Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi all

My allotment is on the edge of the site close to a road. There is a decent fence with barbed wire above but I would rather not see the road if possible. Can anyone recommend a fast growing climber/bush that I could grow on/alongside the fence - preferably something evergreen?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Spud

Cherry blossom girl might be able to give you a Viginia Creeper cutting before she takes an axe to it.

Thanks Piglet

Whilst I appreciate the joke, do you recommend Virginia Creeper or will it get out of hand?

thanks

Spud

Hi Spud

It gets out of hand mate. How about a rambling rose with some winter clamatis and some winter and summer jasmine?

Will romp away, be evergreen and smell gorgeous too. Also, with the thorns off the rose it will stop the little darlings trying to break in

Hi Lizzie

Thanks for the advice. The only trouble is the cost of established plants - I don't mind paying for them in my garden but seems an unecessary expense for an allotment. I suppose i could find some estbalished plants and take some cuttings?

Spud

Hi Spud

Take cuttings or if anyone's digging up a plant they don't want ask them for it. You can also act daft. Do what my Aunty Glad does: Admire someones plant, they say they're thinking of getting rid, she offer to dig it up there and then. Everyone's a winner. It doesn't work every time but it's worth a go!!!

Plus, for the lottie it doesn't have to be a David Austin job, B&Q will do. They have roses for £2!!

Thanks Lizzie

I'll check out the roses at B and Q.

cheers

Spud

One of our plotholders has covered "his" length of boundary with honeysuckle.

Fairly easy to strike cuttings from and it has re-rooted itself along about fifty foot of fence, he seems to have no problems with giving it a haircut with shears and it is quite lovely when in flower.

Hi Spud,
I don't know how much room you have for planting but if you do have the room may I recommend Rosa Rugosa (they come in Red,White and a cross between the two)as fences have a habit of being scaled but if an intruder landed in the middle of an RR he really wouldn't want to do it again. I have a hedge of Rosa Roserie de la Hay (a very vibrant pink) which is a Rugosa type and the scent is absolutely magnificent and it attract Bees and has the most wonderful large red hips in Autumn.
The Redwigs make very short shrift of them when they arrive.

And as Rosa rugosa does spread, if you can find someone who already has it they are quite likely to let you have some.

One of the rather unbelievable things 'they' did at our allotment site was to take out the Rosa rugosa along the road. Mothers wheeling their tiny off-spring past on their way to collect their small off-spring had been wheeling the children into the Rosa rugosa . It's not as if you could miss seeing the thorns. Mind you 'they' didn't do a very good job and it's coming back

Thanks all for your replies.

There is a grass verge on the other side of the fence and then the road, so there is plenty of space to plant on the grass verge - I'll give Rosa Rugosa a try

Thanks

Spud