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Clematis versus Ivy
Not tonight Josephine
Posts: 2
in Plants
Hi
I have a fence where I have cut back the ivy, hard, and now I would like to have a pretty smelly flower to grow in a pot there instead.
I was umming and ahing over wisteria and clematis, but now leaning towards clematis, so my main issue is, the Ivy is still on the other side of the fence, and also in an adjoining garden, so really difficult to completely erradicate.
As they are both climbers, who will win the fight to cover my fence and the trellis that I am putting up above the fence?
Or will they both live happily together getting all twisted, and give me a lovely ddark green foliage thorugh winter and beautiful flowers in the summer?
Any recommendatiosn for a fast growing clem?
thanks 
0
Posts
Sorry, should also say, this will be a south facing fence, a right little sun trap. I am loking to cover around 18' length and 6' height
You could go for group 3 clematis, and then you can prune the whole lot (including any returning Ivy) hard in early spring. Go for good size containers and try to give the roots some shade if possible.
There are literally hundreds of types of Clematis (including evergreen varieties) and if you want it to flower in the summer, some vigorous types such as viticella or tangutica Bill Mcenzie are worth considering.
Spring flowering armandii or montanas will also do the trick. Montanas are absolute beasts - seriouly fast growing.
Just be cautious about the moisture retention of the neighbouring Ivy and a Clematis combination as it will cause rot issues that'll decrease the fence lifespan. The weight of a large clematis is surprisingly heavy. The shoots of Ivy that come creeping through gaps in the fence needs to be controlled, which is easier said than done if a huge clematis is the way... just saying