Perrenial for a fast growing fence

Have about 30 feet of chain link fence I would like to cover. For a few years I planted Morning Glorys and they did OK, finally covering the whole fence near the end of the season. Then afer the frost hit, it was awful to remove the dead growth. I planted a few Boston Ivy, but with last year's hot weather and poor precipitation, they hardly made any significant growth. I'm looking for a perrenial. Maybe Trumpet Vine. Don't know how fast it would grow and how many plants for a 30 foot row? Any other ideas would be welcome.

Trumpet vine would look nice, but it will take time to cover. The ivy takes a few years to get established, and then you will see that it takes off after that and grows well. If you like the ivy, why not continue to use the annuals until it has time to grow for a while. There are lots of easy to grow annual vines that would give you some interest and variety. Besides all of the beautiful Morning Glories, including the Cypress vine and the Moon vine, there is the Spanish Flag, all kinds of beautiful gourd vines, even tropicals that would make your fence the highlight of your yard.

Here's another idea for you..If you don't want anything that you have to clean off every year how about some shrubs..I have a 130 foot front and I planted Honeysuckle and Saskatoons together..The fence is going up this year and now the shrubs will hide it from view..The Trumpet Vine is a good idea so put it among other things for a nice summer and winter effect...Our birds here love hiding in the shrubs...For your zone I am sure you could find some pretty flowering shrubs..

I have an area on some of my 3 acres of fence that is growing hops they grow very fast. they will grow 20 ' in a single year. then at the end of the summer I just burn them off and the fence is ready for the next year. Smell is great and several colors to enjoy. If you want you can leave the vines on the fence for privacy. It is a must for those of us who have to drink domestic beer here in america. Just dry the hops and carry them in a salt shaker and put them in any Anhauser Bush product to relieve the lack of flavor.

Just a word of caution, n2dyt: Trumpet Vine is a very "vigorous" woody vine. A former neighbor had one climbing up a wooden lattice on the side of their porch. Within a few years it was breaking up the lattice and pushing their downspouts away from the house.
And we're in the same zone as you.
My daughter has a Wisteria that's done the same thing to her chain link fence. If she ever wants to get rid of that vine, the fence will have to go, too.

I've since read similar scary stories about Trumpet Vine and Wisteria in a few different garden/landscape books.

Well, Thanks to all for the ideas. At this point the Morning Glories seem to be the ticket. The only problem is that in the winter the fence is bare. Oh well...

Hops stays there until you burn it. Nice brown shapley leaved vine with the dainty hops all over it. This is it on the fence above my dog behind the Karl Foresters. Not good shot.

I can't burn anything off the fence. It is plastic coated and very close to the home anyways.
Whatever annual would be used, I would have to pull it off by hand.

I would add Boston Ivy to the list of things not to grow. It was planted as a hillside ground cover when we bought our house. The thatch was over a foot deep. Mice, rats and opossums lived in it. The vines had grown up the redwood fence and were too large to remove without damaging the fence so we had to wait until it was time to replace the fence. The roots can be several inches in diameter and are so spongy that a pick-ax doesn't work on them. Lost track of the number of gallons of RoundUp we used on it. We paid a fortune to have a gardener cut the top off at ground level. Then had RoundUp handy to spray the new growth. We lived in that house for 22 years. When we moved 5 years ago, there were still patches of Boston Ivy here and there that had survived multiple sprayings of RoundUp.

Soferdig...Thanks for posting, I've never seen hops. Looks very attractive. Nice dog, too.

Why not plant a few Grape's? You could plant a few different varieties or just plant 3 of the same 10 feet or so apart. Yea there is a bit of maintance every year required if you want a good crop of Grapes the next year but if you arent fussed about Grape production you dont have to stress to much about the fall pruning.

Akebia grows fast and is nice looking. I would avoid Boston Ivy (weed) like the plague...if it ever starts spreading, watch out.

I'll post 3 shots of my akebia vine. It's not the easiest thing to find...maybe order some from online?

#2

Oh and it's not evergreen.

#3

P.S. This is one plant, about 5 or 6 years old(?)

This message was edited Apr 11, 2006 7:55 AM

Does the Akebia grow from the ground each season or does it grow on the old wood? I know you said it wasn't evergreen. Is sure pretty and healthy looking! Plus the blooms are so pretty, when does it bloom? Thanks...

It grows on old wood. It's a woody vine I would say. Just like a tree that drops it's leaves in winter. It picks up where it left off the next year. So it will keep getting bigger and bigger, covering more and more each year.

It's starting to bloom a little right now. The blooms are dark and fairly small, so it's not very showy from a distance. The foliage is excellent though.

Thanks for the info on the Akebia - will store it away in my computer (where I can always find things!) as probably won't have a place for it for another year or so. That'll give me plenty of time to find out where to order it and all. Thanks again!

Have you considered Sweet Autumn Clematis? I have it on a chainlink fence along the street and it covered the entire fence after two or three years. Grows about 25-30 feet in a summer and blooms with white clouds of beautiful, star-like flowers August to frost. They smell so wonderful and come on when everything else is pooped out. I have them everywhere. You cut them down to about a foot every spring and simply pull them out of the fence. No prob lem. They will grow anywhere and in shade, and really fast. My soil is rich, so I guess they like it here. They also get attractive pods on them for the winter that look like little umbrellas.

