An artificial ivy roll is a 118" x 40" sheet of ivy foliage on a flexible mesh backing that covers 33 square feet, from $64.95, which works out at under $2.00 per square foot. It ties straight onto chain-link, timber lattice and railings, and screws or staples to solid fences and walls. Treat each roll as three panels' worth of coverage and fix it at about 27 points.
Which ivy roll to buy
The range splits by what the backing does. The privacy ivy roll ($64.95, $1.97 per sq ft) is foliage on open mesh: it greens and softens a fence but lets some light and view through. The shade-cloth-backed ivy roll ($69.95, $2.12 per sq ft) adds a fabric layer behind the leaves, so on see-through chain-link it blocks sightlines rather than just decorating them. For five dollars more per roll, it is the one to pick when privacy is the point.
Above those sit the denser 33 sq ft formats: the forest jasmine screen roll ($180), the boxwood roll ($189.95) and the commercial grade Boston ivy ($199.95), landing at $5.45 to $6.06 per sq ft. That is panel money in roll form. Buy them when you want roll-speed installation with a fuller, hedge-like face.
How many rolls you need
Divide the area in square feet by 33 and round up. The more useful habit is to plan in courses, because every roll is 40" tall and fences are not. A 6 ft fence is 72" high, so it takes two horizontal courses totalling 80". Overlap the upper course about 8" onto the lower one: the extra leaf hides the horizontal join, and you use the spare height instead of cutting it off.
Worked example: a 50 ft run of 6 ft fence is 300 sq ft. Each course takes five 10 ft rolls end to end, so two courses take ten. By area alone, 300 divided by 33 is 9.1, so ten again. At $69.95 for the shade-cloth version that is $699.50 for the run, and it ships free because the order is over $300. If you prefer to overlap the vertical joins by a few inches rather than butt them, add one roll per course. The same run in 40" x 40" panels at a typical $7.27 per sq ft would be around $2,180.
On a 4 ft fence (48"), one course leaves 8" bare. Rather than buy a full second course, cut one roll lengthwise into five 8" strips: that single roll finishes 50 ft of fence.
Fixing to chain-link and mesh
Zip-tie through the backing into the wire, using UV-rated ties; standard nylon goes brittle outdoors within a season. A 40" x 40" panel wants about nine fixing points, and a roll carries three panels' worth of area, so treat 27 ties per roll as the floor: spread along the top edge, both ends, the bottom edge and a row through the middle. Rolls depend on their fixings more than rigid panels do, because there is no stiff frame spreading load between ties. The shade-cloth version also catches more wind than open mesh, so on exposed sites add ties rather than fewer, and read do artificial hedges hold up in wind. The step-by-step is in attaching hedge panels to a chain-link fence, and the tie guidance applies to rolls too.
Fixing to timber fences and solid walls
On timber, staple or screw through the mesh into rails and pickets, with a washer under each screw head so the backing cannot pull over it. On masonry or render, a roll has no frame to hold it flat, so either screw it through wall plugs at the same density or, better, fix a few horizontal battens or tensioned wires first and tie the roll to those. Battens also hold the foliage off the wall so it dries out behind after rain. Fixing choice by surface is covered in zip ties vs screws, and the hardware is in install parts and accessories.
Covering a trellis or pergola
Timber lattice is the easiest substrate there is. It is already a grid, so tie the roll straight through it at the crossing points. On a pergola, a roll laid over the rafters and tied at every crossing gives dappled shade, and a roll cut lengthwise into strips wraps a post neatly. If the lattice itself is the problem, because it is broken or you need height where there is nothing to fix to, an expandable trellis screen is the better tool, since it supports itself.
Cutting and joining
Rolls cut with heavy scissors or snips through the backing. Cut between leaf stems rather than through them, then fold loose leaf over the cut edge. Joins hide better on rolls than on rigid panels because leaf can lap over the seam, so overlap two or three inches rather than butting edges. More detail in can you cut artificial hedge panels.
When a panel is the better buy
Rolls are the cheapest coverage we sell, but not always the right one. The face is loose and rambling rather than clipped, and at arm's length the open-mesh version can show backing between leaves. For a feature wall people stand next to, an indoor wall, or anywhere you want a formal hedge line, 40" x 40" green wall panels justify the extra cost. The full comparison is in hedge panels vs ivy rolls vs portable hedges, and if the fence is simply an eyesore, how to hide an ugly fence ranks every option by effort.
Durability and compliance
The ivy rolls are LDPE with in-leaf UV inhibitors, rated for indoor and outdoor use, with an expected life of 5+ years outdoors and a 5 year warranty. If a project needs a fire certificate, for a restaurant, venue or commercial fit-out, ask before ordering and we will confirm the rating SKU by SKU rather than assume it.
Browse the full ivy rolls and moss range, check colour against your fence with a sample panel, and find the rest of the series in the Expert Tips and Guides hub.