what will cover a trellis very quickly this summer?

[goldenshoe]

I live on a fairly busy road and have erected a trellis and planted a viburnum outside my window for a bit of privacy. The viburnum is only about 1 foot high and the trellis is just over 5 ft high and 3m wide.

What can I grow that will cover it fairly quickly and either grow alongside the viburnum, or I can chop back once it gets going?

I've bought some cobaea scanden seedlings from Sarah Raven but I'm not hugely keen on it! Things like nasturtium and thunbergia didn't do very well for me last year. Any other ideas?

Viburnum is a fairly slow growing evergreen shrub. It will probably take about 10 years to cover that size of trellis. Ceanothus might have been a better choice as it can grow 2-3 ft a year easily. Our local nursery sells 2-3 ft high ones for less than £10.
Clematis or Honeysuckle will cover the trellis while you wait for the Viburnum to grow but aren't evergreen and Clematis look grim in winter.

I planted a clematis last summer and it grew like a weed!

I've found jasmine to be the fastest growing climber

What about growing beans?

Yes, was about to suggest runner beans. We grow them up a trellis every year- they are an excellent green edible bee friendly screen. Pick them when they half the size that you buy them in shops.

Beans are a lovely idea. If you don't want runner beans, then there are varieties of French beans which have bright yellow or purple pods for added interest.

Grape vines and hop vines grow very quickly once they get going, but won't help in the winter. How about a mix of summer and winter honeysuckles?

You can train pyracanthia to grow up a trellis. It’s evergreen which is good and fast growing. Thorny though.

Clematis, honeysuckle, perennial sweetpea (although this one does die back over winter)

Russian vine is EXTREMELY fast growing with white flowers.

Yes, it's better known as "mile a minute "!

Dear God, don't plant Russian vine! It grows like a bastard and is in the same family as Japanese knotweed, which will give you an idea of how impossible it is to stop once it's got going.

Clematis would do it, or if you want something temporary and really speedy morning glory or sweet peas.

Pyracantha is known as 'that bastarding plant' in our house as I wish I'd never planted it! Sharp as razors and a nightmare to garden near. The thorns go right through my gardening gloves every time

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I realised I should have specified the growing conditions.

I considered a Ceanothus over the Viburnum but decided they might not be hardy enough in the long term. They are beautiful, and I do have a little regret over that decision! Same reason for not planting Jasmine and Honeysuckle.

Beans, sweetpeas etc I love. Unfortunately in this specific spot they will only get couple of hours sun in the morning until they're about hip height as there's a small brick wall. However, I'm double screening, and have already put up a big sweet pea structure as a screen on the other side of the path where the sun gets over the wall.

I'd also decided against a clematis as in my experience they won't densely cover anything in the first couple of years, but I bought a Clematis 'Early Sensation' on a whim at the weekend. It's not my favourite but it is evergreen and should eventually mingle with the viburnum and grow faster than it.

I'll try the Cobaea and see how it all looks. I also somehow managed to drag my magnolia in its pot over which is making the whole thing feel rather lovely, albeit still very sparse, right now.

Thanks all!

Cotoneaster franchetii has been identified as incredibly efficient at soaking up pollution from busy roads. Very cheap and will grow in your conditions. I know a lot of people hate cotoneasters, bt birds love them and they do have good form.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/pollution-plant-uk-roads-cotoneaster-b1803609.html

Apple blossom clematis is ever green.

Passion flower is an easy to grow and pretty vigorous climber

Clematis montana will cover it quickly, alongside a rambling rose.

Also known as Mile a Minute Vine.

See also Clematis montana.

Possibly also the evergreen honeysuckle Lonicera henryii

So I think I might be the only person who doesn't think clematis grow quickly! Maybe because it's a bit cooler where I am in Scotland, but every clematis I've ever planted has taken a good 2 - 3 years to properly cover anything!

Unfortunately I had a apple blossom clematis which died over this winter @Irisandillies I'm quite sad about it.

I'm one of those people who dislikes cotoneaster @Zebracat but I didn't know that about car pollution. I've got a couple dotted around the garden (from previous owners) which I'll keep, but I've just dug up a huge one next to my kitchen window as the wasps love it too!

Thanks again for all the suggestions :)

The thing about cotoneasters and car pollution is that the requirements are for dense growth and lots of small leaves with hairs to catch the particles. Cotoneaster fits that, but so do many other plants. It’s just more newsworthy if you emulate the “superfood” approach of the nutrition industry and focus on one plant

Clematis montana is the really fast growing one. The others are variable. And keep dying on me!

The problem with cotoneaster is that unless it’s the incredibly rare native version (which I think is only in wales these days) then it’s actually an invasive plant that’s outcompeting other species.

Japanese honeysuckle (lonicera japonica) would do the job, mine has to be hacked back every couple of months or we can't get out of the back door, and that's in a pot in the shade. It's also evergreen and very hardy, and has berries for the birds! It covers the fence between us and next door, picture attached of the big green beast.