Add some greenery to your fence

A hedge is better for nature than a fence, even if that fence is covered in plants. But… in a small garden, there isn’t always room for one. Or maybe you already have a fence that’s in good condition. It would be a shame to throw it away. You can plant a hedge in front of the fence, or let other plants grow up the fence. This way, you’ll create a beautiful backdrop for your garden’s “painting.”

In this blog post, Lianne Groeneveld (Vergroenster) shares practical tips for greening up your small garden. This time, she offers tips for creating a green fence.

Climbing plants are ideal for a small garden

They grow tall right away, making the garden look green immediately, but they often remain quite narrow. Beautiful climbing plants include winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), firethorn (Pyracantha), clematis (Clematis), and the native honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum). Native plants are native to the Netherlands and are especially beneficial for nature and often very hardy.

Ivy (Hedera) thrives in a shady spot. The native ivy (Hedera helix) produces flowers and berries after ten years, much to the delight of insects and birds. Don’t have the patience to wait—want flowers right away? Choose Hedera helix ‘Arborescens’. This is essentially the common Hedera helix, but the flowering part has been propagated into a new plant. It doesn’t have clinging roots (though new shoots sometimes do), so you’ll need to tie it up at first.

A small garden is often well sheltered in the winter, which means that plants that aren’t very frost-hardy thrive there. Kiwi berries and kiwi fruit (Actinidia) have beautiful foliage. Passionflower (Passiflora) and akebia (Akebia) are incredibly graceful.

Wild clematis

Tuscan jasmine

Combine

Do you love gardening, but feel like there isn’t enough to do in your small garden? Feel free to let several varieties grow together for a playful effect. You’ll need to prune regularly, though. No problem if you enjoy that. Combine different characteristics, such as an evergreen Tuscan jasmine (Trachelospermum) with an early-blooming false cucumber.

Fast-growing plants for vertical greenery

A relatively unknown plant is the German pipe (Aristolochia macropylla). It’s a fast grower, making it ideal for adding height to a facade garden or a tall wall in the garden. Hops (Humulus lupulus) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus) are also vigorous growers with beautiful foliage. The female hop plant produces lovely hop cones that you can use in decorations such as wreaths. With its beautiful color, Virginia creeper is the star of the fall garden.

German pipe

American lilac

Getting Creative with Shrubs and Ground Cover Plants

It's up to you. A shrub can also grow just fine against a fence, as long as you keep it compact through regular pruning. Native red currant (Ribes rubrum) is easy to keep compact and serves as a host plant for various butterflies.

Groundcover plants like American lilac (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens) need a little help to grow upward. Give them extra fertilizer for the first two years to encourage vertical growth. Sometimes groundcovers start growing upward on their own. I’m happy to let them do their thing—it’s wonderful. Good luck with your landscaping!