Climbers to cover fence

Hi, I want to cover a fence 6 feet high and 20 feet long with an evergreen that will have no gaps, I was thinking about planting ivy as I already have some growing and would be a cheap option to transfer or even a privet hedge, I know some people hate ivy but its easy to grow, cheap and good for wildlife, the fence has nothing else growing against it, if I was to plant ivy would I need to plant some every few feet along the fence? Also what other options do I have that will give me the desired outcome? Please find a picture of the fence below, regards keith

 

You could plant some fast growing shrubs such as Laurel or Elaeagnus ebbingei, which are both fairly cheap to buy so you could get some fairly large ones for a decent price.

Alternatively, something like Clematis armandii is evergreen

 

thank you for the reply, How many clematis will I need to cover the whole fence so its not see through?

Keith

 

Depends on what variety you get - Clematis armandii would probably cover the whole fence quite quickly, but you will need to train it to ensure full coverage.

You could grow two different types of climbers - one spring flowering and one summer flowering to give more interest.

I'm sure others will be along with alternative suggestions

 

if you want something that is evergreen, grows fast, and smells good ...look at a honeysuckle ...

you could plant 3 different ones in that area that flower at different times of the year ...

 

Good thinking dim - I've got two honeysuckles which I bought as tiny plants earlier this year and they are growing like mad. I've got Lonicera Halliana and Henryi (both evergreen).

 

Hello Keith

Personally I wouldn't plant ivy on that fence. I like ivy too - I have rather too much of the stuff - but it will quickly swamp your fence and probably demolish it in the course of time. If you decide to grow climbers - actually I think Merleworld's shrubby suggestions might suit your purpose better - I think the first thing I'd to is to put in some proper support for your plants. Ivy is self-clinging but many climbers aren't, so you need to tie them in to something. Some strong horizontal wires would do the trick,starting with a line about a foot from the ground and working your way upwards.

Then the plants themselves .... if you follow *dim*'s suggestion, make sure you buy a Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica. It is evergreen, whereas many others aren't and you get left with bare twigs in winter. The most commonly sold variety is 'Halliana', which blooms for quite a long time. Its creamy white flowers are very strongly scented. It is, however, another rampant grower and would eventually need to be kept in check.

Clematis armandii, as Merleworld says,will cover the fence - but will take a few seasons to do so, of course, so you'd have to be patient. It's spring flowering - no blooms in summer - but the leaves are beautiful and the plant keeps them in winter. Like all Clematis, it has a tendency to have 'bare legs' at the base, but you can counteract this to some degree by training the stems low on the fence to begin with.

As to how many plants, well, it all depends how impatient you are and how much work you're prepared to give yourself in the future to keep things under control. It's best not to overdo it, but I find it difficult to take my own advice. Two or three climbers maximum, I'd say. Whatever you choose, you'll need to give your plants a good start, digging out your bed and incorporating lots of organic matter such as compost.

 

I would paint the fence white (or another funky colour of your choice) and plant lots of big daisy perennials in front of it so it looks all picketty and countrified. That sorts it for the summer and in winter it would.......back to the drawing board.

I would not plant ivy because it would be a pain to control. Ditto laurel - one season missed and you've created a monster.

Evergreen honeysuckle would be better but tends to form masses of unkempt twigs with a thin layer of foliage on top so is often not very tidy-looking.

I'm loath to suggest privet (that's what I've got) as it's boring and needs plenty of maintenance to keep it looking its best but it does look good when you've put in the clipping hours -at least twice during the summer, preferably three times.

Viburnium tinus would make a nice hedge but would need firm handling at least once a year. It's tall enough, grows fast and has quite pleasant flowers.

The elaeagnus or euonymus option is also good. It is a tall fance however and it's going to take a while to get coverage so meanwhile painting it a decent colour might be an idea.

 

there are several varieties of honeysuckle .... and some don't have the scraggly twigs ... if choosing honeysuckle, do the research as some are thugs and take over the whole garden

 

I would also say avoid the ivy, it will spread into the garden and grow everywhere but where you want it. Honeysuckle (evergreen) I'd agree is a good one but I'm also thinking about longer term, I'm guessing you won't want to be doing lots of fence maintenance but anything using the fence as support will add weight and therefore eventually it won't be able to support the plants. I'd therefore go for the hedge option, maybe something mixed - there are lots of euonymous varieties which aren't very expensive and grow quite quickly. I noticed B&Q have oleanders for sale this weekend, not tiny at about £6, large at about £12 and full size for £24, they're evergreen and flower at this time of year.

Are you looking for privacy, something more interesting than a fence to look at or security? The function of your planting might be your best guide.

 

I just want it for privacy, so we both can't see either way, its not my fence but nextdoors, they are friendly enough, maybe a shrub maybe better thinking about it, if I plant a climber and it eventually damages the fence he might point the finger at me, maybe if I take a few cuttings from my privet and try and plant them? Unless I can get a lightweight climber? I have a 2 foot raised border at the side of the fence to play with, the other area is away from the border is going to be a drive, either a gravelled or concreted drive

 

Yes, I think more and more that a neat hedge in front of the fence, rather than a tangle on it, is the way to go.

Just up the road from me someone has planted a Photinia hedge. I quite like it. The new red shoots look very attractive and it's a good backdrop for other things.

http://www.best4hedging.co.uk/acata...raserii.html?gclid=CJ2o5uCBsrACFYt-fAodLxHRUw