Because of its rapid growth and easy maintenance, ivy is very popular for creating an ivy fence yourself. The evergreen climbing plant also forms an opaque privacy screen in winter. However, you should think twice before bringing ivy into your garden. It's very difficult to destroy later.

Ivy will cover any fence in no time

Greening fences with ivy - advantages and disadvantages

Making a fence from ivy yourself can be very useful. Ivy has some advantages:

  • suitable for shady locations
  • fast growing
  • evergreen
  • easy to maintain

There are also some disadvantages of making an ivy fence:

  • spreads quickly
  • is difficult to remove
  • needs regular pruning
  • Ivy is poisonous

In shady locations, ivy is definitely a good choice, because only a few hedge plants thrive in the shade. In addition, ivy is inexpensive or can be quickly propagated from tendrils.

Which fences are suitable as ivy fences?

To climb up, ivy needs a surface on which the adhesive roots can find sufficient support. The fence material must be strong, as ivy becomes very heavy over time. In addition, the fence should not be too light, as the ivy tendrils only climb up dark surfaces.

Dark wooden fences are well suited. But wire mesh fences can also be greened very well with ivy. You then only have to pull the tendrils through the mesh at the beginning. Later, the adhesive roots attach themselves to the woody ivy shoots. You can throw long shoots over the fence and just let them grow there.

Build an ivy fence

Making an ivy fence yourself is not difficult. All you have to do is put ivy on an existing fence.

The planting distance should be two to three plants per meter.

You can plant ivy at any time, spring and autumn are particularly favorable.

How to properly care for an ivy fence

Once ivy is properly established, it requires little maintenance. You only need to prune it back once or twice a year. In winter, the ivy should be watered occasionally.

tips

If you use chicken wire ($14.99) as your fencing material, you may need to re-tighten the wires more often. The wire mesh is easily pulled down too much by the weight.

Category:

Indoor plants