Vines for chain Link fences

14 years ago

I live on a corner lot and I have a chain link fence in the back. I have a boat trailer and other stuff in the back yard. I would like to add some privacy, not be able to see as clearly what's back there. I am thinking of adding some vines to run up the fence and make a cover. The fence is about 4 feet tall, so it won't cover everything but make it look better. I was wondering what the best wine is to grow for our area.

The coverage will be about 100 feet, 50 going along back and 50 along the side. The sun sets right behind the house so the vine would get a lot of sun, so it must be able to handle full sun. My neighbor on the other other side (not facing the street) has some things growing but not much. I dont need to cover the fence area over there. Just 2 of the 3 sides need to be covered.

My first choice was Trumpet Vine, but I have read they are very invasive. I wouldn't want the vine to grow over the side of the neighbor and start to take over the area that I'm not worried about. I would prefer to have a vine to covered the area all year around. The second vine I have heard about is Potato Vine. I have also heard about Jasmine Pandorea Jasminoides, and Pink Jasmine Vine. As anyone used any of these or any others that they have liked.

I live in Nashville to help with weather idea.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1274372}}

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Comments (9)

brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
Lots of different plants are called Potato Vine, so I don't know which you might be considering. I think most are not (at least reliably) hardy in TN.

Pandorea jasminoides - Bower Vine is not (at least reliably) hardy here.

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It sounds like you may want something that's at least semi-evergreen or evergreen. Also natives are always good choices. Here are a few suggestions to look at:

Bignonia capreolata 'Jekyll' (reliably evergreen) or 'Tangerine Beauty' (very floriferous) or 'Dragon Lady' (?) - Cross Vine

Gelsemium sempervirens 'Margarita' - Carolina Jessamine

Lonicera x heckrottii - Goldflame Honeysuckle
rockguy
14 years ago
Cross vine and Honeysuckle both would cover a fence but would need some pruning occasionally to keep the neighbors happy. Problem comes when you want to remove them, they're gonna be woody down by the ground and tangled in the fence. On the other hand something like Scarlet Runner Bean would grow fast but die out in winter.
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Sometimes the best way to hide an eyesore is to distract from it with something really beautiful to look at elsewhere. Trying to hide something may only serve to call attention to it. Are you happy with the rest of your back garden? Focus on making it an attractive and useful area. A black chain link fence will tend to visually disappear into the neighbor's planned landscaping -- depending on what is planted, of course. Perhaps all that is needed is some patience? A photo would reveal more of the story.
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this is a very old discussion, however, I have dealt with a very nasty, very large trumpet vine. It grew from some people behind our houses and invaded a rather new redwood fence - and took it to the ground. The neighbor to next door to me and I got out there and started cutting the vine down. It took us 3 or 4 months to get the thing down to the ground. Then I drilled holes in the stubs of the root balls and poured stump killer in them and wet them down with roundup. When we would see shoots coming up - we used straight roundup on them. But it is gone. It took us a couple of years to get completely rid of it - but we did it. There is still some in the backyards to our houses - but we don't let it get started on our side. You just have to stay after it - it is terribly invasive.
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I live in south Orange County. I have a Clematis montana "Grandiflora" that is encouraged to ramble up a pine tree. It is one of my favorite vines! Beautiful 3-4" white flowers cover it for several months in the spring. Not a hint of mildew on the leaves, unlike some other clematis I've grown. Very quick growing and pest free. I pruned it heavily after flowering, and it is almost as large as it was before the whack. BUT, as stated above, vines on chain link fences are a maintenance challange. I'd avoid the trumpet vine, jasmine and silver lace vine as those all like to grow top-heavy. The star jasmine has tough stems; I've heard tales of it being very difficult to free it from the chain link because it requires a lot of pruning and unwinding to free it. (My skin reacts to star jasmine sap, so I avoid growing it. Therefore, not much first-hand with this one). Have you considered an espallier? I'd recommend something like lavender starflower. It is a tough, easy-to-grow shrub that looks good year-round. The leaves are an attractive green and the flowers are a hit with butterflies and hummingbirds. The stems branch in a flat pattern, making it a natural for espaliers. Quick growing once it gets started. An espalier would be less maintenance that a vine. This post was edited by Gyr_Falcon on Mon, Sep 9, 13 at 15:45
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The very nature of a vine is to grow as much as possible and all can become "invasive" after awhile unless vigorously controlled. The 3 you mention will grow to cover the fence but you'd have to keep after them as they can also crawl along the ground and get into any nearby trees or shrubs. You may want to consider clematis - perhaps mixing types to get blooms from spring through summer. Some of the type 3s can grow quite strongly but can then be cut back to a couple pairs of buds each year. The type 1s & 2s can form a woody trunk that would remain in place to resprout new growth.
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brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
I agree with Rockguy about the problem of eventual removal for the woody evergreen vines, BUT think the yearly maintenance needed to keep the fence clean when an annal or herbaceous perennial dies back would add up to much more work in the long run. The best way to avoid having to clean the fence out is to make the woody plant a permanent feature, or, to use fence panels or shrubs and forget about adding vining plants.
paperart
14 years ago
I grow Clematis on my fence. I have several types so I have blooms most all summer. I also have a sweet autumn clematis on one section in front and it takes over but is worth it for the spectacular display in August. I do have to cut them back in the fall, actually sometimes I am lazy and don't cut them and they bloom anyway, but they are not a problem to pull of the fence.

