Painting a brick wall with trained Virginia Creeper vines on it

I have a large brick wall at the bottom of my garden. Last year I planted two Virginia Creeper vines against it and trained them to climb on wires the width and height of the brick wall.

They climbed to a combined height of 2 metres and spread roughly 4 metres wide in their first season. Whilst they filled most gaps and joined together; there was obviously still some brick showing. Not bad for the first season! I'm scared to think what they'll do next year. You can slow down now, please... :flag:

Anyway. Now it's winter the leaves are dropping which have been helped along by the harsh winds we've had. Hardly had a display of red! Most is still very green and those that were turning have been blown off.

The wall has never been painted and looks a very stark orange colour. I'd like to paint it green so it's less obvious it's brick when the leaves have fallen and also to avoid seeing through the Creeper when the leaves are back.

Is it okay to paint the wall whilst the odd splash of paint goes on the vines? I have no intention of using a roller and going over them on purpose but they will inevitably get some paint on them.
Is this okay? the paint will be typical masonary paint.

Cheers.

 

I'd say it'd be OK, if you're using a water based paint as most are. These days with 'elf an' safety, paints are far less toxic than they once were.
Some wood preservatives for fences, you can spray through climbing plants too

 

That's the answer I'm looking for! Thanks.

 

virginnia creeper attaches itself to the wall and its neigh on impossioble to remove all the bits . It therefore makes it very difficult to paint or spray properly.

I'm not sure that fence paint is suiable for a wall and yes it can be sprayed through and on plants without killing them but I dont think it does the plants anygood as plants breathe through their stems and it also doesn't look good.

Better to cut down to base, remove as much as possible of the stems and suckers and then repaint. But in a few years you might want to repaint!!!!

Choose your colour carefully as green tends not to fit in.

just my early morning thoughts

 

Hi,

I would concur with has beans advice and cut it down-it is a very vigorous plant and it will recover, as to me, it sounds like sacrilige to paint over a plant just to paint a wall.

 

Cut back to any bits that are actually attatched to the wall... then spray paint the lot.. plant n all!

If it's two metres and you want it to stop now... think again... it's only just got going... and you'll not slow it down

 

They are only a year old so it's not 'stuck' to the wall yet, they are running horizontally along wires. There are obviously places where they're jumping up to the next wire but because it's so young, it would be possible to paint the brick behind without much difficulty. Any longer and it would be difficult to paint between the vines, granted.

I just need to be pretty certain that the occasional drip or splash of paint isn't going to be damaging.