tall wall in front of home

Front of my house has a very tall wall to the roof peak, window on each side. What can I do in front of that wall to make it more appealing? Right now I am creating a garden. Also have looked for trellis but none are wide enough (space 54 wide) so I would have to make one. Would that be my only choice. Wall just looks so huge. Thanks for any ideas. Dar

ANSWER

Hi Dar,
You have a few options.

I really like the trellis idea. If you can't find one that is wide enough, how about using two of the same next to each other? Over time, it will most likely be covered up by plants anyway.

I don't know where you live, your planting zone, or your sun conditions, but you might consider Climbing Roses, Clematis, Honeysuckle or 'Heckrotti'.

How about a large wall fountain? I was at a great garden center this weekend. They had beautiful wall fountains that really made a statement. Since it is the front of your house, I would keep it simple and elegant...not too ornate. You cold plant perennials beneath and in front of it.

Another idea would be to select a vine that would grow on your house by itself without a trellis. Some people are ok with this and others are not. If you are, Climbing Hydrangea is a great choice if the area gets a fair amount of shade. You could also use Boston Ivy.

You can also use plantings but some tall ones. A group of tall perennials might look nice. I am not sure how much depth you have. "White Swan' Coneflower get pretty tall...a mass of these might look nice with some lower plants in front of them.

I would not put one tall shrub. In my opinion, that's tacky! However, you could plant some very tall shrubs in a planting bed on the other side of your walkway. (I am assuming this would work although I haven't seen any photos). Plants such as Lilacs, Crapemyrtle, or even one of the smaller Star Magnolias...one or preferably a group of three...would detract from the wall.

These could be incorporated into a planting bed (on the street side of the walkway) or you could even plant three of them in the own beds in a triangular placement (but not even).

Also take at some additional Front Yard Ideas