Recommend vines to cover fence archived

Our neighbors put in a chain link fence. They have arbovitae on their side. Our lot is small and the line slants so we can't put anything along the fence that is too wide, so I thought of vines. Any suggestions on what works in our climate and what will disguise the fence without becoming too unruly? Thanks!

No clue, but have you considered something like this? They used it in one of those HGTV shows and it looked great.

What is your sun exposure? I love trumpet vines - they often smell lovely and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. They want full sun.

I've tried growing clematis vines myself, but they keep dying on me. They can work better with shade, although to flower a lot they need sun also. Although I did have wonderful success with a clematis paniculata. Very easy to keep cut down to a nice size. Here's a link
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/26630-product.html#.UWLjAFvwKYE

Here's a link to another nice vine - http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/64637-product.html#.UWLjtVvwKYF

alot of sun exposure on the side I described...

I like the idea of the trumpet vine. I was also considering Moonvines and Morning Glory or Ivy...but ivy looks overgrown and messy to me sometimes.

Ivy is a very woody vine and is a lot of work to remove if you end up not wanting it. Moonvines and morning glories are very nice when they come up. They don't get as full as the paniculata or the trumpet or honeysuckle vines in my experience. Plus, I don't think they are perennial like the others.

jubileefd said:

Our neighbors put in a chain link fence. They have arbovitae on their side. Our lot is small and the line slants so we can't put anything along the fence that is too wide, so I thought of vines. Any suggestions on what works in our climate and what will disguise the fence without becoming too unruly? Thanks!

If you've got sun and you want to very quickly cover it this summer, you could plant morning glories. They'll be very pretty. Just keep in mind that also means you will have morning glories *forever*.

On a probably more helpful note, searching gardenweb is great for questions like this, eg here's a thread called Covering fences with climbing plants and flowers in NJ.

Here's a link to some trumpet vine photos, showing how they tend to cover a fence. Not 100%, but nice.
https://www.google.com/search?q=trumpet+vine&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=_OViUfLiN8b10gHXgoDYCw&ved=0CE8QsAQ&biw=1082&bih=542

Thanks alot of great suggestions..got some homework to do now! Also hoping for something that is perennial since most months let's face it, things are not in bloom. Thanks again

Trumpet vine is very invasive. I planted it 20 years ago - always thought I would love it. It has taken over and pops up everywhere and never bloomed. Cannot kill it. Also if it's the neighbor's fence should you ask them if it's okay?

Well the neighbors are practically encroaching with this fence (among other things), so not really going to run anything by them but still, would like to avoid the highly invasive vines.
So if I'm trying to find a somewhat elegant vine (vs overbearing), that is perennial and not highly invasive - does that leave anything? ;-) All the vines suggested look pretty to me, so I suppose it's more climate and practicality I need to consider.

How about clematis? So pretty.

Have you considered honeysuckle?

I like Euonymus, There is definitely a narrow breed that climbs, I'm just not sure which. It's not flowery but it is evergreen. Maybe Euonymus mixed with a flowering vine?

galileo said:

Trumpet vine is very invasive. I planted it 20 years ago - always thought I would love it. It has taken over and pops up everywhere and never bloomed. Cannot kill it. Also if it's the neighbor's fence should you ask them if it's okay?

Ditto on this. Don't plant trumpet vines on property border or your neighbors will hate you.. You can't get rid of this stuff. It spreads. Really fast, and inexorably. And yes, it doesn't bloom without full sun and even then it's about a 5 year wait.

Any thoughts on rambling, or climbing roses? They are not fussy, are hardy and in the right conditions, they grow very fast, but do need sun. Believe me, if I had sun I would so plant them along one fence line in my yard. They are also very attractive to bees---that is a plus for me, but I know some people would rather avoid them

trumpet vines will not flower for a long time. I have had some for about 4 years now and just get a few flowers. Also, it's not a "great" climber, you'll have to weave it into the fence to establish it. It is now though coming up out of the ground in strange places, and climbing up my garage, so it's getting a little worrisome.

My grandmother had honeysuckle growing on her fence. It smelled lovely and the little flowers were attractive and attracted different types of birds and insects. I don't recall hers spreading all over the place - pretty much stayed on that one fence. The neighbors loved it, because of the scent.

I think I will rule out trumpet vines...don't need non-flowering invaders . I like the sound of Clemantis, and climbing roses sound pretty despite bees! I'm still a fan of moonflower....are any of these perennials.
Honeysuckle is a great idea too but nervous about "weed" like traits.

we have ivy on our metal fence and love it; most spots you can hardly tell there's an ugly metal fence under all those green leaves!

The climbing roses reliably bloom year after year---here's an idea I am trying. I have planted white clematis on the same trellis as my climbing rose. they intertwine and you always have flowers on the same support. You can plant similar colors or roses and clematis---or contrasting colors. The most stunning display I saw, was yellow climbers, and vivid purple clematis. My rose (which is a pale pink) was already established, so last year I planted a white clematis. It is up and climbing, hanging on to the rose and the trellis for support. They both like sun,so they should be good companions.

