Urban densification has led to the adoption of vegetated facades as a nature-based strategy to increase urban green space and improve urban living conditions. However, limited knowledge about plants suitable for vegetated facades can hinder the process. This field experiment, conducted in southern Finland, shows that 12 investigated the performance of potential plant taxa. The 12 plant taxa were classified into four growth forms according to their morphology: extensive conifers, dwarf conifers, creeping conifers, and climbing conifers. We aimed to evaluate plant performance during the first two growing seasons. This is important for successful planting of these plants on vegetated facades. Eight of the 12 plant taxa showed relatively high performance in terms of appearance and size. In particular, creeping conifers were visually superior to other growth forms, likely due to their close-to-the-ground morphology. Facade orientation and substrate pH were the most influential predictor variables. Facade orientation affects both plant appearance and size, while substrate pH primarily affects plant appearance. East-facing facades (less sunlight and wind effects) and slightly acidic substrates (pH 6–6.5) were more suitable for most plant taxa. Certain species and cultivars, such as Juniperus Communis 'Lalli', maintain a constant visual appearance and size of the plant regardless of facade orientation or substrate pH, demonstrating adaptability and stability under a variety of conditions. suggests. Bed height and mycorrhizal inoculation showed only marginal and taxon-specific effects. Considering that some plants in our vegetated facades showed optimal performance that differed from their reported natural habitat, we conducted long-term field experiments to ensure the success of our vegetated facade implementation. It is recommended to carry out and identify suitable plants for the vegetated facade. .