climbing plants

[overherebc]

Can anyone suggest a really fast growing wall clinbing plant to cover an unsightly wall. Flowering not essential just green and FAST!!!

[drtreelove]

 

[jak2002003]

Not sure of the real name of it, but I have a climbing plant with small leaves that sticks itself to the wall or tree trunk and is very dense.  Slow to get going, but once it starts to climb it is very fast.  Will make a wall look like a hedge.  Does not need pruning.  No flowers.  Habit rather like Ivy plant.

 

The Thai name is something like 'sticky gecko foot plant'.  Its very common and you are bound to see it covering a wall somewhere near you.  

 

 

 

[jak2002003]

 

Looked it up.  Its called a creeping fig
  Only cost about 2 -  5 baht per small plant.  

[cornishcarlos]

As above.. My wife refers to it as Geckos feet !!

[drtreelove]

We have this fig vine (Ficus pumila); I love it and the way it grows up clinging to the wall with runners, and then fills in.  When we were shopping for plants, my wife asked for it at a nursery calling it jimjok, but the nursery lady corrected her and called it tokay (different gecko).  It's not super fast, ours has covered a wall in 15 months where most shaded under some banana plants. Areas with full sun its taking longer. But it's still attractive as it grows, better than a bare wall. I think two years for full coverage, with adequate water and soil fertility is a good bet.   

 

Also to note, the initial growth which the photos show, is small leaf 'juvenile' foliage. When the vine matures the leaves become larger and thicker and the growth mounds out away from the wall.  In that case you should assess if you want the thicker vine or not and if not, do a tear down and let it regrow with juvenile foliage.