Where in Texas?

tj

Dallas

I’m not familiar with your climate but I would suggest some vertical, evergreen shrubs such as Ficus Indica that grows well in So California, even in the hotter inland areas. check with one of your local independent nurseries for suggestions, something similar, if not the same.

K Lawrence…. Like the prickly pear cactus?

Evergreens could be a row of narrow, columnar shrubs (like Blue Arrow juniper, which gets 12-15 feet tall but only 2-3 feet wide), or something with more of a crown (wax myrtle, perhaps?), pruned high enough to clear the fence before branching out. Here are visuals of both choices, with something native at their feet. (Ask locally for good options--for the taller shrubs/trees as well as the plants beneath--since I'm only going by what Google tells me.) I would want the second option hands down if I lived in Texas--varied, relaxed shapes and SHADE!!

Hey, neighbor! D/FW here.

I don’t think you’re going to be able to plant anything for shade there, unfortunately. And just about anything you plant is going to hang over your patio quite a bit in most cases.

My suggestions:

My neighbor attached a wire trellis to her fence, and up three feet from the top of her fence. She planted crossvines, which are now spilling over our side. We love it! She came over the other day and I showed her how great it looks on our side. :)

It blooms heavily for about a week or three in spring:

The rest of the year, it’s green in warm weather and semi-green in winter.

Coral honeysuckle (another Texas native and pollinator, as is the crossvine) is also a wonderful, tough vine. It grows super fast and is a bit more green in winter than the crossvine. Great plant.

Want the toughest perennial around, that butterflies love? ’New Gold’ lantana. These pics taken after weeks upon weeks of triple digits and afternoon sun, and irrigation every 1-2 weeks:

It loves heat, drought, and being left alone! It thrives in full sun, so if your area is shady, it won’t bloom as much. Easiest plant I’ve ever had.

Evergreen shrubs you could plant, but will grow quite a bit over the concrete unless you prune every other day:

Dwarf Abelias (various ones), dwarf Yaupon Holly, various nandinas (look for non-invasive ones), Sunshine ligustrum, various salvia types (semi-evergreen), dwarf Crape Myrtles (not evergreen).

Do you like cooking with rosemary? They make great evergreen shrubs here.

Don’t forget native ornamental grasses. They bring in a wispy feel.

Anyway, a few ideas, there are others depending on the exact growing conditions.

I’d grow a vine over the arch, with a mixture of shrubs and perennials in the rest. And add a birdbath — birds and insects are needing a drink in our increasingly brutal summers.

It is a narrow bed, yes, but I have lots of things thriving in mine, including my narrow street side hell strips. You’ll just have spillover — which to me is a good thing. Softens everything up.

ETA: I lost years-old cannas this year, too, but not from heat, rather the last two extremely cold, freezing winters we’ve had.

ETA 2: I would not plant any cacti there, for many reasons.

ETA 3: My soil is more alkaline than yours, so yes, check with local nurseries for acidic-lovin’ plant ideas, too. All I’ve listed are fine in both. Also, Neil Sperry and Howard Garrett are two area planting experts … check out their websites and books.

Thank you all so much, several really great ideas. What about bamboo? Maybe in planters so it doesn’t continue spreading?

There is a clumping bamboo that doesn’t spread … I’ve seen it at the Fort Worth Japanese Garden, but I don’t know what it is.

Others will have to weigh in, I’m not brave enough to ever try bamboo. :D I don’t know what it does in winter here, how much water it needs, etc.

There are so many better native options, that would provide more interest and be important pollinators. Even in that narrow bed, you could have thriving, colorful plants. And you could certainly mix in some pretty pots with vibrant flowering annuals, even tropicals (and/or grow herbs for grilling out, too).

I am no expert or pro but I’ll throw in my two cents….. with the area along the fence being only 3 1/2 feet, I would think any tree tall enough to give you the privacy screen you want would disrupt your concrete patio over time. I like the tall vine with fence extensions idea….planters could work on your patio, but probably wouldn’t work for planting a tree you want to grow that tall. Celery pro has lovely ideas, but it seems they would all require removing the concrete patio, which you haven’t said you want to do. I agree with Jilly about staying with native plants whenever possible. There may be a way to add a custom made sun shade that may give you some privacy….they are not as expensive as you may think. I am sure others more knowledgeable than me will chime in here so good luck and keep us posted!

debra

Djacob, I did wonder if a tall tree would end up spreading roots and cracking the concrete. This concrete is out outdoor living space, so no, we do not want to get rid of it out for it to start cracking (any worse!).

I am thinking the vines might be a good idea…. I’ll look into that more

Here's a post about planting trees or large shrubs along a fence line: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5670661/which-trees-along-fence