"Our neighbor put in a chain link fence."
Do you have your neighbors' permission to put vines on their fence? ( If they said, "yes", I have to assume they know little or nothing about vines.)
Looking ahead:
1. Will your neighbors allow you to go on their property to trim your vines regularly?
2. Will your neighbors allow you to go on their property to hand pick your vine's nuisance suckers or to put weed spray on your vine's unwanted sprouts?
3. Note: Unless you maintain those vines and their suckers regularly, they'll eventually wind around and grow up inside your neighbors' arborvitaes.
3. Finally, the day will come when your neighbors' arborvitaes grow large enough to touch the fence. At that point, your neighbors will want you to remove your vines from their fence...permanently. Can you handle that?

"Our lot is small... We can't put anything along the fence that is too wide, so I thought of vines." The thought of placing vines on a neighbors' fence -- vines that could eventually wrap around a neighbor's trees -- is a recipe for future trouble between you and your neighbor. Those vines aren't worth it, not when there are so many alternatives.

Suggestion -- Visit one or two large nurseries (NOT Home Depot or Lowes). As you walk around, talk to their professionals. Ask them to help you draft a list of viable alternatives -- well-behaved plants that can provide visual coverage of that fence without nuisance suckers or vines wrapped around neighbors' trees. Look for plant tags that say: Low maintenance, low water, deer resistant and/or heat tolerant. Maybe your neighbors would like to tag along. Have fun

So, are you saying one cannot plant vines on a fence that borders 2 properties without the neighbor's permission? Not so sure about that. Guess something to ask the town. I can't say we're best friends with this neighbor, or happy about the fence they put right on the property line which is why we are in this predicament.

Depending on the municipality, there is usually a 6 inch set back from the property line, for fences. Check your municipal code.

I don't think that they can put a fence directly on the property line. Have you talked to the town about it?

I agree with the suggestion to go to a nursery and ask what they have that will hide it best. Bring measurements so that they know what kind of space with which you are dealing.

Not in Summit unfortunately. They can go right on the line.

Hi Jubilee -- "Our neighbor put in a chain link fence", and placed it on the property line.

The problem -- I understand your desire to hide that fence. Chain link isn't pretty. But covering your neighbor's chain link fence with vines -- without your neighbors' permission-- isn't the answer. That's just looking for trouble.
That chain link fence is your neighbor's property. It belongs to them. It doesn't belong to you.
Your neighbors could have covered their fence with vines but chose not to. They probably understand how much maintenance vines can require, and what a nuisance they can be, especially when they grow into neighboring yards.

A visual buffer -- Your neighbors installed a visual buffer for themselves, a planting bed with arborvitae trees in it.
You could create a visual buffer for yourself. How?
1. Use their fence and arborvitae trees as background.
2. Take photos of that fence and trees.
3. Take measurements for the future planting bed that you'd like to develop on your side.
4. Bring your photo and measurements to a garden center.
5. Wander around the garden center with a staff professional. Let him/her help you develop a plant list.
6. When you get home, go online and google the name of each plant. Check out their growth habits and list your final choices.
7. Go back to the garden center, final list in hand, and purchase those plants.
8. Note: Digging up a section of lawn to create a planting bed can be tedious. You might want to hire a landscape contractor to do the grunt work.
9. Or, you might want to hire a landscape firm to do the whole job.

You may not like the appearance of your neighbors' chain link fence but it is their fence. Growing vines on THEIR fence isn't the answer. I'm sure any Town official you speak with will agree.

Done properly, this project could beautify your yard and bring you, and your family, pleasure for year to come. Good luck with it.

I'll have to see what the town says, I think the side that faces us is on our property however not sure where vines come in. I would venture to guess they would say that is outside town jurisdiction and between neighbors (much like they said with the neighbor's property which is over the line in one section which we have let pass). It is unfortunately not as simple as you describe, the property line slants in and runs into trees so there is no room for bushes and this would also accentuate the sharp slant inwards. Home Depot would not have enough expertise so we likely have to look for a professional (designer) but I wanted to do some homework on my own first in terms of planting types and options. Looks like my homework is a bit more extensive than I first thought. So those people who do plant vines on fences are doing so on their own fence a ways away from another property? I just assumed most fences would be between properties. Thanks for all the feedback.

Hi Jubilee-- If you google "plants to cover neighbor's chain and link fence", you'll find you're not alone.
forums2.gardenweb.com has lots of comments, suggestions and photos that you might be interested in.

I have never seen Clematis grow 'suckers', but I agree it will reach out and grab hold of anything near the fence.

All the fences I have seen in Maplewood were on the property line (as are both of ours). I plant what I like, and tell my neighbor to feel free to prune anything on their side.

tomcat said:

I have never seen Clematis grow 'suckers', but I agree it will reach out and grab hold of anything near the fence.

All the fences I have seen in Maplewood were on the property line (as are both of ours). I plant what I like, and tell my neighbor to feel free to prune anything on their side.

Good to know, thanks.