There are numerous reasons to have a garden fence, including keeping deer and hares off your nicely manicured lawn and providing protection against the wind. On the other hand, even when you do not have to worry about animals, fences can provide a picturesque edge around your garden. However, despite the different advantages, many people will hold off building a decorative garden fence because they find the task a little overwhelming although it does not have to be that way.
Premade fence kits are one way to go since everything that you require for building a garden fence that is both appealing and practical is included in the ‘box’. Several are so cleverly designed that all you need to do is snap together the pieces and you are done. The sections included allow you to erect either rectangular or square fencing. Several have modified braces that allow you to make an octagon or semi-circle.
Most kits are not as simple to put up but still only require the minimum of work on your part. The slats are pre-attached to horizontal supports termed cross-members or rails. All you need to do is attach these pre made panels to the corner posts. That is simply a case of putting in several screws with a power screwdriver and you are in business.
Setting garden fence posts does not have to be a major chore, either. Indeed, if you are only setting up a small garden fence, you may not have to sink posts at all. The posts will offer corner support for the slat sections, but the whole thing can just sit on the ground without digging any post holes.
This is feasible with the use of metal post support stakes, which furnish the extra support while negating the need to dig holes in the ground. These stakes consist of square metal cups that have a twelve to eighteen-inch spike welded onto the base. You just use a club hammer to pound the spike into the ground.
The metal cup can sit into a small square hole or above the surface. They usually come pre painted, in order to stop rusting but you can paint them in any color to match your garden or just leave them as they are. Then you simply slide the post into the cup and secure it by clamping the cup around the base using the incorporated nut and bolt.
Garden fences erected in this way can support significant weight besides being able to stand up to high winds and driving rain.
Trellis or Latticework is always popular and it too is readily available in pre-made sections that are simple to set up. Indeed, with the addition of several climbing plants, like English ivy or clematis vines, you will be able to eventually grow a sort of hedging panel once they have grown and wound themselves around. Lattice also provides a straightforward means to support tall plants near the boundary. To enable tall tulips or the like to stand proud, just use some tie wrap between the stem and the trellis.
To protect against invasion by ground squirrels and other ground dwellers, just extend the fencing below the ground by about twelve inches. To do this, you will need to dig a small trench of the same depth, bearing in mind that the overall height of your fence will be that much less. You can of course compensate with taller panels. Chicken wire at the base and underneath the surface is an additional simple way to accomplish the same result.
So there, you have it. Fence your garden and get a finished look that protects your plants.
↑ Back to Top