10 Gorgeous Plants to Grow Against a Fence (Flowers to Edibles!)

If you want to use your linear and vertical gardening space creatively, you may wonder about the best plants to grow against a fence.

Well, you have many options! Such as lovely flowering ornamentals like clematis, a wall of bamboo, or delicious edibles like climbing cucumbers! 

But – which plants are most suitable for growing against a fence? And which are the most striking?

Well – we’re about to brainstorm a list containing 10 of our favorites.

We’ll let you decide which ones are the best!

10 Best Plants to Grow Against a Fence

Planting along your fence adds privacy, beautifies your landscape, and provides more vertical gardening space for edibles and ornamentals. No matter what type of fence you have, whether you want to grow edible garden fence climbing plants, or if you’re looking for a living privacy wall, this list has you covered! 

So, if you’re looking for inspiration for growing plants along your fence line, read on for my top 10 faves! 

1. Clematis 

We’ll start the list with one of our favorites. Clematis immediately comes to mind as a brilliant flowering ornamental climber perfect for planting along fences. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can choose from varieties that offer a splash of bi-color beauty, such as the red and fuchsia flowers of Kilian Donahue clematis. Or year-round foliage and lovely white flowers such as Armand’s clematis. 

You may want to add a trellis, wire, or mesh net to train the clematis vines. For instance, with a picket fence, you can add netting that the vines can cling to and spread across. Netting prevents the plant from weighing down one fence section.

2. Cucumbers 

Okay! One of my favorite plants to grow along fence lines is cucumber. You get to harvest refreshing summer fruit for salads, cucumber water, and pickling while also decorating your fence. Try the marketmore variety for succulent salad cucumbers!

And hey, if pickling is your thing, check our pick of the five best cucumbers for pickling! 

Also, an added benefit of growing cucumbers vertically is that you’ll have easier access to the fruits. Just pluck them right off the vines as the plant meanders upwards along the fence.

Remember, these plants love water, so make sure they drink up thoroughly for healthy, juicy cucumbers. 

3. Nasturtium 

Here’s a recommendation for a flowering vine that is both highly ornamental and edible. We’re talking about nasturtium! It’s one of my favorite climbing plants. By far! Nasturtium has adorable round leaves. And stunning orange and yellow flowers. 

Plus, you can munch on both the leaves and the flowers! I love the easy-to-grow Jewel Mix variety. 

The leaves have a zingy, spicy taste. And the flowers are pleasant and mild. I always plant nasturtium along my garden fence for the savory addition the leaves and flowers make to my salads. 

So, if you love spicy food and gardening, you’ll want to grow these cuties along your fence. No doubt!

Read More – 16 Yellow Flowering Bushes for Lovely Backyard Decor. And Lush Gardens!

4. Bamboo 

Alright, this next suggestion is for creating a stunning living privacy border along your fence line. Bamboo is one of my favorite plants of all time. I am currently nurturing a row of this amazing evergreen grass along my fence that borders a road. Most of my bamboo is the Phyllostachys atrovaginata variety. 

In suitable conditions, some varieties of bamboo can grow several inches per day during their growing season! When my bamboo shoots come up in the spring, I am astonished by how rapidly they shoot up. Mine grow to 15-20 feet within about three months. It’s truly amazing to watch! 

But – make sure to choose between clumping and running varieties carefully. Running bamboo varieties spread horizontally very quickly by sending out shoots, and they can rapidly grow far beyond the area you intended to plant them in. You can effectively contain them through a variety of methods. Trenching works wonders. So don’t let that deter you!

5. Kentucky Wisteria

Wisteria can add a breathtaking display of climbing vines and hanging flowers – doubly so if you’re a gardener with fences made of sturdy materials.

Known for being the hardiest of wisteria, Kentucky wisteria, such as the Blue Moon variety, grows well in colder climates. And it produces stunning displays of blue and purple hanging flowers that can grow up to a foot in length.

These plants are robust. However, their weight can weigh down less-sturdy fences like unsupported wire field fencing. So, it’s vital to ensure your garden fence can handle its weight and intensity of growth before planting. 

Read More – 11 Beautiful Herbs With Lovely White Flowers!

6. Climbing Roses

If you have a chain link fence and are looking for ways to add some beauty to your fence line, planting climbing roses can be a great (and great smelling!) option.

Zephirine Drouhin is known for its stunning dark pink blooms, thornless vines, dense growing habit, and fantastic fragrance. This climbing rose adds a whimsical, cottage-like charm to your fence line. Enjoy flower blooms from late spring through fall. 

7. Flowering Dogwood Trees

If you want to plant a line of flowering trees along a fence line to add a boost of privacy, I’d recommend flowering dogwood trees. 

They don’t get overwhelmingly tall (usually about 20 feet). Plus, they’ll provide a gorgeous display of delicate white, pink, or red blooms from spring through fall. 

However, these trees need space to grow, so ensure to plant them about 10 feet away from the fence line. 

8. Runner Beans 

With a name like runner beans? You know these plants are just itching to race up your fence! One of my favorite varieties of heirloom runner beans is Scarlet Emperor. Scarlet Emperor produces gorgeous edible red flowers. And delicious, hearty beans. 

If you provide them with a trellis, netting, or wire fencing, the vines will happily spread up and along your fence line without becoming too tangled or unruly. 

9. Hydrangea 

For picket fences, hydrangeas are an absolute winner. When planted close enough to the garden fence and trained to snake between the fence slots, these beauties will fill the spaces between your gaps with dreamy cloud-like bursts of white, blue, and pink pastel flowers. 

I’d recommend the Incrediball smooth hydrangea variety, which grows about five feet high and four to five feet wide. It has hardy, strong stems. And it displays gorgeous, basketball-sized, round, showy clusters of blooms. 

10. Cherry Tomatoes 

Last but certainly not least, cherry tomatoes are an excellent choice! They’d do great, especially along mesh wire field fencing. Or you can support them with trellises or netting. 

These little cuties will climb up your fence and produce abundantly delicious fruits. They’re perfect for salads, pasta sauces, and canning – you name it! You can even check out our article on our favorite recipes for fermented tomatoes! 

And – training your cherry tomatoes to climb up your fence is ideal for plucking and eating right off the vine! And there are endless heirloom varieties of cherry tomatoes to choose from and consider. Some of my favorites are the most mouth-watering varieties, including Black cherry, Gold Nugget, and Sweeties.

Read More – 25 Trailing Flowering Plants Perfect for Brightening Your Day!

Best Plants for Growing Against Fences – Resources

We love growing flowers against the fence – front yards and back!

So – we penned a massive list of the best colorful, fragrant, and trailing flowers perfect for homestead and fence decor.

We hope they brighten your day!

Conclusion

And there you have it! From providing the backdrop to displaying bold, pillowy hydrangea blooms to supporting delicious walls of cherry tomatoes, fences hold endless potential for gardening. 

So, have you beautified your fence line with charming climbing vines or plucked edibles from your picket fence? Have any favorite plants for growing along garden fences that we didn’t mention? Or tips for keeping climbers from being unruly?

Let us know! We’d love to hear from you! 

Thanks for reading. And happy gardening! 

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  Cammi Morgan writes about all things animals, plants, and ecological-centered living from the hollers of Southeast Appalachia where she lives off-grid in her self-built cabin.
  
  She shares 20 forested acres with her wonderful friends, an ever-growing pack of rescue dogs, and all the plants and critters who call these woods home.

  
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