I think a border of soil 2 feet wide from back to front is way too narrow, the plants would look like a row of little or large soldiers awaiting the firing squad against a fence.
the narrowest and best looking borders are anything from 3-4 feet wide, this allows for the roots to have no completion from the grass, also, take into account the plants you choose will grow UP and OUT, so don't think your husband would be happy when trying to cut the lawn and your beautiful plants have began to spread outwards making it harder to cut the edges.
Anything you fancy growing against the fence to cloth it is great BUT, make sure you put any framework onto the fence before you plant as you can easily tie the new plants to the suppost rather than try to do it AFTER the plants have put on even more growth.
Look for Clematis Montana Rubens, it has beautiful pink flowers early Spring, after a few years it grows Rampant, BUT you just cut it back to get the length of fence cover you want,
There is a white one also but I love the pastel pink.
Jasmine, look for wall growing types, some have a beautiful perfume, again they can be pruned to keep under control of required.
Lonicera, again they can be kept pruned to size, some perfumed ones are stunning in evening with their perfume hanging in the still summer air.
Roses, look out for roses that you like the colour of, you like the flower shape, you obviously need to know how it spreads IF tied against fence and how to prune it, there are so many climbing Roses you wont be stuck, look for the older type that can grow to maybe 10 feet BUT, you have to tie these to supports along the fence as they grow, not difficult but needed.
there again are some perfumed types.
Wisteria is fab and has the drooping bunches (like grapes) flowers most people love, they do need a really stout frame to grow along BUT, most people forget to prune them and they can go too heavy and rampant. Yellow, cream, white, pink, all shades of blue / purple, Love it.
Pyracantha, these are grown for winter / spring colour of berries (the birds love it and feed on the berries), fruit colour is red, yellow, pink, orange. they have sharp thorns so wear gloves if working / pruning, to grow against the fence you need to prune the forward sprouting branches when young, tie the side shoots to the fence support.
there are hundreds of wall fence climbers and I've only mentioned a few, but these ones will do fine in your zone IF places against the fence, a foot from the is normal as when planted, you slope the cane they have for support towards the fence, this foot out from the fence allows for air, water and spread to take place, too close to the fence and the soil will be very dry due to shelter from the elements.
You need to prepare the soil well before you even buy the plants (plants sitting in pots for long periods are difficult to care for) once you take the plants home, IF possible, stick them in a large container of water for a good few hours or over night, this allows the plants to take a good drink before you place them into their planting hole.
Set the plants out in the border, step back and look see IF you want to move, change around or are happy, then set them into their planting hole where you should have already dug the beds, removed ALL grass, weeds. add as much humus as you can lay your hands on, Horse manure is best, or home made compost, shop bought compost, aqll great, this added humus allows the soil to be broken up into better condition adding nutrients, helps air into the soil, it helps the soil retain some moisture too, so don't skimp on humus. horse manure is usually given away free, you want it to be well rotted and no odour, should crumble in hand when rubbed, looks like a rich composted soil. the better you prepare the soil the better your plants will grow and reward you, as I plant, I like to add a handful of blood / fish / bone meal as this is a natural fertiliser and chemical free.
For front of border, the choice is well, look in any garden book for Perennials that suit your zone, go to library, book store and look at the pages, don't buy large expensive books that are all pictures, IF needed, but ones for beds and border, or beginners.
Delphiniums. all colours,
Pinks (carnations)
Alliums, from lilies to ornamental onions.
Phlox,
Iris,
Dicentra (bleeding hearts)
Digitalis (Fox Gloves)
Primula, all different kinds.
Nepeta (Cat mint)
all or most spring bulbs to give early colour when you look out windows.
Papaver, Poppies, there are too many to mention from the smallest to the large flowering ones
Aquilegia, (grannies Bonnets)
Lupins, all colours.
Anemone, spring /summer types.
Hostas, beautiful leaf with edges coloured white, cream, yellow Slugs love them so protect)
Astilbe, Red, Cream, pink,
Stachys, Lambs ears. soft grey foliage looks like fluffy ears.
Then there's ground cover
Ajuga,
Geranium, (NOT summer bedding)
Vinca.
Veronica. bergenia.too many to mention.
Look for smaller shrubs for in front to give structure, especially in winter
Hydrangea.
Magnolia. Camellia,
Ilex (holly, check for sex, as mails have female names like yellow queen and the females are called after males like king you need both sexes for berries to come.
Choisya,
Philadelphus.
many, many More. I'm sure others will give more ideas BUT just go look at what grows in your neighbourhood and if possible, take pictures, there are many nice small trees too like flowering cherry, plumb, apple etc, but as before, you need a pollinator for fruit so maybe check out that for your choice to work.
Hope this helps you our.
Best regards.
WeeNel.
