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South Florida - vines for chain link fence - part sun

catherineotoole

5 years ago

I live in Miami and bought a house that has a 6 foot chain link fence all around. I planted Clusias all along the fence but it’s going to take at least another year or two for them to completely fill in and give me privacy. I have a lot of shade near the fence and was looking for recommendations for a quick growing vine to cover the fence. Please help!

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Comments (3)

mr1010
5 years ago
Blue Clock Vine is a rapid grower and will take a bit of shade and still bloom.

The flowers are soft colored and beautiful. The vine will grow so rapidly

that it will fill in a fence very quickly.
Embothrium
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Fan the branches out from near the ground during the early stages or you will end up with nearly all the growth bunched up at the top of the fence.

This needs to be done with all climbers in such situations, and not just this kind. The purpose of a climbing growth habit is to be able to get and stay in the light, with many climbing plants continuing to try and reach up as high as possible regardless of the setting.

Because of the unending need for pruning and training that this growth behavior creates - when non-dwarf climbers are used to furnish confined and/or defined spaces like fences, walls and other less than capacious architectural features - I've come to the conclusion that most of the time the other-than-highly-dedicated should be planting free-standing shrubs in such places.
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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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There are many wonderful vines - some perennial and some annual. For a well-behaved perennial I like sweet autumn clematis - it gets huge, covers itself in small white blooms and is fragrant. For an annual vine, you might like morning glories - there are so many pretty ones.
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You could train wisteria to grow outwards from each planting along the tops of the fence, and the foliage and blooms would drape downwards. But it will take time to train. You could also do grapes as well. Both have a nice winter wood. Second poster is right about something to consider, though. Any strong woody vine will grow through and very likely bend the chain link. It won't break it (probably), but if you ever decide to get rid of the plants, you'll have lots of intricate pruning to do, plus the fence will be a little warped in spots. Something to consider.
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Florida_Joe's_Z10a
5 years ago
Blue clock vine covered my ugly 30' long chain link fence in one season. My neighbor has clerodendrum Splendens on his fence and it does an excellent job as well, blooming all winter long into spring. Mexican flame vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides) has been another very rapid grower for me. I planted three several feet apart.

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