I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

On 11/06/18 21:48, wrote:
I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

Where are you? you'll get a somewhat greater choice of plants in Land's
End than you will in John o'Groats.

--

Jeff

On 11/06/2018 21:48, wrote:
I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

You could inject a bit of ever green cover with one of the evergreen
honeysuckles, L alseuomoides L. similis and L glabrata are particularly
good, steer clear of japonica sorts which apart from Acumen can be prone
to leaf problems and henryi which in cold areas curls its leaves in
winter. You don't say where you are but all the above are UK hardy

--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On 11/06/2018 22:40, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 11/06/18 21:48, wrote:
I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

Where are you? you'll get a somewhat greater choice of plants in Land's
End than you will in John o'Groats.


Oops, a very important bit of info missed: the west, near the Welsh borders.

On 12/06/18 10:05, wrote:
On 11/06/2018 22:40, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 11/06/18 21:48, wrote:
I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

Where are you? you'll get a somewhat greater choice of plants in Land's
End than you will in John o'Groats.


Oops, a very important bit of info missed: the west, near the Welsh borders.

Well, that area can be /very/ cold at times, but maybe you're in a more
sheltered spot. As per Charlie's post, I can vouch for Lonicera
alseuosmoides being untouched by -6 deg C, but If you get down to much
lower than that in heavy frosts, it wouldn't be suitable.

Much as I hate the stuff, a variegated ivy would do ok, but if it is
happy you would have to be ruthless with it, or it will take over. As
will Russian Vine (Fallopia baldschuanica); avoid at all costs! If you
want something different, and the area you are in doesn't get severe
frosts, you might try one of the Holboellias, such as coriacea or latifolia.

All the above are evergreen. The problem with deciduous vines is that
the look very scruffy when leafless, and whatever they were covering
shows through.

You could always consider something else to cover up the oil tank, though:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wheelie-Adhesive-Sticker-Butterfly-Design/dp/B003X205CK
Tasteful, eh? ;-)

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 12/06/18 10:05, wrote:

Oops, a very important bit of info missed: the west, near the Welsh borders.

Well, that area can be /very/ cold at times, but maybe you're in a more
sheltered spot. As per Charlie's post, I can vouch for Lonicera
alseuosmoides being untouched by -6 deg C, but If you get down to much
lower than that in heavy frosts, it wouldn't be suitable.

That's pretty mild. Even last winter, which was a mild one, dropped
to -8 Celsius here. My experience is that there is just one reliably
hardy evergreen climber - Hedera helix - though H. colchica is probably
OK down to -10 Celsius or so. There are many others, including those
you mention, that will survive colder winters, but their leaves always
drop, burn or shrivel if there is a cold spell.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 12/06/18 11:24, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 12/06/18 10:05, wrote:

Oops, a very important bit of info missed: the west, near the Welsh borders.

Well, that area can be /very/ cold at times, but maybe you're in a more
sheltered spot. As per Charlie's post, I can vouch for Lonicera
alseuosmoides being untouched by -6 deg C, but If you get down to much
lower than that in heavy frosts, it wouldn't be suitable.

That's pretty mild. Even last winter, which was a mild one, dropped
to -8 Celsius here. My experience is that there is just one reliably
hardy evergreen climber - Hedera helix - though H. colchica is probably
OK down to -10 Celsius or so. There are many others, including those
you mention, that will survive colder winters, but their leaves always
drop, burn or shrivel if there is a cold spell.

I don't disagree, although I would expect an oil tank of average size -
maybe a couple of thousand litres - to retain a fair amount of "heat"
(specific heat of mineral oil is c0.4 to 0.5) if kept filled. That
should create a very local microclimate for whatever plant(s) clothe the
tank.

I would expect temperatures in the OP's part of the UK to fall to -10 a
few times in winter, thus risking browned leaves. If those don't fall,
at least they would result in more persistent cover than a deciduous
climber. Also, they would soon start new growth in spring, giving cover
at the most important times of the year when everything else in the
garden is growing well, too.

--

Jeff

On 12/06/2018 10:05, wrote:
On 11/06/2018 22:40, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 11/06/18 21:48, wrote:
I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

Where are you? you'll get a somewhat greater choice of plants in
Land's End than you will in John o'Groats.

Oops, a very important bit of info missed: the west, near the Welsh
borders.

For the shady side I reckon Hydrangea Petiolaris is nice if slow to get
started and maybe clematis or honeysuckle as the sunny side climbers.
Variagated ivy isn't too bad as long as you keep on top of it.

I hope the shed that the oil tank is inside isn't made of wood!

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 13/06/2018 11:15, Martin Brown wrote:
On 12/06/2018 10:05, wrote:
On 11/06/2018 22:40, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 11/06/18 21:48, wrote:
I've recently clad the oil tank shed in weld mesh - the sheets of 6mm
200x200mm reinforcing mesh used for concrete - and now need to decide
what to plant around the outside of it. The aim is to find decorative
plants that will climb and cover the mesh - one side is in permanent
shade but the rest are sunny. The soil is clay. As a starter I've got a
Dublin Bay rose and Clematis Montana but I'd welcome some suggestions,
ideally for plants that will cover quickly, be decorative and some that
will give a bit of coverage in the winter ... ?

Where are you? you'll get a somewhat greater choice of plants in
Land's End than you will in John o'Groats.

Oops, a very important bit of info missed: the west, near the Welsh
borders.

For the shady side I reckon Hydrangea Petiolaris is nice if slow to get
started and maybe clematis or honeysuckle as the sunny side climbers.
Variagated ivy isn't too bad as long as you keep on top of it.

I hope the shed that the oil tank is inside isn't made of wood!

Thanks for the suggestions.

The shed was built in the 1960s to house two 2500 litre tanks: a robust
steel angle-iron frame with asbestos board cladding and a curved
corrugated steel roof. I've recently: removed the cladding, replaced the
tanks with a single 2400 litre plastic tank, halved the length of the
shed and installed the concrete reinforcing mesh on 3 sides.