Climbers for back fence in a South-facing garden

jamiewells1980

Hi there,

I've just moved into a new build property and have a lot of work to do on my empty looking garden!

First job is to get some trelice and get climbers growing up my back fence for extra privacy. I had plowed into this task  thinking that my south facing garden would get plenty of sunlight, but it has dawned on me that the fence will totally shelter the plants!

I've bought four different types of clematis, which according to the label, like full/partial sunlight. will they thrive here, or do I need to think again??

Thanks,
Jamie

Lizzie27

They should be okay @jamiewells1980, but some might do better than others. Plant them deep in good soil (enriched with bagged manure if needed) and give each one room to spread sideways. Plant them at least a foot away from the fence and lean the stakes towards the fence/trellis. Remove the little plastic ties and carefully tie each stem with twine to the bottom of the trellis. Keep tying the stems in as they grow, keep them well fed and watered (a bucket full twice a week in dry weather) and they should be fine. 

jamiewells1980

Thanks @Lizzie27, much appreciated!

Fairygirl

It depends on the varieties you have, and the size of the area you need to cover.
Your fence is essentially north facing, if the garden is south facing.
There may be other factors creating shade too - some varieties will do better in shade and some will suffer.
New builds often have dreadful soil to grow in, so you need to prep the border well so that plants will thrive. 

If you have a photo of the area, and the names of the clems, that will help. 

jamiewells1980

I'll post some pics/further details tomorrow, thanks. Yes, I dread to think what I'm going to find when I break the turf!

Is now a good time to plant these out, or better to leave them in pots for now?

Fairygirl

I'd leave them until you have a border properly prepped. It's counter productive to plant something if the ground/soil isn't ready 
If they're mature plants, they can be planted once that's done, as long as the conditions are suitable - ie not waterlogged or frozen- but small plants are better potted on until they're  a good size before planting out. They'll be fine tucked in somewhere that you can keep and eye on them over winter, if that's the case.
Again - photos of the plants will help with advice. 

jamiewells1980

jamiewells1980

garden is south facing, the fence runs at an angle pointing north (slightly to the west)

jamiewells1980

jamiewells1980

varieties are Taiga, Isabella, Hendersonii Rubra, Jackmanii Purpurea

they are in quite small pots at present. Would it be best to plant them in larger pots until the groundwork is complete?

Lizzie27

A nice choice @jamiewells1980 and a lovely blank canvas of a garden  They will be fine in those pots for the time being as they will have stopped growing now. You will probably find that most will lose their leaves soon when it gets colder.  I would check the height and spread of each variety, (you can get more info online) and as Fairygirl says, prep the border well.