Screening a fence

Hi,

Being a complete newbie to the world of gardening I am learning every day, I am currently in the process of patching up a lawn to the house I just purchased.

I am looking to add some screening to the back fence. As you can see in the picture, its a small fence and our neighbour has something similar.

My questions is how am I best to attach the screening? Do I use staples or is there something a little easier? Also, do you need to use a certain material, I like the look of this - http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...refview=search&ts=1274395771278&isSearch=true - but will need to get a more made toe measure one.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

Would it not be easier and more attractive to the eye to grow some climbers up a trellis attached to the fence? With the right plants, you'd have that area covered in a year and if you pick some evergreen climbers, colour in winter too.

I've seen that willow screening attached with everything from staples, through to cable ties!

 

Thanks for the reply... I like your idea, which I have thought about doing, but I have absolutely no idea where to start with a trellis and how climber plants work, do they need to go in the ground first etc??? I have ordered a book on gardening from Amazon so hoping this answers all this silly little questions I have.

With a trellis, can you buy them with the plants already covering them rather than having to grow them from scratch? Really want to cover that back fence.

Many thanks

 

Last year I covered my entire fence in the bamboo version of this screening, first off I mounted a horizontal baton along the fence supports, then using an electric nailer/staple gun, fastened it into place.

Shop around too!! This screening can be bought significantly cheaper!! £6-8 a roll!!!

 

Cheers AirAssisted,

Where on the internet can I look at the horizontal baton? Just so I know what to look for when I go to the local gardening centre next.

 

Why not put the screening up first and a trellis in front on it to grow plants up.

You won't get instant cover with plants, not immediately, unless you choose Russian Vine (see my thread 'I've gone and down it', which apparently grows very fast!). But they will cover it eventually. You put the trellis up first, then plant the climbers. Once you've decided what you want, that is.

 

Cheers Sussex, just checked your thread, think I might try that, I have a fence just near the garage in the photo that has a gate, I might use that Russian Vine their instead, as I was also hoping to cover that fence with a trellis.

Does the Russian Vine need more of a soil area? As the area near the garage which is not in the photo is about 1ft deep and around 5ft long? Silly question alert, how does the vine know to grow up the trellis? Could it not come off and grow a different way.

Many thanks again

 

How well do you want to get on with your neighbours ? Russian vine can grow up to 35m in a remarkably short space of time. I have some creeping into my back garden from someone else's - not sure if it is the neighbour at the foot of my garden, or the one beyond him! (I treat invading tips with herbicide, which I very rarely use, but that barely stops the beast at the borders....). Also, it will look a right mess in the winter-time, very straggly and bare.

For the garage, you would be better off with boston ivy, or one of the variegated ivies - these are tough beggars and pretty in the winter too. They also attach themselves to the brick wall with little suckers, which I don't think Russian vine does, so no need to put up support frames or wires. Just chose a variety that grows to the required size - there are big 'uns and little 'uns out there, your local garden centre should be able to advise. And the ivies are good for wildlife (insects, nesting birds etc.).

For the back fence, you could grow Clematis (some are even evergreen) or a climbing rose. Clematis will need a cane to get them started in the right direction but will scramble up the fence once they reach it. Won't mix well with willow screening though unless you get one that doesn't need pruning yearly (many of the evergreen ones, or the spring-flowering ones like Clematis alpina, for example), or you'll just pull the screening off with the old stems... Clematis montana doesn't need pruning, but gets pretty big - it will easily grow beyond your small back fence, in 2-3 years...

Looks like you have something growing through fromthe other side of hte fence, probably a cotoneaster. That will need trimming back, unless your screen is dense enough to stop it pushing through.

One more thing, plant whatever you end up choosing a good 12" / 30cm away from the wall. Any closer and the wall+foundations will deprive the plant of water (rain-shadow and absorbent brickwork), besides limiting space for root growth. Then use an angled cane to guide it up onto the fence, stand back and wait....

Hope that helps,

Helen.

 

I meant the comment about Russian Vine in jest! There are other climbers that aren't so 'active' (ok, rampant!), as Helen has suggested.

If it's sheltered, maybe a Passion Flower climber as well, which are more or less evergreen, unless we have another cold winter. Some climbers need a bit of encouragement and 'tying in' to the trellis at first, others need no such prompts. They just head upwards, towards the sunlight. The amount of space at the bottom they need is not so important, unless you have very shallow soil (ie, a foot or less).

 

Many thanks for the replies, I have opted to go for screening for the back fence and have a trellis attached to either the garage wall of the small fence to the right of it - going to go to B&Q later and look for a nice climber, will look out for some of the names mentioned here.

Have started another thread here, didn't want to post here as its a different topic - http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/digging-up-parts-lawn-t27280.html?p=394662#post394662