Topic: help needed?

[laura G]

Hi all,
i have been asked to disguise a chain link fence enclosure that stores an ugly looking gas cylinder, it is 6ft high and 20ft long  x 15ft wide (square) (hope that make sense), they wanted something to cover instantly (trellis or fence roll for example) and then some climbers later
 what sort of fencing would you advise and any ideas for climbers, i would like a variety of plants that flower throughout the year as well as something evergreen for winter cover.
 how many would i need, when would the be planted and how quick would they cover?
 all ideas welcome.
thanks in advance
laura

[Tee Gee]

My choice in the long term would be variegated ivies as these are relatively low maintenance.

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Hedera/Hedera..JPG

In the short term I would use any annual flowering climber such as ipomea, sweet peas until the ivy gets going  or an evergreen clematis such as a vitticelli

[goodlife]

All those plants that Tee Gee mentioned are what I thought too..
But what ever you go for..they will take few years before they will cover such a large area..
Sometimes, particularly Ivies will 'sulk' year or two before they decide to romp into rapid growth.
If you want quickish solution,,Clematis is rather fast with covering surfaces.
Look something like alpina, vitticelli, armandii...armandii particularly is vigorous and evergreen.
As for planting distance..well for  vigorous varieties I would give 6ft space between plants and less vigours 3-4ft..so how many you needl depends what you go for.. but rough guide 4-6 plants per side. Of course you can get less but waiting for them to cover the fence would take even longer.

[goodlife]

forgot.. ::)
Chain link fence if really good option for climbers..they will do their thing without you needing to tie them on..where as with panels or anything with more solid surface you would need to provide wires for them to grip on...Ivy would cling on almost anything though.

[birdsrfun]

Depending on how much you have to spend I'd put up trellis or willow type fencing around it to start with then climbers can take their time to cover it. If you use trellis then some green greenhouse shading material, bought off a roll at your local garden centre, with effectively block off the tank from view until the climbers gain a hold. Climbers you use will depend on location, if it's in deep shade for example you will be more limited but most sites will take a rose (thornless) or a honeysuckle, both of which the owner should not be too frightened of if this is a consideration. Whatever you choose to plant don't forget to nourish the soil at the bottom of the fencing as the plants will be there for some time and close to  the concrete foundation of the tank which can make the surrounding soil  rather dry.