Ivy for fence?

Hi.

So I would like to grow ivy on a wooden unsightly fence (it is black, yuck). Want to chose a more eco-friendly option than re-painting.

It is in full shade (under some massive overhanging trees) where nothing else grows, wooden vertical planks with a small spacing in between each plank.

I have been trying to research but still none the wiser. Some say that ivy can damage a fence and that morning glory would be a better idea (though cannot grow that in shade).
So I am still trying to decide . . . . .

Any ideas?

 

How to grow ivy on a fence | ShunCy - Love the green


Any good ?

 

My experience with ivy.
You spend 5 yrs trying to establish it and the rest of your life trying to get rid of it.

 

So very true pete.

 

I like ivy myself, and it is great for wildlife, but it does tend to take over....

Take a look at some alternatives before you decide. Here is a RHS article on climbers for shade. Two which might be worth considering are garrya elliptica, which is evergreen, or a climbing hydrangea.

 

Yep,I started out with variegated varieties , hence 5 yrs, they are slow, but I think over the years they must have reverted, because it's all mostly green now, reached the top of the fencing, flowered and seeded every where.

 

Plus a good place for Snails to hide.

 

This!!!

Unless you really, really hate yourself and your neighbours, you definitely shoudn't plant ivy. This goes especially on the border to another garden.
I spent months clearing my garden of that stuff only for a new neighbor to plant even more alongside the fence. Now i am boxed in and keeping it away feels like keeping Irishmen outside a pub on St. Patricks Day.

 

Oh, I might be dead by then.

I like them hardy and fast, and the ivy too. So might have to go for the Hedera Helix.

Though a mix might be good, or will one swamp the other?

 

Depending on budget and creativity, how about a more novel approach. I wonder if you could get some old mirrors dirt cheap from a car boot sale, and do a mirror garden to hide the fence.

Something like this (if the link works)
Résultats Google Recherche d'images correspondant à https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4e/9c/0c/4e9c0c4fca917373cbf4eeb246139743.jpg

 

Don't....you'll end up killing lots of birds. Mirrors in gardens...no way.

 

I didn't know that. They seem to be a popular trendy thing these days. I was planning on doing one myself but not if it hurts my little feathered buddies.

 

I find Ivy is all right if you can keep it in trim, I have it in several places, but it does tend to grow rather quickly and can get out of hand if you don't keep an eye on it.

 

How fast is fast? I have a small one that was put in 5 weeks ago and it has not grown a cm.

The bramble shoots however grew about 1 foot in the same time.