Edible fencing :)

[Andestine]

Hello to everyone here

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

I have a single very transparent layer of wired brushwood screening attached to upright half-poles (the same running across the top of the screening) acting as a completely inefficient 'fence' (6 ft (1.8 m) high and 43 ft (13.1 m) long) between me and my neighbours. It faces north with its back clearly exposed to the south, and the screening is so thin that plenty of southern light gets through to our side. Our climate is mild, no deep frosts, rarely any snow.

I really value my privacy, and need to find some climbers which will quickly provide dense cover all year round. However, I want whatever I plant to be wildlife-friendly.

I have a very straggly garden which birds and insects seem to like, and I want to turn the whole thing into a wildlife garden, but can only afford one thing at a time, starting with the fence.

I'm very attracted to the idea of using honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) but when I enquired at a nursery they said it might not provide all-year cover. Is that correct?

I would love to hear of any suggestions for other plants I could use from more-experienced gardeners here. I've loved wild plants all my life, and don't actually like most showy garden plants.So I'm trying to turn the garden into a controlled wilderness that will please the landlord (he tells me to go ahead and do as I please as long as nothing creeps over too aggressively onto the neighbours' properties). I can even plant trees. I'll only be staying here for a few years, sadly, but I'm determined to do as much as I can for the local wildlife while I'm here.

Which means I'll be coming back here, soliciting help, on a regular basis

Andestine

[loripo]

Have a look at the suggestions on this thread, there is also a link that you could check up on...

Climbing plant suggestion please.

Lovely idea - I envy you an 'outside'
signed Flatdweller

[Andestine]

Hello Loripo,

Thank you for that very helpful link. I'll be looking at it in more detail tomorrow as time's running out at this end.

I can sympathise with your feelings about flat-dwelling. Before now I lived for many years in a city, and then on a very rough housing estate. Now I have a lovely small house in a rural area, quiet neighbours (who all feed birds ) and this wonderful bit of garden to do what I like with. It's the best time of my life

I hope you often have the chance to get out amongst nature, and that you can escape to the countryside, as I did, one day.

Andestine

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Andestine

I have a single very transparent layer of wired brushwood screening attached to upright half-poles (the same running across the top of the screening) acting as a completely inefficient 'fence' (6 ft (1.8 m) high and 43 ft (13.1 m) long) between me and my neighbours. Andestine

Brushwood screening is not necessarily a good support for climbers, certainly tieing in may provide problems and the weight of plants may well over stress the top pinning of the screening.

Given that you are renting the property and therefore do not want go to the expense of replacing the screening with a more suitable support I'd suggest at the very least you add plastic netting, fixing it securely to the upright and top half-poles.

As to planting - clematis will give you a fast cover, honeysuckle can sometimes take a year or two to get going. If you do go for clematis do read up on their planting needs as they can be quite fussy where there roots are and in dealing with lack of water.

13 metres is quite a long run to cover only with climbers, my instinct would be to break up the visual line of the fence by planting some shrubs or small trees in irregular patterns at varying distances from the fence - 0.5 metres to 2 metres - you'll be surprised with just a few plants how much the 'eye' is taken away from the fence. This will also extend the range of wildlife friendly plants you can include and it is likely to be more practical to be able to lift non climbers for transfer to a future garden if and when you do move on. And while you are waiting for the fence to become covered you could experiment with annual climbers such as sweet pea and and morning glory.

CM

[Tursiops2]

Hi Andestine, welcome to WAB, we have similar tastes in plants

A suggestion to add to Cotham Marble's excellent advice: if you can find a source of coppiced Hazel or Willow near you (your local Wildlife Trust may be able to help), think about constructing a "dead hedge" 10cm - 20cm inside the line of the brushwood screening - this is basically a line of stakes 50cm - 1m apart, with long "beanpole" type Hazel or Willow rods interwoven horizontally between them. This will provide a sturdier support for climbers, look nicer than the brushwood, and the gap beween the two structures will (eventually) become filled with plant stems creating nest sites for birds. Perhaps include Loganberry and thornless Blackberry in your list of climbers.

It would be nice to see some photos of your garden
T2

[tcvarlh]

Hello,
Not perhaps the most vivid of plants but one that provides, in my garden at least, an abode for the feisty Wren who lets me know I am trespassing on a daily basis, a Robin and a Dunnock who seem to be in a perpetual feud over the disputed territory around the Grill, sundry Blackbirds, Woodies pretending to be Tits, hanging head down to get at the fruits, nesting places for Tits and a hunting ground for other birds, my Winter Flowering Hedera. It can be brutally cropped and seems to enjoy the violence. Of course, it also attracts Wasps, but as I have a Hornets nest in there somewhere too the Wasps prefer to visit and not set up home.
Honeysuckle is wonderful but come Autumn a little skeletal and somewhat depressing.
I would suggest planting more than one climber and just let nature do its bit. Pop in whatever you fancy, within reason of course.
Have lots of fun with it
h

[Tursiops2]

Just an afterthought... If you're feeling ambitious, consider this Allotment Forestry SIMPLE RUSTIC FENCES as an alternative to the dead hedge

[Andestine]

Hello CM,

Your suggestion for adding extra support sounds very sensible, and is one I wouldn't have thought of. I will make sure to add something suitable before planting out the climbers.

