I live in a sub-tropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters.
I have a white rendered wall that gets close to full sun year round (it faces north- I'm in Australia
)
Last summer I attempted to get some Ficus Pumelia started in some pots an effort to soften the wall up Thanks to my poorly timed planting I was unsuccessful: a few scorching days without water and they died off.
As it's cooler now I'm trying again. This time they are in the ground, in well-prepared soil with a covering of mulch.
Can I encourage the plant to climb?
The wall has an acrylic render with a whitewash finish which I'm concerned might make it impermeable to water and therefore not appealing to the fig.
Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts?
I'd prefer the fig over a braced climber like jasmine so want to try get something established before next summer.
Thank you in advance!
