UKC

Got another one for ya!

I intend to make the front of my house look right pretty by growing wisteria up it.

Internet says L brackets and stainless steel wire. What screws do I use to attach the brackets to the bricks on the outside of my house? Do I need rawl plugs first or is there some kind of bastard-big bolt that just eats its way in?

Any other hints and tips?

In reply to KingStapo:

https://www.hilti.co.uk/direct-fastening/drywall-applications/r3673

In reply to Lusk:

No

In reply to KingStapo:

Sensible answer... you can get masonry screws, but you still need to drill a pilot hole. No plugs needed.

In reply to KingStapo:



It's a great idea , a David Cameron had it, and whilst it apparently it damaged his house, the cost of repairing it is all refundable from the taxpayer, so no worries.

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/david-cameron-defends-clai...

In reply to Lusk:

thank you!

best to screw into the bricks or the mortar?

In reply to KingStapo:

The bricks.

I quite like the look of that Wisteria. Our house is getting swamped with Virginia creeper at the moment. Looks awesome in Autumn when the leaves turn though.

In reply to KingStapo:

I have wisteria growing on my house, it loves climbing up the drain and cables, and if you don't watch out it will grow into your roof, and can move your tiles about a good bit, it is surprising how fast it grows.
As for drilling into bricks or mortar , it might be my mortar ,, it is easier to drill into, but the plugs and screws don't stay fixed for as long as they do if I drill into the brick.

In reply to KingStapo:

The mortar. If you drill the brick you risk cracking it and also getting water in that can lead to the brick face blowing out.

Drill the right size for the rawlplug. When you screw I it will expand an deform to grip the mortar.

If growing plants up a house, build your frame so that the plant stands off a few centimetres so you can replace fixtures if the corrode. It will also allow ventilation which will be good for the plant too when the leaves start to drop.

Wisteria is slow growing. We bought 3 year old plants in 2009 and the flowered in 2013 a little and properly this year. That is with a lot of careful pruning and feeds.

You may well be an experienced horticulturalist so I may be teaching you to suck eggs. There are alternatives that will look good, although not as lovely as a wisteria. Clematis or a climbing rose.

In reply to KingStapo:

Vine eyes are good for wire, have you considered a grape vine or fruit tree too?

In reply to KingStapo:

Pretty, but short answer - don't, unless you keep it cut back. Slow growing so damage is insidious. Off to sell one's butt to cover the cost of about ten grand of damage. Good luck.

In reply to KingStapo:

I used vine eyes and fencing wire along the entire side of my house. Once it's had a few decades, the main stems thicken to the point where they are more or less self supporting

Before you make a decision, consider if you are likely to be able to prune all of it back twice a year for as long as you intend to occupy the house. Not just when you have the energy and enthusiasm.
Given reasonable growing conditions, it will easily reach the gutters and eaves of a house. If you can keep the growth to a single years once it reaches that height then all's good- there's little to beat a mature wisteria for spectacular display.

In reply to llechwedd:

So you say, but I love wisteria and have failed miserably to get them to grow at either of our last two houses. Currently we have walls covered with ivy, honeysuckle and quince but not a trace of wisteria...

In reply to Dave Garnett:

How the hell do you get quince to grow - Mrs C has killed two trees in as many years so far and is lobbying for the purchase of a third!

In reply to cander:

They are quite old and well-established so I can't claim the credit. They get pruned in the autumn and flower like mad every spring. That said, one did die suddenly, possibly because the roots grew into a drain from the kitchen, but a bit of a mystery.

In reply to KingStapo:

Wisteria is one of my favourite climbing plants, my old horticultural college had a fantastic ancient one over its entrance.
Not sure about fixings, something secure obviously, but keep it well pruned and you will have no problems.
A lot less invasive than ivy or Russian vine