Table of contents
- locate damage
- Identify paint
- Choose suitable plants
- Anchors and petiole anchors
- Expanding clims as facade greening
- Suitable creepers
- Use climbing aids
- Problematic facades?
- Observe regular pruning measures
Before you green your house wall, you must plan the project well to prevent possible damage to the masonry. Certain points must be observed for the success of greening.
locate damage
One of the most important points when planning a facade greening is the localization of existing damage to the house walls.
Climbing plants in themselves do not pose a problem for the walls if they are not damaged. For this reason, facade greening is much easier to implement for a new building than for existing buildings. An old building in particular often has to be checked thoroughly before the facade greening is implemented. Since the plants do not settle in the facade but cling to it, there is no problem with house walls without damage. For this reason, pay attention to the following deficiencies, which must be repaired before implementing the project:
- heavy weathering
- cracks
- leaking joints
- crumbling plaster
- permanently damp spots
A notice:
You have to be particularly careful with facades that have not been properly renovated. In such a case, the plants quickly find a crack that can lead to further damage.
Identify paint
A dense plaster is not a problem for any of the suitable climbing plants. However, there can be a problem if you use a paint that is unsuitable for greenery on plastered walls. Plastic-based coatings such as plastic dispersions should be mentioned here in particular. Compared to other products such as lime paint, the use of plastic dispersions can lead to the formation of bubbles between the plaster and the paint. These store moisture, which is the perfect entry point for clinging roots. For this reason, you should either refrain from greening or use a climbing aid, as this is not directly attached to the house wall.
Choose suitable plants
In order to prevent possible damage without much effort, you can alternatively use suitable plants. Certainly classic self-climbers like ivy belong (Hedera helix), the Evergreen Creeping Spindle (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans) or climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) one of the most popular types for facade greening, but due to their adhesive roots they pose a danger to facades that have already been damaged. If the damage cannot be repaired, you should bet on other ways.
Anchors and petiole anchors
Petiole tendrils, which in Central Europe are mainly used as clematis, are completely harmless (clematis) are to be found. Individual shoots wind up around rods or ropes of the trellis and thus hold the plant in place. They do not seek a hold on the house wall, which means that no damage occurs. Rankers grow similarly. They have groping tendrils that choose a good spot on the trellis to get as high as possible. They are also not known for facade damage.
These include the following types:
- Fragrant vetchling (Lathyrus odoratus)
- Real Grapevine (Vitis vinifera)
- Common virgin vine (Parthenocissus vitacea)
- bell vine (Cobaea scandens)
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
- Wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris)
Expanding clims as facade greening
Spreader climbers are next in line. They simply get caught in the climbing aid with their shoots and thus also do not cause any damage. Due to their growth, they can be easily cut into desired shapes. The best-known examples are:
- blackberries (Rubus sect. rubus)
- firethorns (pyracantha)
- Climbing roses (Rosa species)
- winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)
Suitable creepers
Creepers do not really damage the facade, but the climbing aids themselves or components such as rods and pipes on the facade do. Above all, strong snakes can become a problem, as damage to the house wall can also occur. These include numerous plants that enjoy great popularity as greenery:
- akebie (Akebia quinata)
- tree shrike (Celastrus orbiculatus): Stronggorger
- Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis): Stronggorger
- honeysuckles (Lonicera)
- hop (Humulus lupulus)
- kiwi (Actinidia)
- pipe winch (Aristolochia macrophylla)
- creeper (Fallopia baldschuanica): Stronggorger
Use climbing aids
Depending on the choice of plants and the type of facade, you may have to use a climbing aid. The big advantage of them is the high level of protection against possible damage, since the plants do not grow directly up the house wall. The only "damage" caused by using a climbing aid is the fastenings on the facade. Climbing plants can get quite heavy and without a good attachment they will topple over, causing a lot of damage after greening. If you choose a self-climber, you do not need a climbing aid unless the ground is not suitable for the plants.
For the other types you should use one of the following climbing aids:
- petiole anchors: Climbing ropes (running horizontally and vertically)
- Ranker: thin trellis (horizontal, vertical, diagonal)
- creepers: trellis, pergola (attached to house wall)
- spreader: Trellis, cable systems (running horizontally)
A notice:
If you want to attach creepers like Wisteria to the wall using a trellis, you need to protect the downspouts. Otherwise, the shoots will wrap themselves around the pipes and literally "choke" them off, causing severe damage to them.
Problematic facades?
Climbing aids are required not only if you do not plant root climbers, but if the building does not offer a classic surface to hold on to. There is a large number of certain types of facades that, due to their nature, do not even stand out from ivy or trumpet flowers (Campsis) have to fear. If you still want to plant a self-climber, the following facade types are suitable if you provide a suitable climbing aid, as for the other plants:
- rear-ventilated curtain wall (VHF)
- Attachment facade (thermally insulated)
- covered with wood
- covered with trapezoidal sheet metal walls
- large windows (not a complete window front)
Observe regular pruning measures
So that the climbing plants do not become a nuisance, you should not miss the pruning measures. Above all, this means topiary cuts that keep the climbing plants in check. Regular pruning measures are particularly necessary for the following cases:
- Plants grow too tall
- grow under gutters or roof tiles
- block windows and doors
Without pruning measures, the chances of further damage caused by plants that are too tall increase. For this reason, check at regular intervals whether a cut is necessary.
Planting slow-growing species can help. This significantly reduces the cutting effort. These include:
- Evergreen creeper
- climbing hydrangea
- sweet peas (Vicia)
A notice:
Do not forget the general care required for the climbing plants. It is particularly important to check the climbing aids and whether dead shoots or leaves need to be removed.
garden editorial I write about everything that interests me in my garden.
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