Ivy is very popular because of its fast growth and easy care to create your own ivy fence. The evergreen climbing plant forms an opaque privacy screen even in winter. However, you should think carefully about whether you want to bring ivy into your garden. It is difficult to destroy again later.
How do you design an ivy fence yourself?
To create your own ivy fence, plant ivy on a sturdy, dark fence, such as wooden or chain link fences. Plant 2-3 plants per linear meter and cut them back once or twice a year. Water the ivy occasionally in winter.
Greening fences with ivy – advantages and disadvantages
Making a fence yourself out of ivy can be very useful. Ivy has some advantages:
- suitable for shady locations
- fast-growing
- evergreen
- easy to maintain
There are also some disadvantages to creating a fence made of ivy:
- spreading quickly
- difficult to remove
- needs regular pruning
- Ivy is poisonous
Ivy is definitely a good choice in shady locations, because only a few hedge plants thrive in the shade. Ivy is also inexpensive or can be quickly propagated from tendrils.
Which fences are suitable as an ivy fence?
In order to grow, ivy needs a surface on which the roots can find sufficient support. The fencing material must be stable as ivy gains a lot of weight over time. In addition, the fence should not be too bright, as the ivy tendrils only grow on dark surfaces.
Dark wooden fences (€83.00 on Amazon) are well suited. But chain-link fences can also be very well covered with ivy. All you have to do is initially pull the tendrils through the mesh. The roots later attach themselves to the woody ivy shoots. You can throw long shoots over the fence and simply let them grow there.
Create an ivy fence
Making an ivy fence yourself is not difficult. All you need to do is add ivy to an existing fence.
The planting distance should be two to three plants per linear meter.
You can plant ivy at any time, spring and autumn are particularly favorable.
How to properly care for an ivy fence
Once ivy has grown properly, it hardly needs any care. You only need to cut it back once or twice a year. In winter the ivy should be watered occasionally.
Tip
If you use wire mesh as fencing material, you may need to re-tighten the wires more often. The weight can easily pull the wire mesh downwards too much.
