While enjoying the summer garden, there is a chance to correct omissions or mistakes in the landscape that may have been overlooked during the heavy planting season in spring.
One of these landscape additions might be the right fence or screen. Just as there are two sides to a fence, two major reasons exist for using one in the home landscape.
Purpose Of Fence
The most obvious purpose served by a fence is to keep something in or out of the garden. This could be dogs, children, stray animals, or peering eyes.
Just as important in today’s landscaping is the other reason why a fence may be desirable: as an aesthetic part of the house and grounds.
A fence can be used to join or separate different sections or features of a home landscape. A fence can be used as a background for flower and shrub borders and of course, it can be a screen to hide an unsightly view.
The purpose of the fence and the type of home and landscape involved will govern your choice of materials. Here, there is a great deal of flexibility.
You can use one of the many ready-made fences that are available or build a custom fence designed just for your particular grounds and situation.
In Terms of Protection
It is best to have a close-knit one when looking at fences in terms of protection for or against animals and children. The wire is the most obvious material.
Many types of wire fences—from the “turkey” wire through chain link—will do an excellent job. If the preference is for wood, there is a rather wide variety. Picket fences are a good choice.
And, of course, there are ready-made basket-weave and sapling fences that will provide good protection. But, finally, there are places where Tom Sawyer’s board fence will be the answer.
Privacy Is The Main Objective
If privacy is the main objective in erecting a fence, materials that offer a solid surface must be considered.
The paling or sapling fence is one of the most popular for this purpose. These come in many heights.
The fence should be well above eye level—about 6 feet for complete privacy. Basket-weave, board, and louver fences also fit nicely in this category.
One thing to remember when putting up a solid and relatively high fence is that it will shut out breezes unless it is of the louvered type. Depending on the circumstances, it will also cast a shadow which can be beneficial or not.
Ready Made Fence
The next question to be answered is whether to buy a ready-made fence or build one. Certain types of ready-made would be almost impossible to build.
For example, you can buy several different styles of post-and-rail fences or hurdle fences, which are beyond the realm of the home craftsman. Also, the rustic picket fence falls in this group, as does the sapling or paling fence.
The exceptional woodworking handyman could make certain of the basket-weave fences, but others must be purchased.
Nevertheless, the do-it-yourselfer has many possibilities he can incorporate into his stylized fence.
He can buy ready-made pickets for a formal fence. The number of board fences that can be designed is limitless.
They can be simple rail board fences, board and board (where the boards are on either side of the posts to give a solid appearance), or be made of any number of different weatherproof paneling materials available from most lumber companies.
With these, he can construct a “room-divider” fence entirely different from anything else.
Type Of Fence To Use
The basic style of the house and landscape will determine to some extent the type of fence to be used.
The various rustic fences—post-and-rail, sapling, and rustic picket—are ideal for the many ranch and country split-levels that are popular today.
A formal white picket would be just as much out of place here as would a rustic picket around a white colonial home. It is elementary to note that the Cape Cod homes are natural for board or picket fences.
Putting Up a Fence
Putting up a fence is not difficult, but a little care helps ensure a good job. First, whether putting up sections of a ready-made fence or building your own from scratch, ensure all posts are firmly embedded in the ground.
Does this mean a concrete bed? Not necessarily, but a concrete footing is certainly recommended for the corner posts where two sides of the fence will be attached and for both posts beside a gate.
Posts can be put in a hole with several fairly large stones pounded around the base. The length of the post below ground depends on its total height. For example, a hole 2’ feet deep is the minimum for a 3 ½’ foot post.
For taller posts, go to a depth of at least 3 feet. In the North, make sure the post is below the frost level. The part of the post below ground should be treated with a wood preservative. An easy and effective way to do this is to dip the post in the solution rather than paint it on.
Many of the posts for ready-made fences are already treated. If you are making your fence, don’t neglect this step. When pipe or metal posts are used, make sure they are galvanized to prevent them from rusting.
Make Sure The Fence is Straight
You may think your eye is pretty good, but it is quite apt to fool you. Once the new fence is up, you may notice where you “went off” a bit.
Put up guidelines. You should have at least two: one to indicate where the fence is going (close to the ground) and another to give you the height. The latter is especially important with a picket fence.
Wire Fences
Wire fences call for another construction procedure. The wire must be stretched, or the fence will be an eyesore on the landscape. How is this done? It sometimes takes more pull than one or two men can exert.
A block and fall attached to a solid anchor such as a house, an automobile bumper, or a telephone pole does a good job.
There are also wire stretchers that could be rented for this job. One of the very popular wire fences is the chain link. Putting these up is truly a job for an expert.
Temporary Fence
There are times when only a temporary fence is desired. One type of temporary fence is the common snow fence. This is available in the traditional red and white.
A snow fence can also be made into a delightful permanent fence by setting up two or three horizontal rails and attaching the fence on either side of the rails.
Space the pickets so that the space on one side will be matched with a picket on the other. This gives a double-sided fence— meaning it looks the same from either side.
Some fences will demand constant upkeep. Others should be left to weather naturally. Board and regular picket fences are often painted— white is the traditional color, but don’t overlook the possibility of matching it with either your house’s trim or base color.
Use Good Quality Paint on The Fence
The same kind that you would in your house. Remember, the fence gets the full force of the weather.
Although most are galvanized to prevent rusting, wire fences should also be painted if they are to last. This is a chore that many people dread and too often pass up for “next year.” However, there is an easy solution—even for the chain link.
An effective way to paint a wire fence is using a paint roller with a relatively thick nap. This eliminates all the spattering so often experienced with a brush.
Two Sides To a Fence
Which side should I face? The standard tradition is for the good side of a fence to face out. However, this tradition is being broken in many places today, especially where rustic fences are being used.
The manufacturers are designing fences so that they look good on both sides. So the only answer is to use your judgment.
Finally, when putting up a fence on a property boundary, ensure it is on your property— especially if you are paying for all of it yourself.
If you find in later years that your fence was put up 6″ inches on the other fellow’s property, the fence is legally his. Often, the two neighbors purchase a fence separating two pieces of property.
If this is the case, it should be put on the line. If one of the neighbors should move, a written agreement—and suitable payment— should be made to make positive the legal ownership of the fence.
Discouraging Feature About Fences
One discouraging feature about a fence is the grass—and sometimes weeds—that grow directly under it and must be cut or removed for a neat appearance.
There are several ways of attacking this problem. One way is to edge out a strip of bare soil under and several inches on either side of the fence wide enough so that the mower wheel can ride on it and you can trim while you mow.
This strip must be cultivated unless you treat it with a complete weed killer—one that kills grass and weeds. Be careful when applying it, as a few drops will make some neat spots on your lawn.
If you want the lawn to grow right up to and under the fence, make sure that you leave enough space between the bottom of the fence and the ground for your clippers—about 2” inches is fine. You can then trim both sides of the fence at one time.
Necessary Fence
Always remember the decorative possibilities of the “necessary” fence—the one you put up to keep pets and children in or out of the garden. These can be perfect supports for climbing roses, wisteria, clematis, or other vines.
It would be wise to use one of the rustic types and leave it a natural color, as every time a fence needs painting, the vines must be removed, which is not always easy.
Also, don’t overlook the possibility of planting vines to cover post-and-rail boundary fences. These make ideal supports for climbing roses.
44659 by William L. Meachem