On 2008-04-24 12:26:42 +0100, Ghost Orchid
said:


Dont do it!

It's a nightmare! Literally takes over without constant care and
attention. I would suggest you find a less aggressive climber than
Ivy. Maybe even consider attaching plant beds to the wall to make it
more attractive or surround it with some 'garden planters'
(http://passionforpots.co.uk/).

Good luck. Hope it goes well.

:-)

Too late!

4 varieties of H. Helix already ordered:

Golden Girl
Ceridwen
Gold Ingot
Tri-Colour

I actually want it to be aggressive on the wall as it's a big wall! 60
x 8 feet, nothing between the wall and the house other than brick
paving, and I have to prun the (50+ year old) beech hedge that is on
the other side of the wall twice a year anyway, so the ivy will get
pruned at the same time - if not more often. There's nowhere else it
can really go other than round the sides and over the top, and a quick
run of the hedge trimmer along those should sort it.

If it does go mental, then I can always cut it off at the roots, remove
it and cover the wall with closeboard fencing instead - although that's
a much more expensive option.

I figure I've got a few years until that happens though...




adm;785557 Wrote:
Dear All,

I am in the process of erecting an 8 foot high concrete post and panel

wall between my house and the nearby road. Once it's complete, it will

need something to cover it completely as it's not particularly
attractive. I was originally thinking of covering it with closeboard
fencing, but then thought that Ivy or a similar wall climber might look

a lot nicer.

The wall runs approximately north to south, the east facing side is
towards the road, but is hidden from the road by a 14 foot high beech
hedge. The westward side faces the house, but the house shades it from

the sun. It does get a bit of sun each day, but is predominantly shady.

There is about 10 feet between the house and the wall, and the area is

brick paved. I intend to take about 1 sq. foot of the brick paving out

at the bottom centre of each fence bay (10 bays, each 6 foot wide) so
that I can root a plant into soil. The soil in the area is mainly clay,

although curiously, we seem to have a fairly decent loam in our
garden.

So - what varieties of Ivy would fairly quickly cover the entire wall
and look good? Or is there a similar climber I should think about.
Ideally, I want something that is fully self supporting so I dont have

to string any support wires. I would like it to reach the 8 foot top of

the fence, but then would prune it from going any further otherwise it

would interfere with the top of the beech hedge.

Any ideas? Also, if I go with Ivy, once it is established, could I
plant a climbing Rose with each Ivy plant and let the Rose climb
through the Ivy?

All opinions gratefully recieved.

Thanks,


Alasdair