Flowers for Terrance Wall

This is the wall I want to have flowers that cascade. Temps range from 10* to 95*. This will be mostly in full sun. I took this picture today, and it is raining so it may not be real clear.
I am interested in the following flowers but open to other suggestions. I would like for you to comment on the flowers I have listed as to whether they would work in this medium or not.
1. Lobelia compacta
2. Campanula carpatica
3. Aureria saxatillis (paticularly "Citron")
4. Iberis sempervirens
5. Aubrieta
6. Nepata xfassrenii I have neighboring cats and I am a big birder so don't want to draw cats to my yard even though I love the looks of this plant and feel it would with stand the hot temps.

You may also be interested in prostrate Rosemary. an evergreen, and Cerastium, snow in summer.

http://www.highdesertgardensinc.com/plantlist/groundcover.html

Rosemary might not be hardy in zone 6--I usually see it listed as zone 7, and that website mentions that the prostrate kind might even be a little less hardy than the regular one. If it'll grow there though it is gorgeous cascading over walls--I have it in a couple places in my yard draping over retaining walls and it looks really nice.

Yes, I believe rosemary is too "tender" for here. I really like the plant. I have to buy some every summer. Every fall I bring the pot in the house and every winter it dies.:(

Lavender will do well, it wont tumble over the walls, but planted close to the wall, it will fill out and IF it is placed where you brush past it as you walk, the perfume will waft all over the garden, also Clematis can be grown as ground cover and don't have to be tied onto obelisk or archways etc, some of the smaller types (say 6 ft tall)are wonderfully meandering through other plants, clinging to upright shrubs and hanging over walls etc, if you were to plant maybe 3 / 5 purple or blue coloured plants, then grow a deep pink or dark purple clematis through them, the different texture and shades are wonderful AND different from the norm. you can also grow veg in the size of beds you have, they will do well there and can look attractive, the flowers on peas and beans come in all shades and size, then you can eat them,make sure you can plant some spring bulbs for early colour too.
Good luck, WeeNel.

For constant bloom, you should try 'Rozanne' perennial geranium. It spreads out to at least three feet by midsummer and will cascade nicely, although it dies back to the crown every winter (unlike other perennial geraniums, it doesn't spread by stolons). Blooms from late spring to hard frost.

I would also recommend using a few spreading junipers for evergreen interest. Even the lowly 'Blue Rug' makes a gorgeous cascade of branches which would break up all that wall year-round.

Another nice wall shrub is Cotoneaster apiculata (Cranberry Cotoneaster) (see the photo) or the harder to find C. horizontalis (Rockspray Cotoneaster) 'Hessi'

Thanks for the suggestions.
Yes, I love Lavender. The one that does the best for this humid, hot and single digit cold area is "Lavender Lady". The nurseries and Garden Centers did not carry this plant the last two years. It would be nice to know if they are going to have certain plants so one could order early enough in the season to get them planted at the proper time. It would be cheaper to purchase them locally, however.
I believe I am going to plant the Lavender along the edge opposite of the steps. The terrace levels into the ground on that side. I am also thinking of cottoneaster over there, but the two would not do anything for each other.
I had Lavender on the edge of my walk way and it grew over the walk way too much, and I had to take it out. I have planned to put it back further away from the walk way but again, no one offered the Lavender Lady as of late. I planted the Lavender according to directions to stay away from the walkway too much but mine grew too far over the walkway.
I have thought of a meandering clematis, but didn't think it would "soften" the hard scape. But, I do like the idea of meandering clematis.
I thought of junipers but was afraid they would "take over" the area. The birds would certainly enjoy the berries.
Do you think the plants that I mentioned at the top of the thread would work for this hard scape? I would like a couple of them, but was concerned they would not make it through the heat of the summer against the hard scape?
Thanks.

I cant see much problem really with the plants you are talking about, as for the heat of summer, always add plenty mulch around the root are as it helps to retain moisture, also your lavender growing out of it's space, did you never prune it, after flowering, Lavenders need a haircut, this helps to prevent them going leggy and falling over, but to be honest, I like things that fall over the edges as it helps to soften the whole effect rather than looking at straight lines in brick or concrete, all in the eyes of the beholder as they say about beauty eh.
there are several different types of Catnip (Nepita), they all smell the same but all cats are not attracted to them, I have lots of Nepita Six Hills Giant, it grows to about 3 feet high and 4 ft wide, it is a great plant for Bea's and butterflies, loves the hot summer like Lavender and it gets cut back every spring as new shoots begin, at the end of the day, do the garden you will like, IF you make mistakes, you just move things about, that's mostly what all gardeners do, for myself, every 4 years I completely empty my herbaceous borders, split the plants up and replant, most gardeners don't grow beds like that, they think it is hard work, but you choose yourself how much time you can spend in the garden and that will give you hints as to what type of garden or beds you want, have a great time and enjoy. WeeNel.

No, I did not prune my Lavender. I thought I had read where you were not suppose to prune Lavender so mine got real scraggly. Live and Learn. I have learned soooo much over the years of what "not" to do! As much as I try, I still manage to get some things wrong. But life's a lesson. Garden information is so much more accessible with the internet.
I love Nepeta but am somewhat afraid to plant it as I have lots of backyard songbirds and I don't want to encourage cats to my yard.
I too like things to "fall over" and look "natural". I hate to see the forsythia in the spring all "butchered" up! It's a really nice "fountain" shrub and people around here cut the heck out of it. But, that is just my opinion. My lavender was 2/3 onto my walkway.

