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Carport Greening

A carport is an excellent support for a climbing plant. Once well developed, the foliage will hide the carport by acting as a privacy screen. You can get a full greening with fast-growing climbing plants like silver lace vine and hops, or - for an opaque greening all year round - with ivy. You can guide plants between the posts with our cable systems; selection of plants and their attachment are shown here using examples. Be aware: horizontally mounted wire-rope trellises are only conditionally suitable for public areas because of the vandalism factor (temptation for people to climb). Photos of similar installations can be found under pergolas.

Carport covered with ivy on two sides
Carport covered with ivy on two sides

Greening your carport

Ideally, plants will be trellised on cables stretched between the carport posts / horizontal beams, similar to the pillars of a pergola. As described in the sections on columns and pergolas-- annual climbing plants and clematis hybrids, as well as rosesgrapes, and wild (fruitless) grapevines are a good fit for carports. The necessary wire ropes are arranged as vertical strands as with system 1020 and 1030, as T-shapes, or other angled forms (2000 and 3000 category systems).

 

Light and easy kits from FassadenGrün usually suffice, but medium and even heavy kits are often used to make the carport wider on the inside. Even massive kits are an option, but in any case, the space for the vehicle should not be restricted by the greenery. The choice of a fixture depends on the materials / wall type of the carport (often solid wood or square metal tubing).

Greening the roof area

If a carport has an open or transparent roof surface, it can be greened as described in the section on pergolas. Often the special system 0060 is used.

Greening the side areas

To green the side of a carport, 5 - 6 horizontal wires are usually installed. This arrangement is similar to that of a vineyard wire frame (row of espaliers) or a cable system 8010 on a wall. The distance between most carport posts is 2.5 metres. This is too far apart. The wire rope can not be tensioned correctly and will sag. Therefore, we recommend an additional vertical wire rope (a "hanger") in the middle between the supports from above, i.e. a wire rope fastened into the roof or rafter with an eye bolt and a rope clamp, where the horizontal strands will be connected to it via a cross clamp. Alternatively, these vertical wire ropes can be attached at ground level with an earth anchor. The plant shoots can then be guided and braided into the system until a thick, opaque greening is created.

 

In public areas, horizontal ropes are not recommended, because of the ladder effect (easy climbing access for potential vandals or children). Arrangements similar to system 7060 are a good alternative here.

Carport greening with wisteria on a modified system 7060
Carport greening
Greening a carport with ivy
Greenery of a carport

Examples of greened carports

Here you can see just how diversely a carport can be greened...

A wooden carport post greened with annual morning glories
Carport greening: grapevines on wire ropes
Carport with wire rope of our easy style (eyelet screw WH 06061) for honeysuckle
Cable support for wisteria, heavy style with special mounts WM 12XX2
Cable run per system 1060 along an inclined roof edge; medium kit "classic"- installed into paneled rafter
Wire rope system 5020 for grapevines, arranged horizontally as a climbing field on the back of a carport; easy construction style, but here with eyelet screws WH 06061
Beautifying a carport with various plants on cable systems
Cable arrangement per system 60320, massive kit, climbing roses
House greening with kiwi on a wire rope system 3040.
Under the transparent (plastic) roof, wire ropes are run through the rafters-- similar to system 0060; fungus-tolerant vine species
Wattle-fence carport greened with Japanese honeysuckle
A horizontal wire rope arrangement works great for this kind of greening (here, grapevines on the carport).
Grapevines on a modified system 8010, heavy kit with WM 12161; this was chosen for the greater wall distance and thus more space within the carport. Between each support, additional vertical ropes are integrated as "hangers" (attached with cross clamps).
The same carport greened with grapevines two years later
A modified system 8010, easy kit with wall eyelets, tensioners, and cross clamps; an 'interweaving' aid for ivy
Green privacy screen from the previous photo-- 2 1/2 years later
Metal carport with modified wire rope system 5050 and cross mount 10081; various climbing and creeping plants will create a privacy screen
The same wire rope net as in previous photo: the lower cable attachments in the concrete trim (with glued-in eyebolts and screw links SG 05050) are visible
Modified system 5050; the system was installed into the rafters with eyelet screws. At the bottom, eyelets WH 08080 were glued into concrete blocks with composite mortar.
Planning sketch for a modified system 7060: both outer ground anchors are installed at a slight angle.
Photo corresponding to the previous sketch-- for an opaque greening, English ivy was used here. The closeness of the cables provides the ivy a good hold and quick progress.
Attachment of the previously pictured fan-form system-- the earth anchor is visible.
Modified system 7060-- the ropes above were affixed with eye screws WH 07080; below, with earth anchors EA 12800.
Carport with various climbers; modified system 7060
Fully-greened carport: parthenocissus (Virginia creeper) and "vitas coignetia" (crimson glory vine)