Landscape around a fence to highlight any ornamental features, not hide them.
Erecting a fence provides an instant enclosure or boundary marker on a property, unlike planting a hedge and waiting for it to grow in. Depending on budget, fence style or material, the fence may look stark and visually hard standing alone in the yard. Designing a small planting strip in front of the fence softens the vertical lines of the fence, and may help tie in the house or yard -- from a landscape design standpoint -- to the fence. Does this Spark an idea?
Fence Characteristics
Evaluate the fence and describe it with adjectives. If words such as attractive, charming or ofrmal fit the look and style of your fence, create a landscape plan around the fence to highlight it. Do not plant vegetation that will mask or block the view of such a prized fence. Conversely, if the fence looks massive, blocky, dirty, rustic or intimidating, adding soft-textured plants and flowers can soften and improve the look of the fence.
Style
Match the landscape plan with the style of the fence. If its a white picket fence or stately black wrought iron fence, a more formal, tidy collection of plants in the strip is appropriate. A white picket fence may invoke a colorful, flowery English cottage garden, while the wrought iron fence may look best outlined with low, sheared evergreen shrubs. Wooden, unpainted fences complement informal, naturalistic landscapes. A bamboo fence may invoke a feel of eastern Asia, while a split-rail fence is more reminiscent of a cattle or horse ranch where meadow plants abound. Chain link fences are utilitarian, not an attractive garden feature.
Basic Planning
Measure the strip in front of the fence you wish to landscape. The amount of space dictates what plants you should grow; you want plants that will not grow too large for the space, thereby increasing maintenance. Generally, you need access to the fence to inspect it and paint or replace it in the future. Stick with a landscape plant that only uses plants and do not add accent boulders or statuary, especially if it's an attractive fence on its own. The plants should also tie-in with those already present in your yard. If you already have lots of perennials or shrubs, don't place cacti by the fence, as it will not help unify your landscape or property.
Plant Tips
If you find your fence to be an eye-sore, planting evergreen shrubs is a wise choice. The greenery visually hides the fence year round and, if the fence is removed years later, the shrub hedge remains as a boundary. Taller herbaceous plants and deciduous shrubs may also be used in front of a less-than-attractive fence. Small ornamental grasses and flowering perennials may be planted in the strip in front of a rustic or cottage-like fence. Formal-looking fences look best when the strip in front of them is planted with a uniform, consistent planting. A low hedge of boxwood, lavender, daffodils or seasonal annual flowers such as petunias or lantana compliments the formal fence without visual detraction. Use vines on fences sparingly. A sprawling rose or clematis may work well, but avoid large and fast-growing vines as they will overtake a fence and contribute to weight that topples the fence years later. Chain link fences are a notable exception; use evergreen vines on them, planted in the strip.
Tags: strip front, around fence, around fence highlight, Chain link, Chain link fences, evergreen shrubs, fence highlight
