No nearby soil to plant my climbers in!

I've got loads of trellis, fencing and walls that I want to plant english ivy in to quickly provide cover.

Problem is, I want cover asap and I there are no soil beds anywhere near where I would like to plant the climbers. The nearest beds are several feet away and would take yonks to reach my desired areas. What should I do? Can I use containers? Also, how many plants will I need to get good coverage as quickly as possible?

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Have you got your heart set on ivy, or is it just that you want something that provides the cover you're after?

The reason I ask is that I don't think ivy moves that fast.

Have you looked at Virginia Creeper for example? Its faster and in my personal opinion, prettier.

But back to the question, I'd just use large containers in that situation.

 

strangely enough I've just bought a chinese virginia creeper today, will that do the job? I haven't got my heart set on ivy; I think it's a bit boring actually. It's just that I was under the assumption it was quick to cover.

Showing my noviceness now so please do educate me!

 

Good evening Dawn and welcome to the site. If there is no soil nearby then you will have to use containers, the bigger the better. It`s no use putting a fast growing climber in a tiddly pot.lol. Apart from the Virginia Creeper,( Parthenocissus quinquefolia, which IS Virginia Creeper. The one you have, probably P.tricuspidata, is Boston Ivy / Japanese Ivy ). I would suggest one of the montana forms of Clematis.