Fences have a serious job to do, keeping pets and children in the garden and unwanted visitors out, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. With some simple garden fence ideas, even the most utilitarian fencing can become an attractive design feature.
Paint a mural on an exterior fence to make a bold statement in your garden. Or try a barely-there wire trellis that allows climbing plants to interweave and create a living wall.
Privacy
A privacy fence can block unwanted views of your property, making outdoor areas more peaceful and private. This type of fence is great for people who enjoy spending time outside with family or friends, but don’t want to worry about neighbors watching their every move. It’s also a useful way to block out unsightly features, such as busy roads or commercial buildings. Before you start building your own privacy fence, though, it’s important to run your plans by the zoning department. They may be able to give you specific laws, restrictions and guidelines on where you can and cannot build your fence.
One of the simplest and most effective privacy fencing ideas is to simply plant trees and shrubs along your yard’s perimeter. This natural solution can work especially well if you live in a busy neighborhood and don’t want to disturb your neighbours. Cypresses and red cedars are excellent for this, as they grow tall enough to block out the view.
For a modern take on this idea, try incorporating a steel privacy fence into your garden design. These are becoming increasingly popular, as they offer a strong barrier with a contemporary aesthetic. For a unique twist, try adding laser-cut steel screens like this one from Rooftopia. These can be freestanding or mounted, and are an excellent choice for those looking to block out light without sacrificing a view.
Lighten Up Your Patio
Keeping your patio well-lit will not only prevent anyone from tripping over ornaments and plants but it can also really make the space feel more welcoming. Look to layer your lighting with ambient, task and accent lighting. This way you will have a soft and warm glow surrounding your garden furniture, while focused task lights can be used to highlight plants and accentuate the features of your yard. Then use accent lighting to create an eye-catching feature or even a pretty pattern on your fence.
Using light to brighten up your patio is an easy and affordable garden fencing idea. For example, adding a string of lanterns to your fence will instantly add a rustic cottage vibe to your backyard. Alternatively, using LED strip lighting is a great option that will illuminate walkways to and from the patio and can easily be tailored to match flower beds and planting ideas for a cohesive style.
A trellis is another simple garden fence idea that can work wonders for your backyard. It can help to visually connect different areas of the garden, increase privacy and offer the perfect frame for climbing plants. If you don’t want to commit to a permanent structure, a simple wire trellis will work just as well. The key is to choose a slatted design so that the light can filter through and prevent your garden from feeling too boxed in.
Create a Corner Seating Area
Creating a corner seating area at home is the perfect way to spend your free time with friends or family members in a cozy place. It is a tranquil spot to sit and relax, enjoy the beauty of nature or even read a book. Corner seating arrangements can be arranged in many ways depending on the availability of space and vastu in the room.
For example, a shed placed against a fence can make the perfect summerhouse or she shed for a woman’s garden. It’s also a unique way to decorate the corner with lights and a Halloween-ready theme! The use of large stone edging and inexpensive annual flowers is another way to turn a bare corner into a gorgeous garden. The bird basin water feature adds to the ambiance while encouraging birds to visit this beautiful corner garden.
Another great way to utilize a corner is by adding a seating area that’s around a window. The seating will feel cozy and intimate while letting in lots of natural sunlight to brighten up the corner. If you want to add something more unique and interesting, try hanging lots of art or creating a gallery wall to take an empty corner from plain to a sight to behold!
Make Your Yard More Private
Whether you’re plagued by nosy neighbors or live on a busy street, privacy is a big concern when it comes to your yard. Fortunately, it’s easy to add visual and sound privacy with the help of these clever fencing ideas.
A hedge is a great way to block out views of your home from the street or your neighbor’s yards, and fast-growing evergreen plants like arborvitae and shorn privet are a good choice for year-round privacy. But your hedge doesn’t have to be just a boring wall of green — frame it with flowering shrubs that offer seasonal color and fragrance. For example, photinias add vibrant red leaves to the mix while lilacs and Sambucus produce delicate white flowers.
If you want a little extra privacy without an entirely new fence, consider framing your patio or your front door with a short section of solid fencing. Alternatively, you can use a partial fence idea that uses slatted panels with gaps and a matching gate to create a pretty outdoor room.
You can also up the privacy levels of a traditional slatted screen fence by growing vines over it. Fast-growing options like sweet peas, morning glories, and climbing roses can quickly hide unsightly parts of a fence or even serve as an accent to the rest of your garden design. Hanging a string of twinkling lights from the horizontal slats of your trellis will transform your backyard into an inviting space for twilight entertaining.
Create a Zoning Zone
A lot of people don’t realize that their city has zoning laws and rules that regulate the use of land in their area. It’s a system designed to keep the safety and health of people in mind by ensuring that, for example, residents don’t live next door to a noisy, polluting factory. Zoning laws also regulate more specific details of construction like how far a house needs to be set back from the road, or maximum building heights.
Great fencing isn’t just about marking boundaries, it can be used to create different zones within your garden as well. For this, you can opt for more open styles of fence that are great for growing climbing plants on or even just slatted screening which offers a sleek modern backdrop to your space.
If you’re looking for a way to really make your garden fence pop, why not paint it a dark color? This is a simple way to add contrast and really makes your planting stand out. Try something like deep blue or black, and then position a few light-leafed shrubs in front of it. This is a simple, low-cost way to show off your gardening skills and really give the whole look an extra wow factor.
Add a Living Green Wall
Green walls aren’t just a modern design fad. The idea was patented by Stanley Hart White in 1938 and popularized in the 1980s by French botanist Patrick Blanc as a way to improve biodiversity in urban areas. They’re a great way to liven up a fence or spruce up a living room, and they work for both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Build a wall out of wooden lattice panels and plant it with air plants or succulents. This is a quick and easy project that will take a dull fence from boring to beautiful in no time. Or you could plant it with edibles like alpine strawberries, rocket and other salad leaves, or herbs that thrive in shade such as parsley, chives or mint.
If you want to create a living wall with a solid garden fence, you can use trellises or other vertical structures made from bamboo or metal. Alternatively, you can try out a new technique called hydroponics to grow plants without soil. This system works for both indoor and outdoor walls, but you’ll need to find a suitable substrate for your plants and the right micro-climate conditions.
To make a living wall for your fence, start by screwing rows of 2in BY 1in treated battens 38cm apart onto the fence or structure. Then fill the spaces between with plastic planters. The easiest option is to remove the plants from their pots and plant them directly into the planters, but you can also simply place the planters on top of the battens.