What can you do to cover up an ugly
bare new fence? I was faced with this problem a few months ago.
The fence between me and my neighbour
was badly in need of replacing and she had kindly offered to arrange
to have the work done. My side of the fence was smothered in ivy;
I’d planted it 16 years before and hadn’t imagined it would grow
so big, or that I would still be living in the same house all that
time later. The ivy was really out of control – it needed a
“haircut” every two weeks in summer – and there’s no way the
fence could have been replaced without ripping out the growth anyway.
So I cleared it all, which took a couple of afternoons, and then the
fence was replaced.
The new fence comprised creosote orange
panels set between concrete posts. Not exactly a thing of beauty! I
knew I would be depressed if I had to look at it for too long, so I
needed climbing plants that would smother it fairly quickly but
without being as rampant as the ivy. I chose a clematis montana and
a honeysuckle. I bought plants of a decent size from my local
nursery, paying about £12 for each. (In the past I’ve used those
£2.99 climbing plants you get from supermarkets in the UK –
they’re great value, but very small. I think you save yourself at
least a year of growing time by spending a few pounds more.)
My new plants went into the ground in
November 2014, and of course there wasn’t much sign of life
initially. But now – in April 2015 – they’re really starting
to scramble up the trellis I installed for them. They must have
spent the winter putting down some good roots.
In just another year or two, they’ll
have caught up with some climbers I planted a few years ago on the
opposite side of the garden.
And look, the orangeness does fade after a couple of years!
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