Special Considerations When Planting Fence Plants: Spacing, Training, and More

It’s always a wise decision to monitor your plants more closely just after planting them. But this is especially the case when it comes to fence plants. Planting near a fence presents unique challenges that are not present in other planting scenarios, and you should be prepared to face them.
Judge the Spacing of Your Fence Plants
Proper spacing at planting time is one of the most crucial factors when it comes to planting along a fence. Prior to planting, you should have a firm grasp of your plant’s mature size and how well that will fit in your fence planting area. However, it is not until after your plants are growing that you can clearly see whether they’ll eventually interfere with your fence.
Most importantly, you should monitor the woody plants, trees, and shrubs that grow near your fence, as these are the most likely species to cause overcrowding and structural damage. If you notice a tree or shrub beginning to spread too near to your fence, you should intervene by pruning or shearing it. If that doesn’t work, you should transplant the plant to a new location before it causes a significant issue.
Learn How to Train Climbing Plants
If you plant climbing vines near or on your fence, your next step after planting may be to train your vines to grow in the manner you intend. Here is a simple method that you can use to train most vines to climb a fence:
  • Plant your vine close to your fence, leaving a small amount of space between them
  • Insert a wooden stake between your plant and the fence
  • Tie the lower part of your vine to the stake
  • Tie the upper part of your vine to the fence
Training a vine, as discussed above, gives you the chance to choose precisely where your vine will start growing. After your vine shows some healthy growth and attaches itself to the fence, you can remove the ties and allow the vine to grow on its own.
Monitor Growing Conditions Carefully
Fences can alter the amount of light and water that your plants receive, depending on how the fence is oriented in relation to the sun and rain. During the first weeks and months after planting, you should monitor the health of your newly planted fence plants to ensure that they are adapting well to their growing location.
If you notice that a plant seems to lack moisture when growing near a fence, you can easily resolve that issue by providing more water by hand. However, if you find that a plant is failing due to a lack of sunlight, you’ll likely need to replace it with one that is more suited to the light conditions your fence permits.