Here is a link that might be useful: growing clematis
mechele211
14 years ago
I have two sections of chain link fence with sweet autumn clematis on them and have several more seedlings that I will be planting along the fence this spring. They grew fast enough to cover the fence in two years, faster than most clematis varieties. I have not had a problem with them spreading too much. They always have a few dead branches at the end of the winter to remove and I occasionally have to trim back a branch here or there that reaches out to the nearby roses but overall they do a good job of screening and are very low maintenance. That's why I plan to add several more of them.
laccanvas
14 years ago
If you really want a vine...you would have to train it...which may take some time. I would plant a giant Clematis, Hummingbird Vine, which are safe vines or Silver Lace Vine (may be invasive, but not crazy)..most vines are invasive...and you do not want that..especially your neighbors.

I would personally plant hedges. Bridal white spirea is beautiful..or purple lilac hedge, even rose of sharon. I f you want something edible to utilize all that sun...plant a grape vine (seedless or with seeds), or maybe a dwarf cherry tree. You could even plant a row of blueberry plants, or rasberry bushes. :)
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
The TN-EPPC doesn't list Fallopia baldschuanica (Silverlace Vine). If it is invasive at all in TN, it would be very minimally.

Actually, relatively few vines are invasive in TN. The TN-EPPC only lists 15 species of vines including the ones listed as possibly invasive (alert). See link below.

Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon) is an invasive in Tennessee. There are a few "sterile" (actually they aren't completely sterile, but are much better than the typical species) cultivars, if you really want to use that plant. They produce pretty flowers, but overall are, IMO, only marginally attractive as an ornamental shrub.

I really like the idea of blueberry bushes. Soil preparation and careful selections of cultivars, to match your climate, would be very important for this plant, BUT, think of the payoff (lots of fresh blueberries and happy birds). Evergreen blueberries might be useful to block the view / provide privacy year-round.

Here is a link that might be useful: Invasive Plants in Tennessee
laccanvas
14 years ago
I like the idea of edibles personally, but vines seem to be ideal if you want to cover something... The Hummingbird Vine seems really cool, b/c it gives to the little bird. Clematis seems to be popular, but I don't like the way their flowers look personally in my yard..I'm sure I would think they were awesome in someone elses.
katiedidcottage
14 years ago
I planted some Lady Banks Roses on my fence when I had a chain link. Lady Banks are prolific growers and long lasting. Mine didn't even lose all the leaves in the winter. I threaded a lot of the vines through. Do some research on Lady Banks Roses.

Vines for chain Link fences

Comments (9)

brandon7 TN_zone7

rockguy

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