harry wrote:

Ivy springs instantly to mind. Most climbing plants are happy in the
shade, they climb up into the sunshine & flower there. They are
genetically progammed to do just this.

That is the one thing I don't need to add to this location. Apart
from this corner much of rest of one boundary fence is plastic
coated chicken wire, not in the best condition, the whole thing
now being held together by ivy. I don't mind it as a backdrop,
and get the impression that my neighbours, who are not keen
gardeners, don't want to have to do any maintenance. I simply
trim my side back to the boundary. (1) I don't want it to
encroach on my borders, and whilst it is more attractive than
some of the alternative fence materials one might encounter, I
was looking for a bit more interest.

Janet wrote:

What kind of fence does the neighbour have? Whatever climber you
plant, won't distinguish between which support (a few inches apart) it
grabs hold of; and many won't just stay demurely on one side of
trellis. So something to consider, is the depth of your access behind
the trellis, to control growth so it can't scramble onto the neighbours
fence or push against it, loosening your trellis.

That is a fair point. It is also worth ensuring that their ivy
doesn't spread onto my trellis.

I have a neighbour whose shady neglected jungle boundary and decrepit
fence were an eyesore, and have found the most effective concealment is
a narrow, dense free-standing screen planting of handsome all-year
foliage (includes yellow stemmed bamboo,purple phormiums,camellias,
evergreens)

That is why I originally planted the bamboo, and mock orange. The
bamboo worked well whilst it was low, but as it now reaches 6 ft,
and arches over, it is beginning to take more space than I think
it should. Since the one thing that you can't do with bamboo is
limit its length, I don't have many options.

My theory is that, rather than simply abandoning the corner and
admitting defeat, it would be more attractive to clear the space,
put climbers at the back, and make space for other, lower,
planting in front.

(1) There is a slight change in levels between gardens, with a
few stacked stones visible on my side as a retainer. It is not
easy to be sure who planted the ivy, which grows out of the
stones, or if it just appeared. I think it was already there,
rather smaller, when I moved in 25 years ago.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.