Chain link fence bush/hedging

kelly.milneleWfwSpL · April 2021

Hi guys!
Nooby McNooberson here 👋

We have a chain link fence (lucky us) and I’ve tried a few things to hide it or create a less transparent cage/fence like screening and panelling, I’ve also tried just ignoring it but it does irk me.

We’ve dug up the old stones and woodchip areas from our garden, we are starting from ‘scratch’ and we’d like to plant a lovely privet/Ligustrum ovalifolium/cherry Laurel around the garden to hide the fence.

I’m looking for something that will establish, grow fairly quick and dense but most importantly grow ‘through’ the chain link to create a sturdy bush/hedge.

At the other side of our garden/fence is a public walkway so a neighbours boundary isn’t a problem as I’ll have full access to be able to trim it back in about 5 years to come when the hedge is lovely and tallish.

Can anyone please recommend a type of hedging perennial bush that will grow well through a chain link fence?

I’d like to buy at least x15 small shrubs.

KT53 · April 2021

I had a chain link fence replaced with panels and was initially very happy with it. Then I realised just how long it takes to apply treatment to 150 feet of 3 feet high timber fencing. The panels also put the entire border in full shade for most of the day so haven't exactly been the most successful investment ever.

KeenOnGreen · April 2021

No experience of chain link, but Privet does grow fast, and I’m sure it would easily grow through it. Lonicera nitida has a very fine foliage, and grows very quickly, and could be an alternative to Privet.

If you do go for Privet, take a look at Ligustrum argenteum, which is the variegated form. It’s very attractive.

Nollie · April 2021

I have inherited lonicera (nitida, possibly) growing through a long stretch of chainlink fence and you wouldn’t know the fence was there. Bit bare at the bottom, though, but that could be because it wasn’t trimmed properly by the previous owner to encourage it to bush out.

K67 · April 2021

Pyracantha grows fairly fast and far more interesting. Obviously a bit more work in training it along though.

KeenOnGreen · April 2021

Good point @K67 Pyracantha is much better for wildlife than Privet, our our Pyracantha hedge looks stunning when in blossom, however with a public walkway on the other side of the fence, I would only use it if I was very confident that I could always keep it well trimmed. The spikes are lethal.

Obelixx · April 2021

Our plot is in the countryside and has a chain/metal grid fence all round. The great thing about that is that the light gets in all round so pretty well anything you plant that is suited to the soil and local climate conditions will grow well and disguise your fence.

Previous owners planted a mixed shrub border along our roadside boundary when they extended the fence to close off the rear - viburnum, photinia red robin, choisya, forsythia, philadelphus, hibiscus, wegelia, abelia grandiflora and leycesteria and a lone birch are all in the mix.

Check your soil type and pick a plant or mix of plants that pleases you and bear in mind that small, whips planted in autumn will be much cheaper and establish more quickly than potted plants bunged in now. That gives you plenty of time to prepare the soil by removing any perennial weeds and rubble and roots and then lay on a good thick line of mulch for the worms and rain to work in for you so it's ready for planting time.

JennyJ · April 2021

If you want something that can be clipped into a formal hedge I would go for privet too. Easy to cut, unfussy about conditions, no thorns (and being along a public path you might find that you need to pull rubbish out of it from time to time), and will regrow if any gets broken off from the public side, or if it eventually outgrows its space and needs a hard cut back.

Chain link fence bush/hedging

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