Creative ways to build sturdy and attractive garden fences:
Enhance your garden like never before with these bold fence ideas to accentuate your plants and cater to your personal lifestyle!
Fence Color Ideas
Wood is a popular choice for fencing due to its flexibility in style, design, and budget. From ready-made fences to custom builds, the options are endless for you to make your fence stand out. One of the great benefits of wooden fencing is the ability to paint or stain it in various colors, ranging from subtle hues to vibrant shades perfect for your garden.
Opt for dark to medium tones such as rich browns or charcoal grays to create a sleek appearance that seamlessly blends with your garden. These colors also serve as a stunning contrast to green foliage and colorful flowers. Pale greens might seem like an obvious choice; however, they can clash with your garden's shades of green, creating an unintended emphasis.
Muted pastel colors like soft greys, sage, and blue bring a charming appeal, especially paired with pastel flowers and accessories. These colors are an excellent choice for traditional gardens and contribute to feelings of tranquility, perfect for seating areas or patios.
Light colors, especially light grey or off-white, can help create an illusion of a larger garden. Bright white may be too harsh and overwhelming, so it should be avoided.
Bright and Bold
If you're seeking to create an exciting atmosphere, use bold and vibrant shades, such as rich blues, bright yellows, or terracotta, to bring energy to small or enclosed spaces. These colors evoke the ambiance of Mediterranean or North African gardens, making them ideal for sunny sites[1].
If you're unsure about your color choice, purchase test pots and apply them to planks or boards to assess how different colors complement your existing space. Consider the colors of your walls, garden furniture, paving, and other significant features to develop a unified appearance in your garden.
Don't miss out on these exciting brands that offer fence paints: Amazon, Argos, B&Q, eBay, and Robert Dyas.
Creative Fence Ideas
Want to transform your ordinary garden fence into a work of art? Here are some creative ideas that utilizes different materials, textures, and designs:
Trellis
Trellis panels provide support for a variety of climbing and trainable plants. You can fix trellis panels to the front of solid fences, or use them alone when seeking privacy while maintaining an open, airy look. Adding trellis to the top of a solid fence creates privacy, especially when combined with climbing plants, and can be combined with fence screening for additional privacy and style.
Fence Screening
Fence screening is a quick and easy cover-up for unattractive fences. This versatile wallpaper-like material can be made of natural substances like bamboo, willow, or reed and is often sold by the roll. If the boundary isn't yours, be sure to ask your neighbors before installing anything on their fence[2]. Screening can function as a stand-alone fence supported by posts and wire or be incorporated into an existing fence for a fresh look.
Unconventional Fence Materials
Incorporating unique materials like mesh, metal, or glass into your fence design adds texture and a modern touch. Consider installing Perspex panels for small or dark garden spaces, or laser-cut metal panels as architectural points of interest within a plain fence.
Alternatives to Fences
Living boundaries, such as hedges, have several advantages over fences as they are long-lasting, attractive year-round, and provide homes for various wildlife. Hedges require time to grow and form a substantial screen, but you can buy mature plants for an instant effect at a higher cost.
Try installing a 'fedge'—a combination of a fence and a hedge—using rigid metal mesh supported by posts and planted with ivy. Trim regularly to maintain the desired appearance.
Consider making a living screen using willow. Insert willow rods in the ground and weave them together to create a lattice screen, then trim multiple times a year to preserve the shape.
Purchase living hedging from specialist nurseries like Thompson & Morgan, Suttons, or Crocus.
[1] The Spruce - Create a Mediterranean Garden Full of Life
[2] The Home Depot - 4 DIY Garden Decor Ideas Using Mason Jars
[3] The Spruce - Tips for Growing Mixed Borders in Your Garden
[4] Garden Design - Colorful Fences for Your Garden
[5] The Spruce - Tips for Picking the Perfect Shade of Paint for Your Fence
Incorporate home-and-garden enhancements by investing in vibrant paint or stain for your wooden fence to better match your lifestyle. For an energizing appeal, experiment with bright and bold colors like rich blues, bright yellows, or terracotta for small or enclosed spaces.
When seeking to create a tranquil vibe, muted pastel colors such as soft greys, sage, and light blue make an excellent addition to traditional gardens and pair well with pastel flowers and accessories.
