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Texas Gardening

What to plant along a fence in Houston?

6 years ago

I have an iron fence that runs North-South in Houston Midtown. The fence is about 6 ft high and 15 ft long. I want to plant something that will grow to cover it. I don't want anything boring like boxwood. Something pretty with flowers would be preferable. The fence doesn't see much sunshine due to its direction and lots of structures and big trees round about. I would be grateful for your ideas.

Featured Answer

Vulture61

6 years ago

I do not live in Houston but I think the plants I am going to suggest do well there. How about different types ofabelia? It has no thorns, it's semi-evergreen and it has flowers. Maybe jasmine vine? I think it's evergreen in Houston and it smells good. Sweet Almond Verbena is an awesome small tree too. I also love Pyracantha. It looks great all year long, feeds the birds and it is drought tolerant. Some people don't like it because it can be propagated by birds to areas where can not be controlled. Your decision. These are only some options. I am sure some other fellow gardeners will have more suggestions.

Omar

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Comments (8)

Eric (8B San Antonio, TX)
6 years ago
A vine? Maybe crossvine, Bignonia capreolata? Or evergreen wisteria, Millettia reticulata (not really a wisteria). If a shrub, how much width are you willing to allow? Bambusa multiplex performs extremely well in Houston. This is a clumping bamboo that will not put out runners and take over the world. There are several varieties from 6 feet height to 30 feet and green or yellow canes. There is even one with variegated leaves. Golden Goddess gets about 8-12 feet. Straight multiplex, often called hedge bamboo, and Alphonse Karr both get about 25 feet. Silverstripe is the largest at 30 feet. Tiny Fern about 8 feet and Riveorum, the smallest, at 6 feet. All these multiplex bamboos can be sheared like a hedge and kept smaller and formal, or left to develop a natural, billowy shape.
Peter Carr thanked Eric (8B San Antonio, TX)
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roselee z8b S.W. Texas
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
There are many good suggestions above. My next door neighbors grow Confederate jasmine on their fence. Maybe I can take a photo later. Here's another link about it.
Peter Carr thanked roselee z8b S.W. Texas
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
6 years ago
I went out and looked at my neighbors Confederate jasmine. I remembered it being fully leafed out from top to bottom. Now I see that it's bushy along the top, but has few leaves along the bottom two or three feet.
Peter Carr thanked roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Vulture61
6 years ago
Another possibility would be a mix of plants, say, lantana and Sweet Almond verbena, or abelia and pyracantha, or lantana and esperanza, or ...?

Omar
Peter Carr thanked Vulture61
Embothrium
6 years ago
The aforementioned star jasmine would do well in the shade and the flowers are very fragrant.
Peter Carr thanked Embothrium
bossyvossy
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The problem with many of non-boring shrubs is that they get bare at the bottom, so after a while the fence looks unevenly covered.

i vote for evergreen wisteria and boring boxwood or ligustrum or eleagnus b/c they stay full, top to bottom. I assume you want to disguise fence so fullness is important, I’d think.

anything that dries up in winter would not be an option for me.
Peter Carr thanked bossyvossy
Embothrium
6 years ago
Climbing plants that get bare or sparse below haven't been trained effectively, have been allowed instead to run to the top and bunch up there. When climbers are placed against vertical surfaces they need to be fanned out and secured in position, so that they end up with evenly dispersed, main branches from the top of the fence or wall to the bottom.

Depending on what specific kinds they are free-standing shrubs can often be pruned so that new, replacement stems are constantly coming along from down low. Resulting in a more even distribution of growth.
Peter Carr thanked Embothrium

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