What can I plant on a new fence?
Q What self-climbing plants do you recommend to cover a new fence at the bottom of my garden?
Anna Unthank (via email)
A Before planting any self-clinging perennial climber, erect a structure of tensioned plastic-coated wires on which to secure plants. This is better than allowing them to ‘clothe’ the fence itself.n If the fence faces south or west and receives sunshine for most of the day, I suggest that you plant the following:
Akebia quinata (chocolate vine): Prized for its massed display of three-petalled chocolate-hued blooms and fetching compound leaves, it occasionally produces large sausage-like fruits.
Actinidia kolomikta: Twining shoots sleeved with white or pink-tipped leaves grab attention.
Campsis x tagliabuana ‘Madame Galen’: Commonly called Chilean trumpet vine, its large clusters of salmon-orange flowers cheer late summer.
Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’: Evergreen scimitar-shaped leaves complement a mass of snow-white blooms in April.
◼ If the fence is north or east-facing, and is shaded for much of the day, plant the following:
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris: Cartwheels of white blossom deck shoots in early summer and leaves turn golden-yellow in autumn.
Hedera helix ‘Goldheart’: An ivy much admired for its shining creamy-yellow variegated leaves.
Evergreen and sleeved with strongly scented biscuit-yellow flowers in summer, it’s a joy