I do have a fondness for Clematis (one of five garden flowers I like) and will look at all the different varieties to see what will best suit the conditions here.

I admit that 13 m is a long run, and I agree with your instincts about breaking up the straight lines. We're going to plant a small birch grove at the top end of the garden and fill the rest with a mixture of wildlife-friendly plants, many of which will soften the stretch of fencing. I admit to not having much of a plan as yet, but I don't really mind what it looks like at the end as long as it's full of wildlife

I very much like your idea of using Sweet Pea and Morning Glory while the more permanent climbers are getting established. Forgive my ignorance, but can I grow them over the other ones? Or in the gaps between them?

Thanks for all the great ideas

Andestine

[Andestine]

Hello T2,

Hi Andestine, welcome to WAB, we have similar tastes in plants

Thanks for the welcome; I was hoping to find like minds here . I'm in a constant battle with a nursery man who keeps assuming that because I'm female I'm going to love lots of pretty garden show flowers, but most of them might as well be plastic for all the emotion they stir in me. The wild Flax that’s recently flowered outside our back door is something to sing about though Well, OK, I have to own up, it *could* be from our birdseed, but we do have lots of wild flax around at the moment too

A suggestion to add to Cotham Marble's excellent advice: if you can find a source of coppiced Hazel or Willow near you (your local Wildlife Trust may be able to help), think about constructing a "dead hedge" 10cm - 20cm inside the line of the brushwood screening - this is basically a line of stakes 50cm - 1m apart, with long "beanpole" type Hazel or Willow rods interwoven horizontally between them. This will provide a sturdier support for climbers, look nicer than the brushwood, and the gap between the two structures will (eventually) become filled with plant stems creating nest sites for birds.

I'll definitely look into this. It's a great idea, and would make the fence more opaque while the climbers are growing. At the moment I feel a bit exposed as I take photos of insects, stargaze or batwatch.....you know; out there at night with a pair of binoculars or a box that sounds like a Geiger counter - people just don't understand

Perhaps include Loganberry and thornless Blackberry in your list of climbers.

I hadn’t thought of soft fruit plants and didn’t even know that thornless Blackberry’s existed. I’ll check that out too.

It would be nice to see some photos of your garden

Ah, not yet. The last tenants left me with a low pink wall. Pink! I haven’t finished shuddering yet (and will be back to ask more advice about dealing with it later). In the meantime you'll be able to see small green portions surrounding any insects I post

Thanks for the link. I’m looking into everything very closely.

Andestine

[Andestine]

Good morning H,

my Winter Flowering Hedera. It can be brutally cropped and seems to enjoy the violence

You made me laugh imagining that in action. I trim our ivy with a pair of secateurs. Am I being too gentle with it? I'm a pathetic gardener as I can't bear killing things, so it takes me an age in relocations to an adjoining field.

Of course, it also attracts Wasps, but as I have a Hornets nest in there somewhere too the Wasps prefer to visit and not set up home.

I like wasps, so attracting them isn't a problem. They don't hurt me and I never harm them. Your ivy is beginning to sound like a fascinating small forest. Will hornets defend a nest if you go near it, or only if you disturb it?

I like the idea of Winter Flowering Hedera very much, and I know it's best for wildlife, but it's not much loved by the neighbours on t'other side of fence. However, I'm doing my bit on the opposite side as the wild kind rambles at will over the drystone walls and through the other neighbours' gloriously undisciplined 10 ft tall x 8 ft wide Eleagnus ( x ebbingei ) hedge, weaving about with the brambles and holly. That's all crammed full of nesting birds come spring. Now I need to bring some life to that sterile fence, although it makes a great perch and provides nesting materials.

a Robin and a Dunnock who seem to be in a perpetual feud over the disputed territory around the Grill, sundry Blackbirds, Woodies pretending to be Tits, hanging head down to get at the fruits,

There's no feud between our robin and dunnock - the latter never disputes anything. Just sits there, when the robin comes, in abject anticipation of defeat. It seems to get up before the robin and comes to our back door tseeting for its breakfast every morning. And I've watched Woodies stuffing themselves with ivy berries. Ours fall off a lot though. Inexplicably they seem to have no knowledge of the laws of physics

I agree with your 'letting nature take its course' philosophy, so (taking note of what's suitable for the conditions here) I'll probably plant out a selection from all the suggestions, and whatever survives deserves to be there.

And really, I've searched and searched, but I can't come up with the translation of your signature. Norwegian, is it? I know you must have been asked this many times, but do put me out of my misery and let me know what it means

(I know. I’ll have to rein myself in, really I will. Keeping on topic is going to be a trial for me, but it’s so good to finally meet people who have similar interests

Andestine