Ivy for fencing privacy

[setterguy]

Anyone know a good ivy to start on my vinyl chan link fence for a little privacy? My back yard buts up to a road and I have pines planted there now but am looking for a little something to fill in the gaps until they grow. I heard of one once, started with an e? Engle ivy maybe??????????

[harvey lee]

There is a English Ivy!!!

[DTro]

We planted some Boston Ivy at various places alongside our chainlink. This is the second year and it's still growing, but not providing any real "privacy" yet. Hopefully in the next couple of years it will be nice.

I don't know, I let the better half handle this green thumb stuff.

[Steve Foss]

Five fingers, also called Virginia creeper and woodbine, grows wild all over Minnesota. It's also sold as cultivated varieties in greenhouses and nurseries.

It's hardy to zone 3, it grows fast and tolerates some shade, though it loves sun, and provides a great visual barrier. It has a very nice deep green color and turns yellow and red in the autumn.

I have some growing up here in Ely, and if it'll survive the winters here, it'll make it anywhere in Minnesota.

[Iceman77]

Be careful on the type of Ivy's you plan to plant. I have a neighbor who decided to dress up a fence that planted some Virginia Creeper (this is what someone ID'd for me) before I moved in 4 years ago. Over the last 2 years I have spent over $500 in 41% glyphosate to try and kill this stuff off as it is extremely invasive. It will climb the trees and cover the canopies in a very dense network of vines. When strong storms and winds come through many of the tree tops have busted off due to the increased wind effect this has and eventually killing off the tree. The other side affect of this stuff is that it grows rhyzomes under the ground creating new shoots when it hits an object. Therefore, this plant is growing under my yard trying to now grow up the side of my house and anything else it comes in contact with. Any time you break off the rhyzome it produces another plant so simply digging it up is not effective and nuking it with chemicals is getting me somewhere, just slowly. Also, if left to grow wildly this will inundate the forest floor and choke out any new growth and trees. Deer quit walking through patches of this stuff as it grows so thick. So be careful to the types of Ivy that you choose and if you can try to maintain it so it does not grow out of control as it has on my property.

[LABS4ME]

Engleman Ivy is a cultivated form of Virginia Creeper and yes it will provide a screen and Yes it can be very invasive. Use wisely. English Ivy is not hardy in Minnesota... A few more to consider and are not nearly as invasive as Virginia Creeper or Boston Ivy, would be Dropmore Honeysuckle... very nice vine with scarlet orange flowers... it is a twining vine and does not have the ability to grow without support (ie: no suction cups)... it is not invasive. I've used it at several clients houses to "hide" the dog kennel and provide them some shade. It grows well on chain link fences. Another is clematis, pretty but probably will not provide alot of screening, at least not without buying and planting many of them, and lastly, American Bittersweet, a tough vine native to the state, needs both male and female plants to produce fruit. We use it a lot of times to "decorate" split rail fences.

Good Luck!

Ken

[setterguy]

Engelman ivy is what I was talking about, when you say invasive what exactly do you mean? There is really nothing else the ivy could get onto except the fence, one of my customers has it and they said there is very little maintenance....how far apart should I plant the plants to get a good screen on the fence?

[LABS4ME]

invasive meaning it can grow on houses or trees if the opportunity exists. Also the birds are attracted to the berries and when they dump out the seed from the berry below the tree they are sitting in, a "new" Engleman ivy can start growing in that tree... thus how they get into trees natures way...

Good Luck!

Ken

[Steve Foss]

Setterguy, Engleman grows and fills out quickly, so you can get by with planting them two or three feet apart. If you want total coverage faster, plant them closer together. A very attractive fence cover can be achieved by alternating bittersweet and Engleman.

I like dropmore very much, and have used it often. It's slower growing, however, and would cost a good bit more to get coverage because I've found it to be higher priced than Engleman.