I have a big, sturdy fence. It isn't hideous, but hey, plants look better than fences, right? The fence is very long; I can't afford to buy enough plants to cover the whole thing. So I am considering sowing a bunch of seeds along it.

The seeds need to be of something perennial that will grow at least 6 feet tall. They can be vines if the vines can climb the fence without a trellis. Flowering plants are nice, but I'd be open to something else.

I live in Central Texas, zone 8b, on heavy clay soil.

Any ideas?

tough one with the clay soil. and the heat. I would say that even though you want perennials I would plant annual seeds to start with. Cosmos-the yellow variety-are fast growing and will reseed for next year. Mine get about 4ft tall, sometimes taller. Plus a good fence makes a nice wind break for anything taller. Blackeyed Susans will come back and spread. Rose Campion will throw seeds and you'll have more every year. Day Lilies might work too and they are a perennial.

What about a bank of Butterfly Bushes? They have beautiful bloom clusters, draw butterflies and I've seen some really tall ones in photos posted here and by members of GardenersWorld forums in the UK. I haven't tried them (also in Central TX) but I think they will do well here.

I guess I could cover part of the fence with trumpet vines and mustang grapes. Those are native to my area, and I see them growing up to the tops of trees in the woods. They grow big enough to justify the cost of buying a couple as plants rather than a bunch of them as seeds.

I would consider cypress vines... Not perennial, but self sow like mad... Will attract a ton of hummingbirds.

I would also consider some nice climbing beans...

Be warned about trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) that it is considered invasive in most places and will grow to the point that it could easily pull your fence down.

I was also going to suggest something like morning glories, Cypress Vine or Cardinal Climbers, moon flowers, until you decided on something more permanent. For annuals, they all grow extremely fast and as stone said, the Cypress and Cardinal will be a hummingbird magnet.

Sunflowers
Rudbeckia lacinata
Tithonia (Mexican sunflower)
Cannas (usually free from anyone who has a lot of them,!)
Clematis
Morning glory
Sweet peas
Pipevine (also gets you pipevine swallowtails)
Gourds
Indeterminate tomatoes

If its a wood fence, don't do it. Almost any flowering perennial vine will pull it down. If its chain link, still be careful. Not perennial, but runner beans are lovely, easily grown, won't pull your fence down, give you lots of food, and will attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Some of them will self sow.

Many flowering bushes can be propagated from cuttings. Lilacs for example. Get one or two flowering bushes that you like and start propagating cuttings to fill in the rest of the fence line. Runner beans or climbing nasturtiums (SUPER easy to grow) or cardinal climber etc in the meantime.

You could try a wisteria or possibly quince, but bot would need training and will take many years to get established. Or any of the vine varieties, they'd be quicker.

<i>Ricinus communis</b>, aka castor bean, is a perennial that can easily be treated as an annual if you wish. It's ht can be controlled either by pruning or by cultivar choice. It definitely commands attention.



Al

That's impressive, but castor bean is highly highly highly toxic. Consider that if you have kids or dogs. All parts of the plant are toxic, including to the touch. Wear gloves when pruning or doing maintenance.

Pyewacket said:
Many flowering bushes can be propagated from cuttings. Lilacs for example.

I like rose of sharon and vitex...
Both are easily rooted from cuttings...
Matter of fact... you could just till up the soil and root in place... Very easy.

Which way is this fence running? Which side is in question?

Assuming plenty of sun, instead of trying to obscure the fence, I would try to use it. Like for espalier apple or other fruit or flowering tree, rambling roses, and you can fill in with other plants. I would encourage you to avoid a monoculture of just 1 thing.

If you use woody entities without specifically directing their growth, they will be round things bumping against a flat surface. That can be bad for the plants and the fence.

I have both wood and chain link fences. I can see where the weight of vines that grow larger woody stems like wisteria or trumpet vine might create load issues on a fence. But several mentioned wouldn't seem to pose the same threat.

The fence is neither wood nor chain link. I believe it's painted cement, and it's very solid. I would be planting things on the east facing side of it. Full sun, with some afternoon shade.

I can't get nasturtiums to grow without being stunted. Maybe it's the clay soil. My runner beans died as soon as it got hot out. Maybe I will try cypress vines.

Even if I plant a long row of something, I'll still have room for other stuff. It's a seriously long stretch of fence.

I looked on wildflower.org, but its database doesn't seem to have a single plant in the 6-12 foot height category! What's up with that?

Aha! Concrete can raise the PH of the surrounding soil. That could be a factor. Have you added some compost? Adding a few inches to the soil surface should help to start changing the soil so it accepts water more easily and doesn't dry so quickly. Would help moderate the PH issue as well, assuming one exists.

How are you currently preventing grass & weeds from growing there?

I don't have a vested interest in what @Dewberry uses to cover the fence, but I would like to lay to rest some of the near hysteria commonly associated with the castor bean plant. It's pretty much 'much ado about nothing'.

Horticultural myth re the toxicity level of castor bean plant parts laid to rest.

Link: https://www.gardenmyths.com/ca...

Al

tapla said: I don't have a vested interest in what @Dewberry uses to cover the fence, but I would like to lay to rest some of the near hysteria commonly associated with the castor bean plant. It's pretty much 'much ado about nothing'.

Horticultural myth re the toxicity level of castor bean plant parts laid to rest.

Link: https://www.gardenmyths.com/ca...

Al

I don't appreciate being painted as "hysterical", not one little bit.

I'll take the CDC over a random web page.

https://emergency.cdc.gov/agen....

According to them ingestion of castor bean CAN result in ricin poisoning.

It isn't "hysterical" to suggest being cautious about kids and dogs exposure to it.

Sheesh.

Silver lace vine. I wanted to cover a 6' X 20' section. I planted 1 plant 3' tall thinking to add a couple more but it coveted that space within a couple years so only needed the 1 plant. They are not very expensive and after the first year didn't require watering other then natural rain.

Dewberry said: Full sun, with some afternoon shade.

My runner beans died as soon as it got hot out. Maybe I will try cypress vines.

Attempting to grow runner beans is pretty much hit or miss for me too... Even when I get one to grow, I see few flowers and no beans.

Cypress vines and hyacinth beans are very good in the heat.

I also do well with speckled climbing lima beans, trail of tears beans, amberique bean,& Some of these yard long beans....