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How do I make this area look beautiful?

visgraatvisgraat Posts: 4
in Plants

Hello all,

Newbie gardener here. The side of my house is drab and needs making pretty. I am going to put some trellis' up over the fence (see photo) and need some climbing plants to make the area come alive. The fence is north facing, but does get oblique sun for most of the year. I've dug down by the fence, but can only get 2in before hitting hard brick, so I'm wondering if I can grow my climbing plants in containers.

I'm looking for a plant that is green all year round and maybe flowers too. The total length to cover is around 6-8m.

I've been recommended honeysuckle, clematis and Pileostegia Viburnoides. (climbing hydragea). But that was before I knew that I;d have to plant in containers.

Any ideas anyone? - all advice welcome!

Thanks, visgraat

image

Posts

  • visgraatvisgraat Posts: 4

    I can;t seem to get the photo to upload - basically it's a grey fence by a grey paved path.

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505

    There's a glitch. Try again after the weekend.image

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • CFCCFC Posts: 71

    I think you will only be limited by how big a container you can get hold of...size is important

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    Have you tried digging st various points along the fence. It could be that the builders have been a bit over generous with the concrete for the posts. I would have another go and even try digging out the rubble. In the ground is much better than pots. 

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093

    There are a few smaller clematis varieties that will grow in a pot and also a number of climbing annuals - not least the various beans, runners & borlotti for example, that are beautiful plants as well as edible, and will grow in pots.

    Another option would be to have smaller climbers - one of the small climbing roses, say, or a small cordon tree - sour cherry, perhaps, - which will grow quite well in pots. Make a more glamorous 'trellis' so that seeing more of the structure that's there is a good thing in itself (i.e. make a structure yourself from pieces of wood rather than buying pre-made trellis. (google 'DIY trellis' for some ideas)

    Any climber is quite a big plant so to grow in a pot requires a large pot or trough and then care with feeding and watering. In the ground is easier, so it is worth some further investigation, as hogweed suggests, to see if there are any places where you could get a plant in the ground - even if it's only at one end - so you can get one or two larger plants in to give more cover and the use some smaller pot dwellers to 'fill in' where there's no soil.

    Last edited: 25 June 2017 11:13:18

    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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