Landscaping always presents interesting challenges which require thinking out of the box. That's the fun part! Here are a few quick ideas to ponder for your difficult wall area:

1. Work with the current craze, art in the garden, and hang pictures on the wall. I have done this for years. Haunt Goodwill- type stores for large inexpensive canvas paintings, paint new designs/pictures over the original with acrylic paints and when dry brush on two coats of Outdoor Mod Poge, available at craft stores.

2. This is a swimming pool area with a hose hook-up making water available. A good spot to tap into the wall large hay mow type hanging planters.

3. This idea is for the person who loves detail and the skill of espalier. Personally I dislike the pencil-type holly. But, as I have watched it mature into 12' shrubs with thin, small leafed branches it occurred to me that one could develop a detailed wall espalier in a shaded area. Probably not of interest to many but as I work with the project I have to pass the idea along for the imaginative.

These are just a few thoughts of the many available for a shady brick wall.

Thanks. I just went to the local nursery and found some encore azaleas that had been trained into a topiary. I bought 8, and just now my GC is telling me that we may have to carry the deck all the way over to the wall because of drainage issues. I guess that will leave me with planters. Unfortunately, the planters will need to be long and narrow. That probably means the azaleas will go elsewhere. Maybe I can now use bamboo.