Give your perimeter wall a natural look with creepers

(Credit: Umar Nsubuga)

HOMES | GARDENING

There is such a wide range of plants that can be a little daunting when it comes to selecting for your garden.  For example if we talk about a good creeper, it would be the Thumbegia because it has wide, green leaves and is bushy.

It would provide shade as well as beautify your pergolas. If you mixed it with creeper roses that grow tall, they would give your foliage some colour.

Steven Sempala, a florist, says before perimeter walls, people used barbed wire to fence off their land. Today, perimeter walls are the most popular way of ensuring residential privacy.

"The first perimeter walls were made of cement which was smoothened to make them more appealing", he says.

Lately, builders and exterior designers are using decorative tiles and stones to beautify them.

According to Sempala, the designing industry is all about innovations and that is why for any design pattern to come up, designers borrow a leaf from the existing pattern.

Most designers have started incorporating creeping plants alongside tiles for a new look.

Isam Kambugu, a professional gardener, says creeping plants offer a natural appeal to the home and also psychologically have a positive impact regarding the interior of the home and above all, the home appears inviting.

"A part from incorporating tiles with creepers on perimeter walls, some designers use creepers that cover the wall," he says.

The dangers

According to Kambugu, many people plant these creepers either directly in the soil or in pots. "Not all creeping plants qualify to be used on perimeter walls because some creepers are dangerous to the wall."

He says people who have the love of creepers have to know that creepers with big roots can crack walls and cause them to collapse. "Creepers that flow during growth without the stems and roots interfering their creeping are the best for perimeter walls."

Creepers should continually be trimmed and aligned with the structure of the perimeter wall. "If these creepers are not properly aligned to the wall, it appears disorganised because the wall may look like an abandoned garden", advises Kambugu.

Creepers should be planted close to the walls to ensure that they creep on the walls and not the ground.

For proper growth, they should be watered regularly.

Kambugu says that when you are planting a creeper, your hole must be atleast 50cm deep and wide.

Creepers prefer permeable and clay garden soil which is slightly humid. That is why you should put some clay and water in the hole if necessary. After that you can plant it in the soil, filling in the hole and pressing it.

Once done, water the plant and you can watch how it climbs up your walls over the coming months.

How to choose compound plants

If you have a small garden, choose plants that can fit in your garden, because you have to consider the roots of the plants. Some plants have big roots that can damage the house or fence.

Fence size

Gerald Byamukama, a compound designer, says if you do not want your fence to be seen at all, you should choose plants that cover the fence, like Golden Showers creepers called Ficus and Bougainvillea.

With short fences, he says choose plants like Dulanta. There are also short creepers. You can also plant those that you can control, like Hibiscus.

So, consultation is important if you want to have a garden that looks good and one that your family members can be comfortable with.

According to Byamukama a home owner has to decide on whether to have a live fence; metallic fence stone or brick fence, or have no fence at all. Now if you opt for a live fence there's always the question of what type of plants to use, how high it should be, and how to maintain it.

Wall colours

Byamukama says the colour of the walls matter, although some people don't consider it. But it is prudent to consider the colours of the walls of the house and fence, for you to select the best coloured plants and flowers for your garden.

Family members

According to Byamukama, there are plants that are poisonous, like Difenbacheas.

For these, when eaten, you can die. Some like cacti have thorns and can prick children. They are good, but since they are thorny, plant them outside the gate, where children cannot get to them.