Something like pyracantha would not go wandering too much, but you would have to prune it back. I keep mine to just over head height and it doesn't block light. It can be a dense, evergreen shrub but responds fine to being cut hard or trained. I would think that Star jasmine is far more likely to end up in places you don't want it to go.
My concern about a structure creating a gap between it and the boundary fence, is the likelihood of creating an area which is difficult if not impossible to weed … all sorts of plants will appear in that gap courtesy of birds that perch on the fence … ivy, blackberry and rowan are just some of the plants that regularly appear at the foot of our fence, not to mention Goosegrass, Dog’s mercury, stinging nettles, thistles, willow herbs and goat willow etc etc etc that drift in on the breeze or arrive in some unknown way.
You’ll need to be sure that you have adequate access to regularly weed that gap, otherwise the problems of weeds spreading from your side of the fence into your neighbour’s garden will be far worse for neighbourly relations than a few climbing roses and clematis could ever be, believe me 😱
Nice to see another fan of The Butterfly Brothers - I've known Jim for a few years - they're great. I also wanted to recreate the fence mentioned in the book but as far as I can make out it's impossible with an existing fence (not my side) with concrete gravel boards, as I couldn't fix trellis posts into the ground without disrupting the existing concrete. Would love to hear/see what you end up doing @boragejohnson !
Their book is currently my how-to gardening bible - lots of useful tips in it.
As Fire says, roses and pyracantha won’t wander and invade. They don’t cling and you control their growth by how you tie them in and prune them. A group 3 clematis, which you chop down to near the ground every year, is much more controllable than, say, a wandering monster montana which may well weave it’s way through the fence, invade over the top and probably being the whole fence down. So it’s all about right plant choices.
Aside from the mega cost, access for weeding and fence maintenance with the mesh/trellis arrangement would indeed be very difficult and personally I think the whole thing is overkill. If you are fixed on climbers, I would forget the whole mesh/trellis combo and just use the traditional vine eye and tensioned wire support direct on the fence and plant well-behaved climbers. That way you have easy access to snip off anything that is tempted to sample next door. A halfway house would be to stretch mesh directly on the fence then attach the vine eyes and wires, just cut out the trellis. Ideally pick a colour that blends in with the colour of your fence and make sure it’s robust enough to be stretched and battened into place.
Makes a lot of sense - the idea of trellis is more to facilitate wildlife than anything else, that 10 cm void between fence and trellis being a great place to put nest boxes etc. and harbour all sorts of things - I've not seen this done in the flesh, just from pictures in the book, so just trying to figure out the best way to
I think the 'problem' of weeds really isn't a problem. Not if you have a proper covering on the soil in the bed you'll have. A thick layer of mulch [anything] will help. Bear in mind that the fence will block a lot of weeds blowing in, because you'll have it in the aspect which prevents it, unless I'm completely misunderstanding your site. Our wind in the west of Scotland comes predominantly from the west, and south west. I get virtually no weeds at all in any of the beds along my fences, until the part which forms the front garden, simply because it's lower, and more open, rather than the solid, double sided one in the back. I also think people are over reacting about fences too. If it's good quality, and properly done, it lasts for many many years, regardless of what's planted on or near it. For example, the fence we put in at the house round the corner from here is still perfectly fine - over 20 years on. Your choice as to how you proceed though
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
...to execute the plan. No doubt, this ain't gonna be cheap.
How about trialing trellis in one part of the garden? You don't need to lay out for 34m of trellis all in one go.
I picked up 5m of trelllis a few weeks ago for free from a neighbour - it's worth keeping eyes out on Freecycle etc for freebies - better for the env too to find second hand.
I would say that dense pyracantha or hawthorn planting could be equally as good as leaving a trellised off section. It offers it's own type of 'trellising'. The thorns would possibly put off cats from meandering or larger birds getting in. [Caveat: that I haven't seen the BB's info on the wildlife advantages of trellis]. I would argue that any cheap plan that doesn't need materials to be brought in or taken out is going to have the advantage.
I lined the bases of my hedges with logs to create more habitat. You could put off-cuts of pallets and put stick / leaf piles back there once the hedging is more mature.
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I have been following Joel on Youtube for a while.
About the question of weeding ... I have a wildlifey section left totally untouched between a shed and a fence - about 4m long. It's a very tricky space to get into now as I have a water butt blocking one end and roses at the other, though access is techically possible, if tight. Recently brambles have seeded in there and it is a pain. I do address them but they do come back. I do like have at least theoretical access to all areas, for repair and maintenance. Just a thought.
You might find birds and critters much prefer the native hedge you have on the other side rather than the trellis arrangement where the big scary human will be footling and pruning! As Fire says, there are many ways to encourage wildlife via log piles, untended piles of leaves, bee hotels etc. Ground nesting birds prefer natural shrubbery while others like their nesting boxes to be high off the ground, ideally in a little-disturbed area well away from cats and other predators. A trial section of the trellis/mesh combo os a good idea, that way, if the wildlife totally ignores it you have not expended a huge wodge of cash. Wildlife need three things - undisturbed nesting sites, food via the provision of the right nectar and berry plants and water. Don’t forget the water!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that what wildlife likes best of all is just being left totally alone - no footling, pruning, prodding or exploration. If you can have a section of your garden where you don't even go, so much the better. No need to fence it off - just give them space.
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Very useful - thanks Fire
Hmm - good point
Their book is currently my how-to gardening bible - lots of useful tips in it.
Makes a lot of sense - the idea of trellis is more to facilitate wildlife than anything else, that 10 cm void between fence and trellis being a great place to put nest boxes etc. and harbour all sorts of things - I've not seen this done in the flesh, just from pictures in the book, so just trying to figure out the best way to
Our wind in the west of Scotland comes predominantly from the west, and south west. I get virtually no weeds at all in any of the beds along my fences, until the part which forms the front garden, simply because it's lower, and more open, rather than the solid, double sided one in the back.
I also think people are over reacting about fences too. If it's good quality, and properly done, it lasts for many many years, regardless of what's planted on or near it. For example, the fence we put in at the house round the corner from here is still perfectly fine - over 20 years on.
Your choice as to how you proceed though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...