We are finishing the renovations of our house here in Spain and its time to think of the garden. My wife and I are architects and we came across a french botanist, Patrick Blanc,who specializes in vertical gardens. We thought one of his gardens on the north facad of our house would be outstanding as it is really large and pretty plain vanilla. Then we got a quote from him and decided to rethink our plans.

So, we want to do something on this north facad. Any suggestions for plants that love to climb and love shade? I know ivy is one choice but are there others?

And for climbers, should I consider putting up a grid for them to climb?

Thanks for any feedback