Fences Offer More Than Protection
Fences are structures that fulfill a host of functions in our landscapes. They create garden sanctuaries by closing off the bustling world outside. They provide screens for privacy and backdrops for flowers. They protect our children and pets from traffic and other potential hazards.
Though most fences are constructed with some type of wood, metal, plastic, brick and stone are also used. There is even an invisible fence that can keep Rover from tunneling out or flattening the petunias. The type of fence we choose usually is determined by the style of our home and what we are trying to block or create.
Many of our back yards are surrounded by privacy fences. These fences can be given a little character by using decorative knobs atop the posts. Decorative patterns of brick or wood can be built right into the fence for added interest. Hanging baskets and trailing vines can add charm and beauty to the fence. To give them something to hang from, attach the top section or roof of an arbor (two feet wide by 10 feet long) to the top of the fence. To add more interest, rock or brick columns can be substituted for the standard wood fence posts.
Probably the most durable and long-lasting fence is cyclone. Because it’s made of metal, it’s also the most unnatural. We can soften this harsh fence by painting it brown, black or deep green. If you take a close look at cyclone, it’s not the screening that’s offensive. It’s the posts and the top bar. We can soften this too, by attaching the cyclone screening to wooden fence posts instead of the standard metal posts and by running a 2-by-4 or a 2-by-6 across the top in place of the bar. If you wish to use the metal fence posts, camouflage them by encasing them in wood. Simply face them with 1-by-4s and run the same facing across the top bar. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how this bit of wood softens the harshness of the metal fence.
Small sections of fence can be used as screens to block neighboring windows, high decks and unsightly areas. Next to your deck, hot tub or private area frame a wall of lattice or construct a louvered wall. Top either with an arbor top. Light will move through these structures, while enchanting vines and hanging baskets create a wall of beauty.
Not all fencing is for privacy. Sections of short grape stake, split rail or picket fences make wonderful backgrounds for shrubs and perennials. If placed strategically in the yard, they create a feeling of depth as well as interest.
And finally, dealing with the “south 40.” How do we separate the formal landscape from the natural landscape? With a bit of fence. It should be short enough to see over easily, like a split rail. Sometimes a short hunk of fence is just enough to stop our eye while everything beyond the fence goes on its merry way. It doesn’t take much, perhaps only three posts and a couple sets of rails. The little section of fence doesn’t fence anything in. It just announces that everything in front of it is formal landscaping and everything behind it is natural.
Maintenance tip No. 826: Fences, especially cyclone fences, have a way of devouring weed-whacker string. Remove the soil from under the fence, two inches deep and six inches wide. Line the shallow ditch with black plastic. Butt rectangular concrete stepping stones or bricks on top of the plastic. The plastic will keep weeds from moving up between the blocks and the blocks provide a ledge for the wheels of the lawn mower. They also keep the dog from tunneling out.
And, finally, some announcements:
The Beautiful Botanicals show that was to be held at the Cultural Center in Coeur d’Alene April 13, has been canceled.
However, don’t miss the Spokane Orchid Society’s show today, Saturday and Sunday at the Convention Center. The hours are the same as the Home and Garden Show being held on the same site.
“All About Houseplants,” another in the spring series of workshops at the WSU Extension office, will be held Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. Call 533-2048 for more information. Admission is $5.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review