I've got a bit of a tricky spot in my garden and I'm hoping you all can offer some suggestions. As you can see in the photos, there's a relatively narrow gap between my neighbor's wooden fence and a wire fence. The wire fence isn't mine to remove – it's actually a boundary fence that runs through our estate. So, I'm looking for ideas on what I can plant in that gap to make it look a bit nicer and perhaps add some greenery.
I was thinking about climbing roses, as they're pretty, but I'm worried about them becoming too unruly in such a confined space. Would they even have enough room?
Are there any other climbing plants or narrow, upright shrubs that would thrive here? Ideally something that's relatively low maintenance and won't completely take over. We're in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, so temperate climate.
Any suggestions or experiences you can share would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
by GreenStoneAgeMan
42 Comments
I had one of those metal fences. I just cut it down.
I would plant something in front of the fence to hide it.
I’d suggest it’s very likely that the wire fence is the property line, and you might keep your planting on your side of it.
Is it you or your neighbour who is responsible for maintaining the boundary?
Something like clematis might ramble over the wire fairly well.
You’re not going to be able to reach down and actually plant in between but you could plant on your side for something to grow through the wire. My choices for quick growers (that you could eventually trim as if the fence was a hedge) would be clematis or star jasmine. If you put in clematis Montana for early flowers and clematis viticella for late summer flowers you’ve got it covered. Neither needs special pruning
Planting should be on your side. Plant some Cosmos.
Ivy, if you want to no-contest beat the bind weed.
Both will keep you busy, but ivy is much slower 😉
Perrenial sweetpeas or passion flowers could work.
You’ve got bindweed growing up there, which is pretty but spreads like mad and is an arse to get rid of. In your case I can’t see how you’d remove it with out some kind of pesticide. Decide whether you want to remove it first.
In terms of replacing there are evergreen jasmines that would probably flourish
I’d get rid of the metal fence
Chuck loads of sweet pea seeds down there
Clematis and passion flowers
Give peas a chance!
Evergreen star jasmine
Star jasmine, honeysuckle, scrambling or climbing roses. Use the fence for support. Plant them in front of it
Raspberries
Take your fence down
Fences are generally the property of whoever’s land they’re on – they’re not necessarily the actual property line! It may be that the wire fence is the actual line, and your neighbour has built their fence just within their border. Making that stretch of green your neighbours land. I’d cheekily say no harm in sowing some wild flower seed down there, but be mindful it may not be your land.
You can grow trailing vegetables in that mesh like a trailing strawberry/beans/peas, etc
Hops
I have this I leave it for the bugs and grow beans up the fence in front.
Purple clover between the fences and then create a new bed in front and plant that up.
If you’re wanting a climber I would put in a simple pergola and use that rather than the fence as the structure.
First you need to get rid of the bindweed, very invasive.
The wire fence is a godsend for planting climbers such as clematis, jasmine, honeysuckle. Or if you want to plant espaliers fruit trees ?[https://images.app.goo.gl/ufbqPBvUd8d9gyRu8](https://images.app.goo.gl/ufbqPBvUd8d9gyRu8)
Sweet peas
Id go peas
Try your hand at espalier with pyrocanthus. You should be able to use the metal fence to attach the horizontal wires to train it.
I’d personally dig a border on your side and then grow something like a clematis using the wire fence as a trellis and tying the growth onto the fence…
Beans and peas, any climbers at all
Grapes
Strawberries!
plant a slow climber like climbing roses or clematis or something
Sunflowers
Take the wire one out
I would try garden peas and beans
Rocks
Lathyrus. Will hoist itself up nicely and treat you with a brilliantly scented, deep red blossom
Fruit canes. Perfect environment
Your the only person in the UK who wouldn’t just bin that fence…
Clematis.
Ugh we have one of those. Last neighbours left about 8 inches between the boundary fence (which we can’t remove cos ex-council/private renting) and if we plant anything there it goes under their fence 🙄 (they have 25% ownership and are pretty… nuts.)
I would suggest jasmine or honeysuckle though – something claiming that will hide the short fence and put space between you and them.
As their name suggests- I sow wall flowers
I quite like to put annual climbers in places where I want some interest for a while but don’t want to choke or damage what’s there permanently. Different ones each year for variety. Ipomoea lobata, morning glory, sweet peas, etc. It’s a bit more trouble than just planting things once, but a lot less trouble than dealing with a damaged fence. And maybe add a few snow drop bulbs to get something for another time for year too.
garden peas…