Privacy Screening

[Ferrret]

So in the endeavor to get chickens, BF and I have also started to consider a raised garden. Before that we will probably try our hand at growing a living privacy screen along his fence in the backyard. He gets a lot of wind and noise from that area because of the highway that is near by and the farm field that has taken out most of the trees. He really wants to cut down the noise and wind and have something nice and pretty to look at in the back yard. He has thought about planting tall shrubs or something like that but they are very costly to buy and take quite some time to grow to a decent enough height. So I started thinking about vines, and BF likes the idea.

Some of the fast growing vines I have looked at so far are Clematis, both Sweet Autumn and Jackman, Honey Suckle and Arctic Kiwi. We like the look of the flowering vines and we want to try growing the different kinds instead of just one.
So I am curious about how much of a trellis these vines need to grow, if they will grow together and not overtake one another, and how well they will survive in mid Michigan.
Should we set up a full trellis along the fence, or maybe have something like a ladder that they can climb on?
Should I expect to have to replant some vines next spring in the winter get's very cold?
Are the vines a favorable chew toy for groundhogs and other critters?

I have also started to look at maybe getting some grape vines, haven't mentioned it to BF yet, because I don't know how well that would work out. Grapes might just attract a lot of wild birds that could cause problems for the chickens.

I know there is a gardening sister site that is available, but I figured I would ask here first.
If we do get into plotting out a garden then I may just jump onto that forum as well.

So can anyone offer any advice or tips for a possible future gardener?

(P.S. If this goes well I'm gonna try convincing him to let me grow square melons!

)

 

[SarahFair]

TheEasyGarden.com

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I know Honey suckle takes years before they will bloom but they are fast growing, hardy and will grow over everything.

 

[chickaddict]

Quote:
x2 - have it and love it

 

[Ferrret]

Is Honey suckle easy or hard to maintain?
If it is growing all over everything, how often would it need to be trimmed to keep it from invading other people's property?
What about the other vines?
Maintaining the plants shouldn't really be a big issue, but having an idea about how often and such would be helpful!

That and there are some critters that like to dig holes and such (ground hogs and moles), would they chow on vine plants or leave them alone?

 

[Mattemma]

I love screening threads! I am a big fan of tall plants.

I have clemantis growing in 3 locations.Planting it right next to the chainlink fence. I also have some ivy.The clematis is growing faster than the ivy.Only issue is I need to guide the growth so it does not bunch up in a blob at the top. I just planted trumpet vines so I have no idea on those.

In front of the fence and vines you can plant tall growing ornamental grasses.Those will grow faster than shrubs and trees. Bamboo ofcourse is great but expensive.

I have also planted corkscrew willow and forthysia(sp) from cuttings. These take some time,but they do grow fast.

And although a pain I do plant yearly some corn,broom corn,sorhgum(sp) for a quick screen.Another fast vine that is an annual is the morning glory.Again,need to guide it a bit. I have some wild grape looking vines that I have guided through my fence.Will see this year how it is coming along.

Oh and I saw in a plant catalog a rose of sharon hedge.Since I have that growing everywhere I am lining them up and pruning to make a thick hedge like I saw in the picture.

So I plant on the fence.Put slow growing trees and shrubs in.And finally plant something fast growing for immediate privacy.

I do not have any issues with spreading yet or with animals munching.My mom says the deer eat her clematis and morning glory.

Hops vines are also fast p. growers. Other annuals that I have planted are luffah and bird house gourds.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I planted sunflowers in 2 different heights.

 

[SillyChicken]

I've never had much luck with clematis.. love honeysuckle....

What ever you plant, make sure the trellis is very sturdy. Once the vines mature they get heavy and can really tear up fencing etc..

 

[BC_Farms]

I agree with having a sturdy fence or trellis for the vines to climb.

They will grow as much as you let them, but it's best to snip them back to make them a)bushy and b) behave

Probably once every week or two weeks. I deadhead and to trimmings when I go out to water and fertilize so I don't know how often really.

You can buy honeysuckle and clematis that are already blooming from a garden center. I would also mix in some annual vines, like morning glories, moon flowers, nasturtiums...to have a "wall" that's always blooming. Annuals bloom from about May to September/October and last for one year, and perennials only bloom for a chunk of the season but come back every year.

Off the top of my head, the plants that you mentioned should come back every year, but some varieties can be picky. I live in CT and I don't think our ag zone is much different from yours in Michigan, but when buying plants it's always good to look at the recommended zones.


Oh, and you might want to look up growing veggies as vines. Someone already mentioned gourds, but you can also plant cucumbers that way too.


If you have problems with the highway I would add shrubs to it. Otherwise you'll have all this sound protection and beauty for three seasons and then nothing in the winter. Arborvitaes grow pretty quickly (some varieties grow 1 ft taller and 1 ft wider each year!), but if you have deer problems make sure you buy the ones that aren't deer food! Arborvitaes are also evergreen.


A lot of vines die all the way back during winter, but grapevine IMO has woodier vines and will give you "something" during the winter. Maybe clematis etc gets woody if it gets older but none that I've seen.

 

[Ferrret]

I don't think there are deer readily in his area. Even though there are fields, between the fields are little subdivisions and a lot of human activity. He's not all that far out of town so I'm sure most large wildlife has been scared off. We sometimes see turkeys.

I would like something with a sturdy vine that won't vanish in winter, even if it only has 45-50% coverage as compared to summer. Noise isn't a major issue from the highway, but a few days out of the week you can hear traffic moving along pretty well. I don't think we'll be able to block all of it off completely. Wind is our primary concern, if we can cut that back we'll be happy.

I had thought about hops and bamboo, but hops loses much of its foliage when winter hits, and I haven't mentioned bamboo to BF yet. Would bamboo get overtaken if I planted vines with it?
Veggies and fruiting vines may be another route we take. Tomatoes, sweet peas, green beans, gourds... Maybe we'll end up turning a whole section of the backyard into a garden!

I forgot to mention that he has a large lilac bush right on the fence and there are raspberry and blackberry bushes on the other side.

About 3 feet behind the fence is his property, as the rules say he can't have his fence on the property line. Our concern is over growth into the neighbors yards, but some trimming and careful watching should prevent some of that. Do these vine send out shoots at all?

Would grapes attract a lot of wild birds to the yard? If they won't attract too many birds, what kind of grape would grow the best in Michigan?

What is the best kind of trellis? The cross hatched style panels you can buy just about anywhere, or some other kind of fencing?