Am i making a big mistake growing english ivy up my fence?

hi all, i need your opinions. ....i have this big ole white fence. in planing for the fence, i failed to put any space in front of the fence so that i could grow things in front of the fence. thus i have this stark white fence. i really want to soften the look. i feel as tho something growing on the fence will help. in the mean time i have things planted behind the fence that will sort of grow thru the fence but it will take a couple of years to get the effect i want.

in researching vines, the only permanent vines that will work with my yard are english ivy. hubby has boycotted trumphet vine; he has also boycotted any flowers in the bed b4 the fence;there are several annual vines that i am growing to put on the fence, but during the winter the fence is way to 'plastic' looking

so, that being said, am i nuts training english ivy to go up the fence? i am striving for the english cottage look so what vine would be better than english ivy? my main concern is that english ivy can be so invasive; i don't want it taking over....i have climbing roses that are planted to grow up on the fence but it will take a couple of years.....i have hyacynth bean vine in the works to grow up the fence during the summers.....

ok, i have all the disclaimers than i can think of .....just wanna hear what you think:)

i have also posted this in vines and climbers maybe those folks can help me with regards to vines

This message was edited Apr 16, 2007 4:16 PM

Edited to add: I do believe that the Invasives forum is great for offering plant "substitutions." Does native honeysuckle remain evergreen and grow well in your zone?

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1637/index.html



This message was edited Apr 16, 2007 6:53 PM

Two evergreen Clematis that will grow in your zone.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55613/index.html
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2763/index.html

Carolina Jessamine

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/132696/index.html

Star Jasmine

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55230/index.html

Climbing roses

And you can mix several evergreen with deciduous;
wisteria, other clematis, etc

Or evergreen with annual vines.

dale...i already have climbing roses and annual vines growing ...but i want vines on the fence all the time....

will think about the other clematis you showed:)

I wouldn't plant the ivy unless you want it coming up all over your yard, up your trees, etc.

The ivy will ruin your beautiful fence. It can be very destructive to wood, mortar and brick surfaces. I'm sure even a plastic fence is no exception. I just pulled about 5 garbage cans full of ivy off a brick house. The owner will now have to find a tuckpointer to scrub and acid wash all the little "feet" that are still stuck to the brick and won't come off.

I second the idea of a nice native honeysuckle vine. Or perhaps one of the tougher old-fashioned hybrid clematis vines like "Jackmannii." In a shady spot along the fence you can also try Sweet Autumn Clematis or it's native fall clematis counterpart, Virgin's Bower.

The panhandle of Texas has windy, dry air in summer. I would look around the neighborhood as see what other people have had success with. I love Star Jasmine, but, it does get big.

Sticks ~ I don't find ivy to be quite as invasive in my soil. On the other hand, a little dab of honeysuckle has taken the woods over.

I bet you are looking for an evergreen? Have you thought about Confederate Jasmine? It stays evergreen and for a month each spring the blooms smell wonderful. It is also easy to control.

I may be wrong here, and it would depend upon your particular climate, but I don't think the native honeysuckles take over in the same way as the Japanese type, which is an invasive exotic(?)....

pod....according to my records a jasmine will be killed if under 20 degrees....but i do already have jasmine growing up oneside of the arbor

to all: as for english ivy i guess i am scared enuf now that i don't want to do it....altho, the negatives arent people in texas....i just don't think it becomes that huge of a problem here, but as i said, i am scared enuf that i wont do it....

Just an FYI, I tried to find a link to the State of Texas' invasive plants list but was unsuccessful (even the National Arboretum website did not list a website for Texas). However, I did find this list for Austin, which does include hedera helix as invasive. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/growgreen/invasive.htm

Question,

The fence is very nice - why cover up so much of it? I think a dab here or there of color would be a nice foil against the white rather than having huge amounts of vines all along the fence.

I agree with GoNative. I love the fence, the house, your accessories,...the whole arrangement! Some delicate vines with splashes of color here and there would be a lovely accent, without overwhelming and hiding your lovely fence. There are some very pretty novelty hybrid English ivy cultivars that are more tender and less aggressive than the common groundcover. Here they are sold as houseplants, but many would be hardy for you. My favorite suggestions so far have been Clematis, jasmines, and climbing roses. Can't wait to see what you decide!
Neal

thanks yall ...not wanting to cover it up so much as just trying to difuse the 'plastic white look'; i want the yard to look like a 'we have been here forever' look; ...not, hey i am a new plastic fence....; thanks for your suggestions.....i already own jasmine...it wont grow fast enuf...grow grow grow....i think it will take till next year to grow up the fence....grow grow grow

maybe not in one year but before you know it... http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/showimage.php?eid=107421

and it's pretty in winter too...
http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/showimage.php?eid=113258

I apologize, I am a bit warmer than you are and I planted against the house for added shelter. In your zone, I would mulch the soil in fall to protect the roots.

is your fence really plastic? Could have fooled me.

I could'nt tell it was plastic either.

yup it is a vinyl fence...and trellis...but have a lifetime guarantee...was much easier than a wood thing having to paint and protect wood....(omg...my secrets out)(grin)

pod...i will just keep doing the grow grow grow mantra to the jasmine...i do love it...

Sticks, I do the /water fertilize compost mantra on my vines :-) I like vining ground covers.

Dale, that is so pretty! I've never seen black eyed susan vine used as a groundcover, and now I cant imagine why! Do you grow them in partial shade?

Jasmine is worth the wait. Just my 2cents.

Sage, that is full shade in someone else's yard, I was just an innocent passer by.

Anthoer Thunbegia used as g-cover.

Opps here is the big photo...

I like your fence too! The plastic fences do not look plastic unless you are actually right up on it and actually touching sometimes. lol

Maybe a few half barrels and things suggested above would help break it up. We have barrels all over and we love em.

English Ivy is the bane of my garden, lawn, and property as a whole. I believe someone who previously lived here planted it to hide an ugly chain link fence. The fence is long gone, and the ivy continues to climb the 60 foot trees and consumes all in its path, even yews.

Once having said that, who knows what it would do in Texas?

How old is your fence? Once it gets older, and the sheen is worn off a little, won't it look more like it's been there "forever"? Off the subject entirely, when I was a newlywed, I had some painting done and was appalled to see how shiny it was when it dried. So I scuffed it with a Brillo pad or something. After a couple years, the paint mellowed, but my lovely scratch marks are still there.

I'd like to see roses on there with Clematis interspersed. And a couple of really pretty bird houses painted to match your house. ;)

Suzy

the fence is just a year old....hopefully it will 'age' with time:)

i gave up the ivy idea and have done some jasmine....will keep looking at other vines but it will have to work with hot afternoon sun and shade untill 2....

There is someone in my area that has regular ivy all over their fence. It got so heavy that the fence now leans out into the sidewalk. This is a heavier wooden fence so I would be afraid your PVC fence could not take that weight.
But what about a hybrid ivy cousin, Fatshedera?
My neighbour has a fatshedra that is growing "on" his fence. Actually he trimmed it back several times, and now it is a shrub that cascades over his fence but holds up it's own weight with a trunk. It is lovely, variegated with very large ivy leaves.
There are also the clematises Armandii and "Sweet autumn" as Dale A Gardener pointed out. They are heavy, but you might be able to assist them with weight if you added extra structure to the fence on the inside. The vines would cover any extra bolstering.

variegated porcelain vine is another evergreen plant (here), I don't know zone 7a. I asked a woman at a nursery on Saturday about its tendancy to spread, and she said not that much. Not like regular porcelain vine.

GGG