I want to know what you think! I need something to cover the fence so it will be more like a private garden area. or do you think that would be too invasive and hard to controll? Maby I should plant some shrubs or something on the outside of the fence?
I'll let other people suggest some vines for you since I don't know which ones will do well (but not be invasive) in your zone. But one idea if you don't want to grow anything would be to buy some bamboo or reed fencing and attach it to the the existing fence, that'll give you your privacy and create a more interesting look than the chain link
I like that bamboo idea, But the fence is really long. (about 100 ft.x50 ft.) that is just a section of it to show. I couldnt get the whole thing in. Would that be very expensive do you think?
It's not super expensive, but over that many feet it'll add up. I thought you just had a little small area there! Gardener's Supply has it for ~$30-$40 depending on the height for a 13 ft section, but I'm sure there are places you could get it cheaper than that if you look around a bit--they have great stuff but not always the lowest prices.
Hi
Do you have the use of the area outside the fence? I think you need height for design's sake as well as coverage for the privacy you seek. If you can plant outside the fence - maybe a few small evergreen shrubs - offset ..and spaced well - no 'wall' effect but enough of a space between them to show off the shape of the shrubs and yet allow you see between and beyond them. Offset and spacing well will also not block breezes inside the fence. I think the shrubs fairly dense, should be evergreen, and reach a height of at least 6 or 7 feet to give you the privacy you need. Then on the inside of the fence you can put some vines or other shorter / narrower perennials that wouldn't get too close to your other landscape elements or cause debris problems for your water feature. Then with the privacy issue managed you can even plan a small area for annuals on the inside. If you zone allows consider ..a big leaf holly or chindo viburnum.
Yes. I have about half an acre in the back yard beyond the fenced area. New house, so this is where I started gardening. Planing on doing lots of work out there next spring. My pond needs a pump and filter too. But I found out a lot of frogs moved into it so I dont want to disturb them yet. They are so cool.
Here is part of the other side, I just transplanted these hostas underneath a huge Holly Tree.
Oh, the dog house is gonna go away, and so is the rest of the grass.
I suggest a willow screen or something like that also.
If you are not sure if you want vines ON the fence start with some annual vines like sweetpeas or morninglory or black eyesusan vine ( photo below). THen if you like the look plant something more permanent like clematis .
I have a 6' fence... and i have clematis that fills in by my gate
and just this spring i got into Morning Glories.... takes a bit to get them going... and hope the bunnies don't eat them all.. but boy does it fill in a fence - and then some.
since this is my first year with them, I'm not yet sure how invasive they may get.... even though they are an annual, i've found that each flower will produce 5-6 seeds... i've already got small ones coming up in my lawn.
the flowers are gorgeous and do attract humming birds -- which is a nice addition.
I can take some photos....
I know i have one from when my JackManii was in bloom.
this image was taken mid-June a few years ago... now, granted, this plant is roughly 25yrs old... so it is HUGE.
by the end of the summer, half of the gate was covered too.
last year i chopped it back and re- "trained" it so it didnt cover the gate, and it fills in more of the north side - where it is open in this photo.
I think too, if you were to do Morning Glories... those too will need to be trained... they will go up as high as they have a place to climb. 20+' i believe.
I have them in the corner of my yard, blocking the view of the 'electrical box' that is in my neighbors yard.
morning glories can be very invasive, I'd stick to clematis -there are evergreen armandii 'apple blossom' is beautiful. I agree w/missingrosie - I'd do both sides. Also, a passionflower vine is gorgeous as well - and grow very quickly.
Another idea would be some tall varieties of ornamental grasses. I haven't worked with them much myself, but I'm thinking of using some to soften the look of our privacy fence when I finally get to that part of my yard. I just finished working around my patio, so maybe next fall I'll get a chance.
Thank you all for the wonderful ideas!!! Now my head is spinning with new plans!
Hey, Kel. You may want to consider some sort of lattice behind your fence, with a few strong structural uprights in case you end up wanting to eventually support vines such as honeysuckle or wisteria. Once they get established, it's difficult to go back and place such supports amongst them. Get out your sketchbook, as perhaps you wouldn't need to do the entire fence line. Define your areas of need for certain activities---privacy for outdoor dining or hot tubbing, or just blocking an undesirable view of parked cars and garbage cans. Have fun--you could even grow grapes or kiwis, I'll bet.
