Border size

How much gap should i leave between my wooden fence and the edge of my block paving to plant clematis etc to grow up the fence succesfully

 

I'd suggest no more than a foot would be necessary. But is space at a premium? Are you sure you might not like to add other plants in the future?

If you've not yet laid the paving, my concerns would be the posibility of the lime in the cement leeching into the soil around the roots.

 

Hi bluesea and welcome.

You don't need much space. But I would want to leave enough space to be able to get a spade in.

You might also like to think about having a small slope towards the strip of soil. If all the water was directed away it could get a bit dry.

 

As Doghouse says, do you want more than just the odd climber?

Narrow beds can be tricky to plant up successfully. A friend asked me to help with her new 'flowerbed' a while back. It turned out to be a six inch strip next to a patio which was in full sun for most of the day and had dust dry soil. Not promising.

 

The paving is already layed, i have enough room for 12" so that should be ok, thanks for replies

 

Paving usually has a fall towards the edges so water should run onto the border. The point to consider is that on hot days the paving will heat up during the day and retain the heat for many hours, which will be transferred to the soil and also the sun could be reflected off the fence onto the border too, so as has been mentioned, you'll need to ensure this small border doesn't get too dry.