Question
QUESTION: I live in zone 9.  Can you suggest a low maintenance plant that will cover an ugly retaining wall on the corner of my property.  I can only plant it at the top of the wall and hope it will grow down, as there is no space to plant anything at the base of the wall, which abuts the sidewalk.   Will fig ivy grow downward?

ANSWER: Fig ivy (Ficus pumila) is the classic Southern Wall Cover and can be quite invasive in certain areas (Florida).  Yes, it can be trained to grow downward, but if you have anything above the wall that you don't want covered, maybe another plant choice is in order.

Here are 12 other vines that will work in Zone 9 -

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea sp.)
Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
Goldflame honeysuckle (Lonicera x heckrottii x 'Goldflame')
Mandevilla (Mandevilla sp.)
Moonvine (Ipomoea alba)
Passionflower (Passiflora)
Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
Wisteria, American (Wisteria frutescens)
Wisteria, Japanese (Wisteria floribunda)

Each have drawbacks (messy leaf drop, deciduous, like to climb into trees) or benefits (flowers, non-invasive natures).  They will all want to grow upwards, but can be pushed back down to cover a retaining wall.

Hope it helps.  (Sorry about the delay - I had unexpected travel this week) ~Marc

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for the help.  One more question - the only thing I have above the retaining wall is lawn sloping slightly upward - at least for a good 10 feet or so - will a vine like fig ivy (I need an evergreen, low profile, non-messy wall cover) prefer the wall to my lawn?

Is Boston ivy really non-invasive? I heard it was worse than fig.

Answer
The fig ivy (both ficus pumila & f. repens are both called "fig ivy") loves to attach to solid objects more than lawn; at least I've never seen it compete directly with lawn.  Blade grass produces a selective herbicide against other plants' roots just like Eucalyptus...pretty cool, actually, but it doesn't work on all plants.

picture of it on a wall:  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/la/062408_fig.jpg

Yes, BOTH Fig ivy (evergreen), Virginia Creeper, & Boston ivy (both deciduous) can all be invasive in most warmer areas such as your zone 9, like parts of Texas, Georgia, etc.  It really depends on the area of hte US you live in.  See discussion:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/gagarden/msg0712481024137.html

Finally, here are some pictures of a few of my previously suggested plants (Specifically, for Texas):

http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/homegardens/easttex1.html


Good luck!  ~M