Hiding a chainlink fence

10 years ago

Hi! I'm new to this forum AND new to gardening!! I know NOTHING other than I like pretty flowers and beautiful landscaping. We just moved to our home a year ago, so I'd like to start learning about plants and bushes to make our landscape beautiful!

We have a chain link fence on the back of our property approx. 50' long. We have gorgeous trees behind our fence, so we don't want a complete blockage of the view (such as with a privacy fence) BUT we do want to soften the view with either some bushes, vines or hedges.

I think that evergreen hedges would give us the year round and complete coverage we need, HOWEVER, I'd love to know if there is a way to incorporate something with colour for the summer months that will grow nicely with the evergreens. Also, how closely should we plant the evergreen bushes?

Thanks for any advice you have!
Deanna

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Comment (1)

clairabelle
10 years ago
Hey Deanna,
Your post reminds me alot of my first post here many moons ago . Allow me to share with you the great advice I received :D

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH. Go to the library, buy flower and gardening magazines, look up flowerbed pictures and designs, make regular visits to your local garden center. Take notes on what YOU LIKE: colors, for example, or perennial versus annual flowers.
2. Make a list of flowers and plants YOU like, depending on the season. Check to see if the plants you like fit your zone or are considered difficult or easy.
3. Don't be afraid to ask questions here and at the garden center.
4. Make a plan or drawing of what you'd like. Does the fence face south or north? How many hours of sunlight hits this fence? What's the soil like? (dry and sandy? rich and fertile? wet and soggy?) There's a plant for each situation.
How large a bed do you want? 2ft or 6 ft deep?
5. When planting perennials, plant a minimum of 3 plants together for a desired effect. Check the blooming season so you'll have flowers throughout the season, not just 2 weeks in May or October. Any open spaces can be filled with annuals, nooooooooo problem.
6. Finally, think big... but start small. There are no finalities here, that's the fun in gardening: it's always changing. And remember, foliage plants can be just as fun as flowering plants!

So what do you think? Are you up for the challenge, or should I say... a great adventure? We're all here to help you out, so feel free to ask any question. The more specific, the better. LOL