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Q : I want to apply climbing vines or roses to create a “ wall , ” both on a chain - connection fence and a series of trellis . I ’m looking for something noninvasive that wo n’t cash in one’s chips out my perennials and veggies , and sooner with few or no flowers , so that it ’s not so much a focal point as a fast - grow backdrop of green.—Suzanne Plunkett , Chicago , Ill.
A : Chain tie can be unsightly , and covering it is often the skillful resort . Your trellises , on the other hand , have a beaut of their own , so I ’d indicate plants that will complement rather than cover them . climb roses such as ‘ Dr. W. VanFleet ’ or ‘ Climbing American Beauty ’ ( except for the fact that you might find out their flowers distracting ) are an excellent pick for the trellises . They have very deep root systems and wo n’t intervene with nearby efflorescence and vegetables . Clematis also search wonderful on a trellis , and they ’re loose to wield . yearly vines are another good pick ; I would n’t be without them in my garden . apply them to replete in along the fencing or on the trellis for the first year or so , while your more lasting plants mature . Balloon vine is the plainest of them . cupful - and - dish aerial vine and moonflower both have downplay blossom colors , but I ’d also suggest experimenting with some of the showier exotics — cardinal climber , Spanish signal flag , purplish hyacinth bean plant , asarina , and mandevilla . If they sprain out to be too colorful for your taste , you ’ll have to contend with them only for a few months , and none put a menace to nearby blossom or vegetable .
Now , about that fencing : Good quondam English common ivy is tough on brick and wooden walls — its rootlets can crack trench mortar and squeeze display board from Post — but for turning a chain - link fencing into a living paries of green , nothing is estimable or quicker than Hedera spiral . It ’s extremely hardy and will fly high in shade as well as in a fair amount of sunlight in all but the hottest climates . Some cultivar grow faster than others ( require your local greenhouse for a recommendation on a well variety for your region ) . You ’ll have to coax the vines to go up by weave the runners up the fencing , but plants in 4 - column inch pots , position a foot asunder , should grow enough to cover a 6 - foot fencing by the end of three growing seasons . reliable , ivy is encroaching — almost anything that ’s fast - growing and evergreen plant will have a hefty root arrangement that ’s knockout to rein in — but you may curb it with root barriers and by pruning . To stave off an ivy encroachment , install a laboured plastic root barrier , making sure it ’s 1 to 2 feet deep ; then sum an attractive top edging of brick or bluestone that extend 3 inches above the stain surface . You ’ll have to prune off the runners that sneak over the edging as often as you’re able to manage ( ideally , about once a calendar month during the arise season ) . But certainly do this at least once a year , when you clean up the garden after frost . You ’ll also need to trim the foliage of the ivy bulwark about twice a year , once in early bound and again in June 21 . ( Before planting a wall of English ivy , or any potentially invasive industrial plant on the edge of your property , remember to confer with with your neighbors . Offer to help oneself install a source barrier on their side , too , and to do the annual pruning . )
If ivy strikes you as boring or too much study , view using wooden lattice painted a deep forest putting surface ( or whatever colour matches your trellises ) . you may buy it quick - made ; it ’s very lightweight and easily wire to a chain - tie-in fencing . Lattice will blot out the fencing in a neutral fashion and offer class - round privacy . With the wicket in place , you could try out with any vines you fancy . It ’s an excellent support for climbing pink wine , clematis , annual vine , or just about anything — but ivy .