One more thing....I am starting to replace the invasive Trumpet vines with this clematis. If you don't mind the gap in coverage in the spring, I believe it is the way to go. It self-seeds....not to the point of making you scream, but are easily dug up and transplanted. I dug one about a foot tall and plopped it in a hole and it didn't even wilt. I let it grow up roses and it is simply beautiful.

Also, here is part of my fence covered with Ladybanks roses. They do well.

imafarmer, when you say you cut the clematis down to a foot every year, how much growth comes back that year?
What does it look like in the winter? Any summer pictures?
Also your roses look promising and is making me think! Wonder if I should try a couple of climbers. I forgot the name of a popular red one I grew 30 yrs. ago and it was beautiful.
n2dyt

Hi, n2dyt....I don't know why, but I don't have pictures of my Autumn Clematis in all it's glory. All the growth comes back and then some by July. Mine are already 3-4 feet high. My older ones cover a 6 ft. chainlink by July. They are something! I leave the vines on all winter just to hide the ugly fence. It gets frosted, and has a light tan look. It looks really pretty when it snows (rare) and has the little seed pods that are attractive. The Lady Banks roses come in yellow and white. It does very well here. It only blooms once in spring, but stays nice and green all summer. I love the way it's canes arch and move with the breezes. It isn't real thorny, either....a bonus!! They grow fast and will cover your fence in a couple of years. You will love them.

Was your rose a Blaze? Here is a picture.

Oh, see the green vine to the right of the red Blaze climber? That is Sweet Autumn Clematis in May. Already over seven feet tall.

imafarmer...That's it! The rose was Blaze. Oh, what to do, what to do.? Just saw some bareroot Trumpet Vine on E-Bay??????

If I had my druthers, I would have never planted trumpet vines. I think they are invasive and grow huge vines that you can never get out of chain link. They are pretty and attract hummers, but that's where it stops for me.

Well, I've looked at some negative posts on Trumpet Vine. They also mention ant problems and roots getting into pipes below. So maybe I'll plant the Blaze Climber. Wonder how many roses I should plant to take care of a 30' row?.

Good choice.....probably three will do if you have good soil. Good luck!

Imafarmer
I agree with you on the Ladybanks rose. I had the yellow one planted at our last home. It was beautiful and really did grow well, and that is the only successful rose I have ever grown. Mine had no thorns; maybe it wasn't old enough. I have a very long chain link fence that is in need of vines, so you have reminded me of a very beautiful plant.
Carol

Hi there,

I adore roses, and think they would just be gorgeous...but isn't the price
going to be a tad high for such a fence? (just trying to save money for you...LOL)

While what I am going to suggest seldom flowers, it is lush green all year
long, will cling to the chain link, form a beautiful fence covering, and can easily
be snipped back into shape or allowed to grow as it will. A nice
evergreen with shiny foliage.

It is very easy to propagate, so a snip can be stuck directly into the ground
and will also root. We have had ours growing since we moved in, and only
when I was in the mood to tidy it up have I had to do anything with it. On
occasion a long strand will get into the way of the gate, but is easily snipped
off with scissors or garden shears.

What am I talking about, you ask?

Euonymous fortunei. Wintercreeper.

Each year I ask myself why I don't plant more of it. :-)
Crisp, clean, I have to ask myself when the last time was I watered it.

WUVIE...Not a bad idea. I really was looking for something that would just cover the fence year round!
How high does it get? My chain link fence is 5 feet high.
And how many would I need for a 30 footer?

Hi there,

It will reach as high as you let it, but to give you an example, we planted
ours at the base of the tree in 1994-5ish. It has climbed about fifteen feet
into the tree, but that is because we have allowed it to do so.

Each year when I snip a few of the strands away from the gate handle, I
simply stick them into the ground somewhere. Shoot them some water now and
then and they will take.

There are many forms of Euonymous out there, including variegated Wintercreeper
with a blush of pink in the spring or when it is still cool out. There are gold and
green versions, even solid green. SO many choices. You'll want to shop around
a bit to see what you like best.

Next to our gate we have a large cattle panel bent into an arch. I planted a few
strands of the Wintercreeper at the base and as it grows, I simply weave it in
and out of the arch. While it does look lovely now, it will only get more beautiful
with time. I can't wait for next spring, when it will really take off. Then can trim it
to the shape of the arch. Too pretty. And I thought my Silver Lace Vine was
going to win most beautiful arch on the other side of the yard...LOL.

As for how many you will need, not too many, depends on how quickly you want
it to fill in. Don't forget that you can buy a pot of it, let it grow through the summer,
then snip some off, into the ground where blanks are.

I would hardly call this invasive, as it does take time to grow, but not so much
that you are sitting and waiting on it to happen. Check out the various cultivars
to see what you like best. Some are lower growing than others, a consideration
for your five foot tall chain link. 'Sarcoxie' grows about four feet tall, while
'Emerald and Gold' grows about two feet tall. Silver Queen grows two feet, etc.

Our Wintercreeper is Manhattan, my favorite of them all.

http://www.pssc.ttu.edu/pss1411cd/PLANTID/euonymou/euonymus.htm

(must see image in photo above, this is what we are doing to our gate
when it fills in)

:-) Karen