Climbers

[Maggie]

I purchased my house a year ago and it has an older iron/grate fence about 21/2 to 3 ft tall. It is ugly, but I want to keep a fence because I have kids. It is right next to the highway, and I want to cover it with some sort of climber that can take full sun, preferably an evergreen, flowering would be nice, but not a must. Any suggestions or ideas? Is there any kind of ivy that I can use, or something like a Mandevila or anything? Please help me in South Carolina, where it's hot!

 

[active]

It sounds like a perfect situation for Wisteria sinensis.

Although it is dicidious it develops a dense woody structure that will provide some sound inhibition. Wisteria must have a heavy support structure, it will literally destroy most wood support structures via weight and groth, therefore tends not to be overplanted.

The Wisteria will develop tremendous, pendulous flower clusters for which they are best known. They can be pruned to control growth and hight, and for better flowering.

If you decide to go with Wisteria, then be shure to get plants that are either grafted or grown from softwood cuttings of mature plants. Wisteria grown from seed can take 10-15 years to flower.
I have provided some links to views below.

http://osu.orst.edu/dept/ldplants/wisi1.htm
http://osu.orst.edu/dept/ldplants/wisi3.htm

If you have your heart set on evergreen vine then English Ivy will work, it's the tapioca of the vine industry.LOL

Jim

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Sweetpea, Bittersweet, maybe some cudzu off of th freeway? Climbing varigated euonomose.

 

[WillClimb]

Wisteria

If you end up using Wisteria, keep it away from your trees.
My grandfather planted it years ago and we now have Live Oaks, some that are older than 200 years old, dead because of it. It can choke a tree to death if not watched and granted, nobody was watching these at all.

We live on 600 acres of woods so we can stand to lose a few, but when you a have only a small yard with a few trees, just watch the wisteria. Wisteria can be very beautiful.....but just like a beautiful woman, it can be deadly too. Ha ha.....

 

[treetrunk]

passion flower is a lovely evergreen that loves lots of sun, and is very rampant, but I don`t know how well it grows in SC, worth looking into I think.