Decorative Vines for Fences

Consider the Light

• Before planting any vine or plant, you should consider the amount of light it receives and the timing of the sun. Some vines, like the morning glory, love the morning sun. The flowers will open as soon as the sun rises, but will close once the sun stops shining on them. Paired with moonflowers, which open once the sun goes down or passes from view, the combination will provide you with blooms throughout the day and into the night.

Heat-Tolerant Blooms

• Fences are often placed where the sun will hit them directly throughout the day. This could create an extremely hot environment. Carefully consider the weather as you decide on a flowering vine to cover the fence. The trumpet vine loves the heat and will produce an abundance of foliage along with trumpet-like flowers in salmon and apricot that attract hummingbirds. The blue passion vine and clematis are also sun-loving and heat-tolerant flowering vines; however, they need to be protected when the winter cold sets in.

Abundant Flowers

• Make a statement with your fence-covering vines by planting those that flower abundantly. Wisteria, climbing roses, jasmine and honeysuckle will all send a bouquet of fragrance wafting over your garden each time the breeze blows. Each produces a large quantity of blooms in a different style, from the hanging bunches of the wisteria to the small, compact flowers of the climbing rose. Consider combining vines that flower at different times of the year to get the maximum effect. For example, the chocolate vine produces maroon flowers in spring and glossy foliage the rest of the year. Combined with clematis, which blooms in summer, you will continue to have a stunning floral display throughout the growing season.

Greenery

• Planting a vine that produces only greenery is an easy way to create a background for your garden design while still covering an unsightly fence. English ivy and Virginia creeper both provide wonderful foliage that will change color in the fall. Be aware of the natural spreading effect of any green vine you may choose. Some, like the kudzu vine, were introduced into the garden landscape to take advantage of their beautiful leaves and structure, without gardeners realizing how uncontrollable and invasive they could become.