are suitable for planting next to a wing wall. Hardy geraniums grow to 30 inches tall and spread to 18 inches, thus hiding part of the wall. Many geraniums flower from late spring on and, with deadheading, last through the growing season. Lamium provides a tough groundcover with mounds of silver-marbled leaves. Its yellow flowers bloom in the summer. Begonias, with a height and width of up to 18 inches, have fleshy red stems that contrast with its sharp-pointed leaves. Its drooping clusters of flowers come in warm shades of yellow, orange and red. For a tall flower, try the ginger lily. Growing up to 8 feet tall, this plant produces spikes of orange flowers with red stamens in the late summer and early fall.

Foliage

• Although foliage plants sometimes have flowers, they are secondary to the unusual colors of their leaves. Crocosmia produces apricot-yellow flowers in the late summer that contrast with the smoky bronze-green of its leaves. The small flowers of hostas, usually pale lavender, grow on long spikes. However, removing these flowers will enhance the many shades of green of its leaves, from lime through emerald to a dark blue-green. For contrast, the youngest leaves of Mexican orange blossom are bright yellow during summer, turning to a soft yellow-orange in fall.