With such similarities between lavender and nepeta, I would go with the lavender. I've found that 'Munsted' and 'Hidcote' (best color) are excellent lavenders to use, loving the heat of summer as long as they have excellent drainage. I don't think you'd have any problems with them unless your experience proves otherwise.

Nepetas need to be cut back hard (at least half) to keep the flushes of blooms coming while lavenders don't. That said, they are nice to use, but I wouldn't look forward to climbing those walls to cut them back three times per year! Also, I've never had problems with our cats (three of them) getting into our plantings of nepeta. They seem to prefer it dried. Actually, our biggest cat is allergic to it....sneezes like mad when he gets near it!

Awe, what a sweet kitty. I like both Nepeta and Lavender. That said, Nepeta seems to bloom longer and re-bloom. But, I am not sure I would remember to cut down the Nepeta. I stay so busy keeping plants watered in the summer and harvesting veggies, I don't get much dead heading done. Although, I would like to.
The main problem I find with Lavender around here is not good enough drainage - in the winter is when we lose our Lavenders. I mix mine with part sand and part regular soil. It has worked quite well for me. Plus, we're talking terraces.
My soil is clay. My husb. & I used to joke and call our yard The Pottery Bowl. Really, it wasn't all that funny! It is a lot of work to "loosen" up soil.

I have great luck planting lavender although we have heavy, clay soil IF 1.) I build up a little raised mound, 2.) mix coarse sand with the soil I'm planting the lavender in, and 3.) at the bottom of the (shallow) hole (more of a depression) I've made, I sprinkle some coarse gravel, preferably limestone gravel. I set the lavender plant on the gravel and back fill / mound up with the sand/soil mix. It helps to mulch the plant with gravel (even if the rest of the landscaping is not rock mulched) to keep the crown dry, especially over the winter. Water well, but after that, just enough to keep the lavender from wilting until it's established when it will prefer being on the dry side.

Gravel mulch is a good idea. I believe you are suppose to gravel mulch other plants also. Penstemon comes to mind and perhaps Agastache. I haven't done that mainly because I don't have any gravel on the premises. I keep sand on hand but not gravel. I believe I will get a bag of that. Plus, the gravel keeps the plant a little "warmer" in the winter time.
I kind of plant my Lavender the same way: mound it up a little, but I haven't put gravel in the hole. Our soil is on the akaline side.

The best way to prune your Lavender is: after flowering is over, take your scissors or sheers and clip all over the shrub, DON'T CUT INTO the hards wood, that is the harder part of the stems as new growth will not regrow from there, you are just cutting off the flowers + an inch or so of stem, I pref err to do this in spring as the dead old growth offers protection from frost, but this might not be a problem from you, I don't cut back all my Nepeta either till early spring for the same reason and this protects the tender new shoots that are covered with last years stems etc. good luck to all. WeeNel.

Sometimes, in less forgiving climates than the UK, one has to cut back into the hardwood of lavender in the spring. It'll be obvious how far to cut back IF you wait until the plant sends out new growth. The part you should cut off will be devoid of any sprouts. Lavender will grow without this pruning, but will look pretty ratty until the new growth grows past the dead twig ends.

What you're talking about is cutting out branches that have died over the winter which is a little different situation. If you're trying to prune parts of the plant that you think are still alive, you need to be more careful about not cutting back too far. If the branch itself is still alive and you cut back into the older wood, it won't put out new growth. The trick is that you do need to prune them every year (just pruning off some of the newer wood), otherwise they will get all overgrown & woody and then you're stuck because you can't prune them back far enough to get them looking nice again without cutting back into that older wood that won't re-sprout.

Exactly. Couldn't have written it better. I think the three of us have certainly covered every possibility for birder17!

You guys are great!
This Is what I understand about pruning Lavender from reading your posts.
1. Cut Lavender back to the new growth. I remember my Lavender having "died" out on the ends. So, one should cut back to where it is green again. I believe this should be done in the Spring after it has leaved out well, and one can tell where the part of the dead limb. The "limbs" really look like "stems" to me.
2. Cutting out the "dead" limbs would be easy to recognize.

I am thinking if I just cut back the part that does not sprout, new growth would allow the Lavender to get leggy.
I will try to do some research on pruning Lavender. It's an outstanding plant and I am glad it grows in my area.

I usually gently shape my lavender plants in the spring, cutting the dead wood back to sprouting live wood and then also cutting back even the few longer live ones to round out the whole plant. That way it doesn't get leggy and when it blooms, it looks very full. Not rocket science, but I can understand your reluctance to do any harm. I think you'll see it this spring. You can always post photos when you're ready to prune and we can guide you!

I understand. Thanks. If I am uncertain, I will post my Lavender.

When you decide to prune your Lavender, it's a good time to take cuttings from the pruning, look for bits of green stem about 4 inches long trim the bottom of the cutting with a sharp knife and remove about 1 inch of greenery (leaves etc) you want a clean area if stem at the bottom. Insert each treated cutting ( I dip the bottom inch into rooting hormone to stop rotting) into a mix of compost, sans and fine grit for good drainage, about 6-8 weeks check and see IF the cuttings have made any roots, if not and are still green, leave them for longer and check again, years ago I bought 2 lavender plants and by making lots of cuttings, I ended up with a beautiful low perfumed hedge to edge my borders. By the way, normally Lavender has outgrown it's use after about 6-7 years as it goes too bare in the center of the shrub and little flower on the outer branches.
Good luck with your new garden. WeeNel.

WeeNel. My lavender that I dug up was probably ten years old. I would really like to propagate some lavender, but I have thought it very difficult to root.