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Instead, they are the ones that are selected and carefully put up and patiently mollycoddled by interested parties into structures that are known as green screens.
In simplest terms, green screens are just screens that are made up of elements of plant materials, notably those that are able to climb, twine or creep up and then cascade down into a curtain.
The problem is that in nature, such plants may just grow according to its natural drive, including growing around trees, over bushes or form large mounds, or simply spreading all over the ground.
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However, in practice, this growth ability may be gainfully harnessed to form an eco-friendly screen of greens to cover fences or for vertical greening with the help of simple structures such as trellises, pergolas or fence frame, together with the application of simple techniques of horticulture.
Some of the most common of such structures are often seen in vegetable plots where the cultivation of long beans, winged beans or bitter gourd is carried out. Of course, such screens are never thick enough to create an opaque wall, but when seen from afar, it is impossible to look through such a plot because of multiple layers of the plants.
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This means a screen created out of a vegetable garden is certainly quite unlike that of green screens that gardening enthusiasts are used to seeing.
With green screens that are used for ornamental, beautification or structural purposes, or for the purpose of stopping prying eyes and snoopy noses from poking into private spaces, the story is altogether a different matter.
There are many ornamental plants that make very good screens in the garden, outside buildings or as facades on the walls of buildings.
These bear one or more similar characteristics such as the ability to twine, wind or cling onto some structures such as trellis, tree trunk or branches. They may also grow over mounds of earth or garbage heaps, or they may just grow and stick onto something – anything, for that matter - for support.
In this respect, the widely grown creepers and climbers used in the plantation industry such as CP, CM and PJ which are abbreviated but recognised, should be accorded some appreciation as they are always seen being grown over exposed ground, hill slopes and other erosion-prone areas.
Most screen plants produce attractive and showy flowers that are visible from a distance.
This is one means for them to attract pollinating agents such bees or butterflies, but they also often attract the unwelcome sort of agents such as human pests who are not averse to breaking a length or two to bring home for cultivation purposes.
Some of the best examples of plants that can be used to build up a green screen include garlic vine. The plant produces a lot of whitish purple flowers that are generously splashed all over its external surface.
Maiden’s jealousy is also another great plant to create green walls. The windfall from this plant is it is able to shower a thick layer of bright yellow blooms all over the plant that some say is even visible from miles and miles away.
Another great bloomer that makes a super attractive wall is red jasmine or Quisqualis indica. And yet another stunning bloomer of a climber is known commonly as climbing bauhinia or Bauhinia kockiana.
The plant is much loved for its profuse blooming habit which is able to cover an entire wall with millions of bright orange flowers.
There are many more other twiners, winders, clingers and stickers that make very good green walls but for a green screen that exudes simplicity and elegance, the humble curtain creeper or Vernonia creeper certainly stands out as a hardy, outstanding, neat and elegant plant that deserves to be more widely cultivated.
The plant flowers though not distinctly, in whitish clusters of small fluffy balls which are a little similar to mimosa flower balls. The leaves of vernonia creepers are elongated and elliptical, with a length to width ratio of approximately 3:1. The plant, although herbaceous, is perennial and will grow on for many years without problem.
Curtain creepers are easy to grow from cuttings or from divided sections taken from the ground. Just like all creepers, they too need some support for it to grow up and do its spreading job.
In this case, a simple trellis or pergola, or even a framework set up with bamboo poles from the jungle may serve the purpose well.
Once established, the plant is able to grow up and up until it reaches the top by which time, the apices, without further support, may sag down. This is the start of the cascade effect which is what curtain creepers do best, that is, producing lots of downward flowing tips, axillaries and laterals.
It is interesting to note that without unnecessary obstructions, these downward pointing shoots will just grow earthwards in a nearly flat and vertical manner.
This growing habit allows the plant to create a very neat wall of green to cover fences, building facades, property boundaries, etc. The screening ability is near perfect as it is nearly impossible to see through such a green screen that measures 15-20 cm thick, no matter how prying an intruder’s eyes, or how nosy his nose, may be.
Although curtain creepers also flower, they are usually of a dull whitish colour without the intensity of other flowering climbers such as climbing bauhinia.
They are also easy to maintain, with the task mainly focused on trimming the base into a neat line.
The above writer may be reached at: oskcsp@yahoo.com
