What makes a good taste? It doesn’t have to be a liking for metal over wood or wood over plastics. It’s a matter of personal taste, and is not that necessarily bad or good.
Fences tend to look dull without any decorations compared to the tapestry of the ornamental plants that peek out from behind them. If you want to liven up the fence borders of your landscape, try by adding non-organic or living decorative elements. You can use the existing garden, the natural surroundings and the home’s architecture as inspiration. Building your own landscape’s borders is not impossible and can be achieved by following these steps.
You will need:
- Pencil
- Paper
- Paint
- Measuring Tape
- Plants
- Lopping Shears
- Garden Hose
- Plastic
- Paintbrush
- Shovel
- Bypass Shears
- Towels
- Rollers
Landscaping
Steps:
- For living plants inspiration, check the amount of light received to your fences. Most plants can grow in full sunlight conditions, but some plants can live in partial shade. Create a diagram of your fence and add in the measurements of the fencing and the amount of the light each area will receive. You should also include the height of the fence together in the diagram.
- Then, choose the type of plant that you would like to grow either in front or on the fencing. Climbing plants such as clematis, roses or ivy are great to grow on the actual fencing. You could also grow medium-height ornamental, shrubbery trees or bordering plants such as pansies in the front of the fence.
- You can plant next to the fence before placing a net over the fence for climbing vines. Loosely tie the canes with pieces of nylon to the netting.
- Make spacing far enough for the bordering and shrubbery plants so both plants receive enough air circulation, but at the same time it forms a uniform row. Prune your plants regularly so the look of your natural decorations is streamlined. Use looping shears, pruning saw and bypass shears to maintain the natural look of your shrubs.
- For the inorganic decoration, paint your fence to show off the motif of the fencing. You don’t have to choose white for pickets; instead you can use predominant ornamental flower color of the exterior color scheme of the home in the landscaping.
- Take the fence measurements with you to the paint store. One gallon of paint will cover about 350 square feet of fencing, and make sure to purchase plastic or you can use old newspaper to cover the ground to prevent the paint from getting onto the grass.
- Choose a sunny and warm day to paint. Clean the fence with water before drying them with towels. Use paint rollers to paint the fences and for the small and hard to reach areas, you can use small natural bristle brushes.
- After establishment, do not give your plants on the fence too much nitrogen as it will make difficult for you to prune them. You could also use your fence to produce food such as strawberries, tomatoes and string beans.
Image Credit
Additional Reading:
Plant Combinations for Your Landscape: Over 400 Inspirational Groupings for Barden Beds & Borders
