Uncover the basics about garden fences
When deciding on a garden fence, the first point you have to consider is what is the purpose of the fence?
There are 4 main purposes for garden fencing:
- Decorative
- Security
- Privacy
- Support for plants
Obviously the purpose for the garden fencing will define the style of the fence. If you want a fence for security or privacy reasons, getting a 3 foot high picket fence are not going to make a lot of sense.
You will also have to consider what materials you’re going to use for your fence. This will be determined largely by the type of fence, the amount of maintenance you are willing to do, the amount of effort you’re willing to put in to erect it, and last but not least, personal choice.
Some common materials for garden fences are:
- Wood
- Concrete
- Asbestos-cement
- Steel
- corrugated sheet metal
Wooden Garden Fences
Wood are the most popular material for garden fences for a number of reasons. It is not only one of the most attractive materials for a fence, it is also the easiest material to work with. One of the major downsides of a wooden garden fence is the fact that it will rot if you don’t treat it properly. A wooden fence is most likely to rot at ground level and where any posts and panels are joined, so make sure that you treat those places before and after construction.
If you use a good preservative on a clean, dry, unpainted wood, and give the wood two or three coats, it will probably last a while. Creosote is one of the most common wood preservatives, but this can unfortunately be harmful to plants or wildlife.
Some other commercial wood preservatives you might find are pentachlorophenol, copper napthenate (which has a green color) and zinc napthenate, a clear solution.
After some years of owning your wooden garden fence, you may also find that it starts to lean over, when this happens, just place a strut against it for support, and then disguise it by growing some plants over it.
Your Circumstances
When you are choosing your garden fencing, you have to not only consider the purpose, but also the circumstances specific to your garden. If you have strong winds, you might consider an open fence or a zigzag type construction, You can even consider planting a hedge.
If you have high rainfall or very high humidity, you should also rather look at something other than wood, unless you’re willing to replace the garden fence every 3 to 4 years
Types of Fences
Among the most popular types of garden fences are the traditional picket, the post-and-rail fence and the hurdle fence, but with increased stress on privacy screening, the louvered and lattice types are gaining popularity at an increasing rate.
The post-and-rail garden fence is made of posts spaced at 10 foot intervals with large slots cut in them. The 11-foot-long rails are tapered to flat ends, which are inserted in the posts. The hurdle fence has split rails built into a braced frame and nailed together, with the end pieces of each panel becoming the posts.
The picket fence, traditionally white, has posts spaced from 8 to 12 feet apart, rails 3×4 inches, and pickets 2 to 3 inches wide, pointed at the top.
The pickets should be 2 inches off the ground at the bottom and extend well above the top rail. The spindle fence is a kind of picket fence with round spindles that pass through holes in the rails.
Board garden fences used for screening comes in all shapes and sizes. A broad rail may be alternated with a narrow rail, or the boards may be applied vertically, like palings, with, perhaps, a staggering of the boards on either side of the rail. Boards may be slanted in a louver effect to give privacy while admitting air and sunlight.
A basket-weave garden fence can be constructed of thin, flexible boards and provides total screening and a handsome background for planting. It is somewhat difficult to build yourself, however.
I hope this article has given you a good overview of the types and styles of fences available. Over the next couple of days, we’ll look at the specific types of fences.