LET’S talk ugly walls, structures or fences. if you have an unsightly wall fence or structure, it can be expensive to replace. Using plants to enhance the area is a great idea – they hide a multitude of sins and soften hard, unsightly edges or areas to create beautiful spaces over time. There are several things you can do to create these spaces. Painting with a dark colour can make the fence or wall seem to disappear into the background and then you can add plants to be the star attraction. Have a think about what you might like the finished look to be; do you want to grow a climber up the wall or fence? Or just have a garden in front which can make all the difference. Some climbers like Ficus pumila minia which is an evergreen, climbing hydrangea, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Boston ivy) are great choices, or you could attached climbing wires and grow something like Trachelospermum jasminoides -star jasmine, Pyracantha, clematis or you could espalier a tree. I like to use fruit trees for espaliering as you get the blossoms in spring and fruit later on. I have a wire deer fence at the back of my garden, so I planted star jasmine and it has climbed its way to the top and now it totally covers the fence and gives me a lovely scented backdrop to my garden. Hedging is another option if you trim once or twice a year you can keep you hedge plants like camellia, michelia, or corokia at only 300-400mm wide. If you have any questions or need help with something in your garden, why not send an email to tidygardens@xtra.co.nz and I can find a solution for you.
ESPALIERING is just one way to be able to soften a hard fence, wall or structure.