Climber for north-west facing fence

yumyums

Hi all,

Was hoping for some help and advice in order to make my garden a bit nicer. I've been working on it for a few months now trying to add a bit of greenery & colour. When we moved in, it was just patio & lawn with a clematis and an alpine phlox.

There's one part of the garden that I'm struggling with. Where the patio & seating area is, there is a strip of turf about 1.5 foot wide with a wooden fence at the back of it. This is obviously very boring to look at!

I thought I'd found a solution for this north-west facing fence and bought a climbing hydrangea. However, further research has pointed out that climbing hydrangeas aren't very good for growing on wooden fences and can cause the fence to rot (also, it would be very difficult to replace the fence if needed).

Has anyone got any suggestions for a nice way to cover this fence? At this time of year it gets a bit of sun in the afternoon but not much when the days are shorter. I was hoping to grow things like hostas, heucheras, lady's mantle at the base. Any other suggestions would be much welcome.

Would a photo help?

a1cat

Jasmine



Wisteria



Trompeta

oldtractor

Hi a photo would be useful. What springs to mind is verigated ivy. honeysuckle would probably do something for you but its a mass of twigs in i winter with few leaves so you might want to mix it with a couple of evergreen shrubs. Honeysuckle and clematis shouldnt rot the fence as air will circulate especially in winter,although I've recommended it ivy would keep damp in and so the fence would rot quicker,like with the hydranger.
Hope this helps.

yumyums

Thanks a1cat,
Are those all suitable for growing against a wooden fence and in the shade? I'm a bit worried about the maintenance of the fence and I could see wisteria possibly being a problem. I will do a bit more research on those plants as trompeta is pretty and I'd never even heard of it before!

Here is a picture of the area I'm talking about. Excuse the ugly patio! Eventually I'd like to re-do the entire garden but there's no money for that at the moment

a1cat

yumyums wrote: »

Thanks a1cat,
Are those all suitable for growing against a wooden fence and in the shade? I'm a bit worried about the maintenance of the fence and I could see wisteria possibly being a problem. I will do a bit more research on those plants as trompeta is pretty and I'd never even heard of it before!

Here is a picture of the area I'm talking about. Excuse the ugly patio! Eventually I'd like to re-do the entire garden but there's no money for that at the moment

They would all do better with more sun but will do acceptably well just in a well-lit position.

You could save the strain on the fence by building more support a few cm away from it, ie a few stout posts screwed or nailed together as a frame.

a1cat

The trompeta is hardy down to -30C and beyond

yumyums

a1cat wrote: »

The trompeta is hardy down to -30C and beyond

Has this got another name as I can't find any info on it anywhere. It's certainly hardier than I am!

I will have to consider building a support away from the fence I think as this will give me more options.

a1cat

yumyums wrote: »

Has this got another name as I can't find any info on it anywhere. It's certainly hardier than I am!

I will have to consider building a support away from the fence I think as this will give me more options.

Actually I would like to discover the Latin name etc myself.

tizerbelle

a1cat wrote: »

Actually I would like to discover the Latin name etc myself.

I think it is Brugmansia Arborea - also known as Angels Trumpets

a1cat

tizerbelle wrote: »

I think it is Brugmansia Arborea - also known as Angels Trumpets

It's not that (thanks for trying) - we've got lots and the shape of the flowers & the leaves are not right

Mrs_Arcanum

Campsis Radicans - AKA Trumpet Creeper; Trumpet honeysuckle; Trumpet vine. Thanks to my trusty RHS Gardeners Encyclopaedia.

I would suggest Clematis alpina, C. macropetala, C. montana, C. Jackmanii Group: Deciduous; flowers variable according to species or cultivar; 2-7m (6-22ft). Clematis have fairly thin stems and like to be pruned, so handy for cutting back for fence maintenance.