THERE are times when you thank your lucky stars for your neighbours.
And there are times when you wish that your hedge was a bit thicker, or your privacy fence was just that little bit higher.
The Passiflora this summer![/caption]
With the cost of new fencing hitting an all time high – up to thousands of pounds for just a few panels – most of us just have to make do with what we have.
Which often means putting up with noisy neighbours.
Or taking in views you definitely hadn’t signed up for when you moved in.
Or it means spending money on last ditch attempts like shower curtains (please don’t), trellis at the top of your fence, or investing in artificial plant walls.
And who’s got the time or money for that?
Happily, there is a plant that can help you in your quest for a natural barrier between you and your neighbours.
It doesn’t cost much at all AND you can plant it now.
Passiflora – originally from South and Central America – is an evergreen climbing plant commonly known as a passion flower.
Not only do they have super exotic looking blooms – which go all summer right up to October – more importantly some cultivars can grow up to 82ft – (25m) high.
Which means you can train them to cover any sort of privacy fence, wall, shed, arch or frame.
And if your garden is sunny and sheltered – they’re hardy enough to last all year round.
I planted one at the beginning of last summer, and it’s totally transformed my fence, snaking round the trellis to form a really thick sound barrier – that no one, unless they creepily shoved their face right into the branches – would be able to see through.
It cost me £7.99 from Lidl, and although last year it did grow nearly all the way along my 20ft fence, this year now it’s more established, it’s absolutely flourished.
And not only has it covered the fence – I’ve managed to train it over a really basic bamboo frame I set up in front of my children’s trampoline.
Helpfully it has tendrils that grab hold of any wires or trellis or other plants – to keep it sturdy and self sufficient.
And although it gets a bit stringy in the Winter – it does keep going all year.
So now instead of looking down the garden and seeing a giant, ugly black bouncer – and an old worn rickety fence – now I see a wall of pretty flowers and glossy green leaves.
And it’s even started fruiting – although sadly they’re not the tastiest of fruit.
So to cover your fence (or trampoline), increase your privacy, and all the while bringing tropical colour and greenery to your garden, I fully recommend a Passiflora.
Veronica’s top tips for buying a Passiflora
When buying – make sure you check that they’re ‘hardy’ meaning they should last through the winter.
Ideally you should plant them in Spring – late May or early June – but you can definitely get them in the ground now, while the soil is still warm. You can always fleece it if the temperatures look like they’re really going to drop.
Plant in a sunny garden border – up against a fence or trellis – or a bamboo frame if you’re starting from scratch. It grows curly tendrils which grab onto anywhere to carry on growing.
Make sure it’s in fertile, well drained soil. You can grow them in containers – but they require a lot more feeding and watering – and they won’t grow as big.
Water well, but from now on you can reduce the level of watering to about once a week – if there’s no rain.
Prune back in Spring – shortening old stems – although to be honest, I’ve had to keep pruning mine all year to keep it in check – and it seems absolutely fine.
