I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my back fence line since all my trees and bushes were cut down by Colonial Pipeline during their vicennial right of way maintenance. Since I’m limited in what I can plant I wasn’t sure how I would get some year round green back there. I didn’t want to have to look at a wooden fence all the time!
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So my idea is to grow vines against the fence! A living wall of green. Instead of buying trellis to attach to the fence I thought I’d make my own with some wire. Time consuming but cost effective!
source: flckr
I eventually want it to look like this. A wall of green with flowers in the spring. We decided to make what will eventually be an invisible trellis (when the vines grow and cover it).
Jasmine stays green year round here plus in spring there are the wonderful flowers and fragrance they produce. This is some that I trained against a different fence section.
DIY Invisible Wire Trellis
So here’s what you need to make this trellis: eye hooks, heavy gauge wire, ruler, drill or hammer and nail
Measure out a grid of 12- 16 inch squares (we did 12 in. here but I think we’ll do 16 in. or so since we have a lot of fence to do) and make a mark.
Insert a eye hook at each mark. You may want to pre-drill the hole or use a hammer and nail to make a hole. It’s sometimes hard to get the eye hook screw going.
Feed the wire through the eye hooks. We did all the horizontal first and then the vertical. Twist ends back on themselves to finish off a row.
Plant a climbing plant at the base and train a few vines along the wire to get it started. As it grows you can help it along the way but it should eventually grab hold by itself.
This is a relatively easy and inexpensive trellising system that you can use for all types of plants!
You have got a lot of work ahead of you, but it will be very pretty and worth it in the long run.
Have a great weekend.
This is a neat idea. But I agree, it looks like you have your work set out for you.
It would be wonderful to have you link your post to Seasonal. Sundays.
– The Tablescaper
I’m so happy you found a way to get some quick lush growth to replace your lost trees. I love vines too, especially the ones that will stay green over the winter AND smell great too (honeysuckle, for me). Now go get crackin’ on those eyebolts, girl!
That’s going to be a lot of vines and a lot of wire, Manuela! LOL Not to mention, a lot of work- Don’t do it all at once! I can attest to my stubborness and stupidity because my back and hamstrings are screaming from this week’s planting of my perennials and annuals. I am hardly a gardener so I’m hoping they get a good start. 🙂 Sue
LOL! No I plan on taking my time. I’m having the fence added on to and some parts re-done so I have to wait for that to happen anyway. Another month and it’ll be too hot to plant so it’s a year long project!
Awesome idea… a go-gettum mindet…some handtools …your list of supplies…and elbow grease. LOVE IT!…(and afterwards some lemonade and Advil…. lol) but any worthwhile project usually has some aches and pain involved…but as we all say…in the end… it was WORTH it. You will enjoy all your hard work. Keep On!!! (((hugs!))) thanks for sharing a very inspiring idea Manuela! xoxo
I love the way it’s going to look, and I can smell the jasmine in my head. Right now, it’s blooming everywhere and just wonderful! I wish I had the fence to start with. I’m guilty of fence envy.
my daddy’s jasmine was soooo fragrant last week when I visited…your looks lovely too!!
I love vines on fences. Great way to get them started! Cheap too. Love it. Mimi
Hi Manuela. :o)
This is a real clever idea!
And how heavenly it must smell!
hugs, Trish
What a great idea! It will look wonderful when done and grown.
I think the jasmine sounds like a great idea 😉 🙂 Plus, the lovely scent will be really nice, too 🙂 🙂 Thanks for sharing the DIY trellis project. that looks so easy, even I could do that 😉 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
Brilliant idea. Good to hide an unsightly fence too! The vines look like bushes!
It’s going to be beautiful! I could do this with my Sweet Autumn Clematis. It’s very unruly right now and it doesn’t stay on the fence. I have a wrought iron fence but could still use the same concept with the wire.
I did something similar but on a much smaller wall. Instead of using eye hooks I just used regular nails and zigzagged my way back of forth with plastic twine. Yours is much more elegant, and I have a feeling- more efficient since you have space between the wire and the fence. I am growing passion fruit on mine.
Great idea! It will look awesome! Thanks for the tip! Have a blessed day, HUGS!
That’s a smart solution! Will it be mostly grown in by the end of summer?
How clever is that! You are certainly making lemonade out of your lemons… 🙂
Ta da!!
I hope to see updates in the future!
I wanted to thank you for this idea. I was trying to figure out a way to plant vines against my wooden fence without having to buy expensive wood trellis that are like 20 dollars a piece. I already have eye hooks and plenty of wire 🙂 Thanks, and good luck with yours too!