1. To make the hedge - how far apart should I plant?

In a row, I would leave about 6inches at each side of the plant - they will meet up within a few years.

2. Does this climb without support?

Yes, growth goes straight up and is self supporting

3. Will this plant do ok with some shade (where I want it to climb)?

They seem to do best in semi-shade, but full sun to heavy shade seems to work.

4. How far from fence should I plant (where I want it to climb)?

I would put it almost right up to the fence.

Agree with most of above but having grown this you will find that without a support to climb against it will form a low spreading mound and very little or no growth "straight up".

I find mine grow well up a wall unsupported. But if not against a wall etc - the growers do suggest putting sticks in amongst it to encourage upright growth.

Maybe i should clarify ,the plants i have do grow well up against a wall or fence but any upward growth cannot support itself and tends to spread sideways.

I would leave more than 6 inches. They will make quite large bushes in time. I have seen this planted very close to a house wall and climbing up it quite unsupported. It seems less vigorous than Emerald 'n Gold and may take a while to get started. However in a windy spot they may need some help.
It will be OK in shade but in deep shade the colours may not be so bright. I've never seen it grown as a low hedge - a nice idea. It responds well to clipping.

Thank you all very much. They are now planted in a row -with space between them for growth.
I have one left over which I intend to attempt to grow up part of the fence. Will see how it goes, if not well I will give it a little help :)
Steragram...I thought it would make a change from a little box hedge - although I didn't do any research before I went to the GC (was a last minute thing) I had it in my mind that they could be used as hedging, so will see how it goes there too!
Thanks again girls and boys :)

I know you want them to grow tall but to make a nice hedge I think light trimming would help to thicken it out all over, Its a favorite of mine and always looks bright and light even on a gloomy day

I don't want them to go too tall Pamg...the label said 24" with a spread of 4ft - 2ft is more than high enough - I will (try)keep them to around knee high.
They are quite small just now around 6" high - I didn't want to trim just now for fear of cold weather - I will give them a light clip in the spring...and tidy up any stragglers!

Keep your first few trims very light though, because the silver variegated ones don't seem to grow as fast as the gold ones. If you want one to climb your fence you might find Emerald 'n Gold will grow quite a lot faster.

Thanks Steragram....I have plenty space on the fence for both so will have 2 :))

hi Scottish I took lots of cutting from both varieties ( very easy) and a friend has a low border alternating them, it looks lovely and is very easy to maintain, the original plant is over 20 years old in my shrubbery, Its wider than my arms will stretch and about 4 foot tall-- but is as I want it and with light trimming a mass of lovely leaves which shine out even on a grey day

Yes they are lovely in winter. Silver Queen is a nice large leaved one that gets quite big if you discourage it from growing prostrate, but it can be quite difficult to root. In fact I was once told that for some reason cuttings didn't strike any more, so right away I tried. It did take ages but it rooted in the end. It took a long time before it really settled down though. However I took another this summer that has rooted quite easily so I don't know what all that was about.

Thanks for the info Pam and Steragram. When I was planting them up a stem got broken of. I have stuck it in a little pot and will see how it goes.
Thanks again for all the tips and advice. It is much appreciated :)