Back fence damaged by wind

At least four of the posts have been broken at ground level in one of the recent storms.


The fence is a standard 6' high post and rail structure with feather-edge boarding on the neighbour's side.
The fence itself is not at all attractive and I would like to obscure it as much as possible with plants throughout the year. Up till now I have tied plants to wires strung between the posts.
I will have to completely replace the fence, and I will have to cut back several of the climbing plants, such as the winter jasmine, the honeysuckle and the hardy climbing fuchsia, to ground level, leaving the fence even more exposed.

Trellis

One way of drawing attention away from the fence and giving lots of plant support might be to fix a trellis of treated battens to my side of the posts.
This could have quite a coarse pitch, and would run continuously along the whole length of the fence. It should be made to look attractive as well as acting as a support for the plants.
It could possibly be painted, in which case the paint would have to age gracefully because it would never be renewed.


  1. Top of the posts and feather-edging.
  2. Ground
  3. 4" x 4" x 6' posts
  4. Battens with the horizontals fixed to the posts to make a continuous trellis. The squares could be about 40cm on a side.

Nice possibility from 'The Garden' March 2021.

Current issues

With or without the new fence there are some planting issues to be addressed:


  1. The winter jasmine in the NE corner was in the garden when I arrived, and has never done very well, for some reason.
  2. The hardy fuchsia was in the garden when I arrived. It's attractive in the summer, but scruffy in the winter.
  3. Clematis 'Nellie Moser'. Very attractive in the summer, but leaves a bare space in the winter.
  4. The patio rose was here when I arrived, but it's not big enough to cover the fence.
  5. Honeysuckle. Good and vigorous, but will probably have to be substantially cut back for the new fence.
  6. Pittosporum 'Elizabeth'. Really good plant. Attractive all year. Hides the fence. Probably in the wrong place.
  7. Hydrangea. Attractive and vigorous. Works quite well climbing up the fence.
  8. Clematis armandii. Perfect plant for the fence. I hope I can save it, but if I can't I'll have another.
  9. Pyracantha. Common as muck, but none the worse for that. Taking a long time to get going, for some reason.
  10. Leycesteria formosa. Taking a very long time to get going. Probably because it's shaded in the summer.
  11. Red-leaved elder. Lovely in the summer, but bare in the winter.
  12. Acer. Lovely in the summer, but bare in the winter.

Planting possibilities


  1. NE corner. Something tall, evergreen, light, instant. Bamboo?
  2. Something light and evergreen. Like the pittosporum. Is it too big to move?
  3. Something evergreen to spread out over the trellis. Quince? Too slow?
  4. Encourage the pyracantha?

Other plants

Akebia quinata
Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila'AGM. Big enough?
Coronilla valentina subsp. glaucaAGM. Big enough?
Campsis radicans f. flavaAGM
Ceanothus × delileanus 'Gloire de Versailles'AGM
Garrya elliptica 'James Roof' (m)AGM
Rosa 'Albéric Barbier' (Ra)AGM
Lonicera japonica 'Hall's Prolific'AGM
Rosa 'Rambling Rector'AGM
Salix
Amelanchier lamarckiiAGM
Vitis cognetiaeAGM
Yucca gloriosaAGM

The butia is lovely, but too big and, especially, too wide. A dwarf conifer would be better in the NE corner.
Could the ribes be trained to cover the trellis in position 3?

Plan B

The four broken fence posts have survived several strong winds for over a year, with their props and guy-ropes, and show every sign of carrying on.
The Clematis armandii is doing very well, covering ⅓ to ½ of the S end of the fence with attractive glossy foliage throughout the year, and lovely flowers in early Spring, without taking up much space.
I'll try Clematis 'Freckles' against the N half of the fence to achieve a similar result there.
Other possibilities for evergreen coverage with minimal depth include Hedera colchica 'Sulphur Heart' and Trachelospermum jasminoides.
The Jasminium nudiflorum is recovering surprisingly slowly after being cut back a year ago.