Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Evergreen cover for bare, north-facing fence.

KJPKJP Posts: 14
in Plants
I have an 8' stretch of north facing boundary fence (c. 6' high) that needs covering, ideally with something evergreen.  Soil ok but basically alkaline clay.  In addition to being north facing, the site also gets some chill winds.  Elsewhere along the fence I already have a few varieties of honeysuckle, plus a schizophragma hydrangeoides and a couple of evergreen clematis (NB both of the last two are struggling) and would like something tough and reliably evergreen to break up the space in midwinter.  I wondered about espaliering a pyracantha - has anyone done this, and if so, is it done in the same way as an espaliered apple or pear tree?  Or any other ideas?
«1

Posts

  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    Hi @KJP
    • Is that "boundary" fence all yours, or the neighbour's or "shared"?
    • A photo might help.
  • KJPKJP Posts: 14
    Hi Papi Jo - it is technically the neighbour’s fence but they can’t see my side and don’t object to my growing plants against it or attaching trellis etc to it.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Variegated ivy?
  • KJPKJP Posts: 14
    Thanks Posy - yes, that is probably my fall-back but I want to explore the pyracantha espalier option as it would give flowers and berries (hopefully!)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I used to regularly drive past a pyracantha espaliered against a cottage ... it looked very good and is certainly something I’d like to try if I had a similar space. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    Pyracantha would be excellent. Alternatives are Clematis armandii, and the under-used but brilliant Pileostegia viburnioides. None of the photos do credit to it.
  • KJPKJP Posts: 14
    Thanks Cambridgerose12.  Sadly I don’t think my site is sheltered enough for the clematis or the Pileostegia but I agree they are both glorious if grown in the right conditions.
  • KJPKJP Posts: 14
    Thanks Pansyface - sounds fantastic!  I'll take due warning about the ferocity of the spines, but think I will go for it.  I'm just not sure how to do it - did you espalier exactly like a fruit tree, i.e. cut the leader every year to create new laterals, or did you train the leader upright and then just prune out the growth you didn't want and tie in the growth you did?
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    We have a 30ft x 6ft Pyracantha, along an 8ft high fence.  The Pyracantha used to be 8ft high, and it was wonderful, as it completely covered the fence, however it was a bugger to cut.  We reduced the height to 6ft, so we don't need a ladder anymore to cut it.

    It provides great evergreen structure during Winter, however as mentioned above, it is lethal to cut, however we absolutely love it.  It can be espaliered, and I've attached a photo below of a stunning example of this, from York Gate garden in Leeds.


    It can take a while to get established, but if happy, and watered and fed, it can grow very quickly.  We need to do 2-3 prunings per year, and occasionally 4. 

    Here's ours, in blossom, but sadly not espaliered.


  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    KJP said:
    Hi Papi Jo - it is technically the neighbour’s fence but they can’t see my side and don’t object to my growing plants against it or attaching trellis etc to it.

    @KJP I'd be very wary of attaching anything (trellis or climbing plants) to a fence that I do not own. Neighbours change, and new neighbours may not be as tolerant as the current ones. Some plants can easily damage fences, especially wooden ones (you did not mention what material that fence is made of).
    As for Pyracantha, I had some once in another garden, never again.Too aggressive. :'(
    On a more positive note, for a North facing wall/fence, I'd recommend the climbing hydrangea Hydrangea petiolaris. But it might overgrow its allocated space.
Sign In or Register to comment.