Help with hiding ugly wonky fence

[Lemonrain]

I know next to nothing about gardening but am trying to get into it and improve my garden on a budget.

however I have this wonky fence in between me and next door. I don’t know who owns it because the deeds don’t specify- it’s a relatively new build (we’re second owners). Fence is solid but leans. Neighbours are moving house and wont be interested in getting a new one. We can’t afford one.

it has a retaining wall under it because we’re lower than next door. I really want to hide the fence with some kind of climber or hanging plants but don’t have a clue and there’s not much space on the wall for a plants roots. I’ve included some pics to show what I mean

any help or advice that could help me cover the fence in a quick and also reasonably cheap way would be much appreciated.

We've covered our fence with plastic extending trellises. Looks like red Ivy

I’d paint it as a first step.

Clematis or honeysuckle, other climbing plant. You could put a couple of hooks in the posts, some gardening twine and make a framework for it to grow up. It grows surprisingly quickly!

Edited for spelling

Make sure you establish ownership before you paint or nail something to it!
Set some of expanding fake ivy trellis in front to cover it.

I'd get someone to shore it up with some bracing as it shouldn't lean like that and it will fall down and cost more in the long run to repair.

Perhaps your new neighbours will half in with you. But I'd not wait too long.

After that I'd paint it a colour I like and put up trellis with faux leaves on it if I could afford it.

Even a few hanging baskets on the fence posts can look really stunning once the fence is a nice colour.

And it will look brand new again too once upright and painted.

Clematis Montana. Grows very very quickly (can be invasive if not kept on top of)
Flowers in May so missed flowers for this year.
Probably about £10 in B&Q when on sale again.

Please not the fake plastic plant trellis.
Bits blow off creating litter and there is also micro-plastic run off. If you want nice greenery coverage there are ways to do it without plastic!

It looks like the fence is on your neighbour's land. Looking at the likely boundary (hedges, walls, driveways etc) would it make sense for all the lower land to be yours and all the raised land to be theirs? What's the boundary line on either side of the retaining wall? Google maps may help. I'd expect it to be their fence therefore you shouldn't do anything to it without permission. The new owners could push the fence back if replacing it (siting the fence on the other side of the fence posts, so they see the fence posts rather than you seeing them) which could reduce the gap where you have put the long planters.

If you have any nearby neighbours who've lived there since the houses were built, they may remember the rules about the fences.

Regarding climbers etc, do you have much space for a border or pots etc on your side of the retaining wall?

We planted a honeysuckle plant last year against a wall, and it has spread beautifully across it. Clematis is another good climbing plant, and climbing roses are gorgeous. Please don't use a plastic trellis. They look awful and do nothing for the environment or bees/insects.

Mine looks good. Doesn’t shed nor do the leaves blow off

Plastic trellis fades really quickly, degrades and looks awful. That's without the whole plastic debate.

You need to work out who owns the fence before painting or adding anything to it. I'd get it shored up before the winter when it's likely to degrade further.

You could have trellis in-front of the fence if it's not yours to grow a clematis or other climber- obviously evergreen are best,

I have a similar situation and sprinkled hollyhock seeds over the gravel. They love it and grow like weeds. I would run a wire across the fence so you can tie in any that bend out/flop if needed. Hollyhocks are tough as anything and thrive on neglect and poor/non existent soil. I have tried seeing the seeds on a nice, mulched border and they all failed, but in my gravel drive they are taking over!

Thanks for the replies- really appreciate it.

I would rather use real plants than plastic ones if I can. I’m just worried that something like clematis might need more root space. There is room in front of the wall but the kids kick balls against it so a pot wouldn’t be any good there

the deeds have a red line in between mine and next doors property but the line doesn’t show if that includes the wall of fence. I would say the walk is definitely ours because the other side of it is under their garden. Probably the fence is theirs looking at it’s positioning but I don’t know for sure. I am a little worried about attaching things to it and not sure what to do with it being for sale.

although it’s leaning (which it’s been like for the past few years) it’s totally solid. It’s not moving an mm. it’s like it’s been put in wonky (which I wouldn’t put past the builders). With it being so wonky, im not sure if i could attach straight wooden trellises

Ooh these look hopeful. I’m not sure if I could plant in the gravel incase the plants went under or through the fence to them- could I plant it in window trough type pots?

The retaining wall is likely to belong to the neighbour and so the fence will be there's too. Don't touch either without permission. I would plant some shrubs or trees in front to disguise them.

Ours is a new build (well it was built in 2012) & all fences between the houses are shared; & any on the boundary of the estate our yours - found that out when our back fence blew down & it was a boundary fence so we had to pay for it. It does mean we can paint all our fences whatever we like & attached what we like.
It should be in your deeds as a written paragraph about boundaries.
Agree with other PPs - determine ownership & then if you can either grow a climber like honeysuckle, Jasmine, climbing rose etc or plant tall things like hollyhocks, verbena bonariensis, oxeye daisies, evening primrose, foxgloves etc. They can be in pots.

Thank you. How would I be best to plant things to climb with there being such a narrow gap? I don’t want to put pots in front of the wall because the kids kick the ball against it so would rather things on top of the wall and growing up the fence. But the gap is narrow and I’m worried not enough space for roots if they were in shallow pots

What's at either end of the fence? Could you plant in the ground there & train any plants across or a very large pot/tub that wouldn't be in the firing line?
Otherwise you might have to do a little diy & build a bespoke trough along the fence gap/wall?

Plants grow towards the sun so if the sun is mainly looking at the back of the house the plants will grow that way so plant climber near the house.

This might have to be the way. Dig in a deep bespoke trough.

Couldn't you buy a big pot and grown from that? It would hide the retaining wall then as well

How about bamboo screening or similar? Or diamond-shaped wood trellis? B&M sells that sort of thing quite cheaply. You can attach things to a fence like that quite easily as you can slide wire ties down behind the horizontal bars. There's usually a small gap at the edge of each vertical slat where you can squeeze it in, and there's nothing visible from the other side at all.

I'd also stain the fence a mid-dark brown before you put anything up against it.

I’m just not sure where I’d put the pot. It ca t go infront of the brick wall because it’ll get a ball kicked at it by the kids you see

Trellis was my first thought but it’s that wonky I’m not sure how it would attach

I would say it's your neighbour's fence as you have an ugly side of it.