The Letters!

Bring On The Kids

A suggestion lifted from the clever people that beautify Philadelphia. This would be for the high solid section of your proposed fence. Go down the street to the high school and ask the art department chairman to select some creative kids with an artistic bent to paint a mural on the fence. It can be a collaborative undertaking in that they can be given a freehand as to what they wish to express but with the understanding that you have give final OK since it is your fence. If the teacher is clever enough to include some know shadowy graffiti painters among the artists the longevity of the final product will be insured. P.S. It's also great for the kid who currently needs to secretly paint graffiti.
Good luck,
          Bob, Hebron, CT

Make It Art!

Hi Ketzel,

Instead of using typical fencing or wall materials, why not go a little beyond the ordinary?

I remember once seeing a "fence" built for a deck overlooking the ocean which was composed of redwood frames which supported a series of outdoor-tolerant acrylic panels. Basically, it would be a screen, more than a fence. But instead of having clear acrylic, you could sandwich in colors and designs for a stained glass effect. Some kind of architectural design would work nicely. Another "open" idea would be slumpstone or block wall with occasional open spaces between them. Or how about a fence with boxes on top which could house plants?

Thanks for inspiring my creativity. I guess I should go take care of my own outdoor environment.
          Linda

Say It With Plants

Dear Ketzel,

On a slim budget at a former rental house, I wanted to block as much of my next door landlords as possible. Using passalong plants Felder Rushing style, I created what I called my "barrier island" of plants that my friends warned me the horticulture police would book me for: Arundo donax 'Variegata', Jeruselum artichokes, and Miscanthus sinensis of some ungraceful sort, worked wonderfully. I fear not for an invasive legacy: the landlords who accurately described themselves as knowing nothing about landscape stuff, probably mow over it all now. I also faced this bed with more passalongs, Hemerocallis, Mirabilis, and such.
          Diane, Richmond, VA

Hi Ketzel,

Here's the fence idea: bamboo. You could go two ways with this. One is to grow live bamboo; drawback there, obviously, is that it would take a few years to get tall enough to offer visual shelter and definition. Second idea, and this duplicates a fence we have across a little piece of property we have in beautiful Fire Island, New York: bamboo stalks (not live), loosely but uniformly spaced to suit your privacy needs (anywhere from a few inches apart to a foot), bound by horizontal stalks near the top and base of the fence. (Vertical stalks are simply nailed into horizontal crosspieces.) I may be missing a structural piece here, as I'm doing this from memory, but if you like the notion I can send you the email address of the guy who designed it.

Yes, the idea of what a fence is/does is interesting. The fence you've designed looks really heavy -- too gridlocked. I think.

Okay, that's it. Can't wait to hear how the fence-project turns out. (Hey, maybe Christo could take a stab at this!)
          Kim

Absolution

I think the fence looks wonderful. I vote for it. I feel your pain!!! about your yard situation. However, it's great to know that you are doing all this gardening without huge resources of land, money and labor. You are the antidote to Martha Stewart!
          Connie, Amherst MA

Hello from a fence proponent,

We all start out wanting a great open, friendly space, with good feng shui and the babies of the neighborhood accepting little offerings of our pretty posies. But you need privacy to garden, especially if you use gardening to be down and get dirty; being on public display will make you too self-conscious.

In my naive first year in my house I planted the parking strip with bulbs, and sure enough those tulips and daffs looked so pretty. Until Mother's day, when the sweet children plucked them. Which I could actually handle, considering the occasion; I had just overcome my rage when my dogs announced the small sales people at my front door; selling Mother's day bouquets.

Life is good, gardening is sweet, your neighbors are basically good folks (except for the high school kids, who are intrinsically evil and will be for a couple years at least) but fer gosh sakes, girl, build that fence high and solid; never mind the peek-a-boo designs; save yourself some precious space to be you.

And do the parking strip in wildflowers. Or bamboo.
          Alison, Portland, OR

And Finally -- People Who Like To Spend My Money

Well, I gotta tell ya. I sympathize. I used to have a boxy house in Indiana, and I hated gardening there. I made it work but did it ever take time.

I don't think you need a fence. Well, not a fence all the way around. I think you need landscaping. Not just plants. DIRT! Dirt I say! Make that yard more lumpy. And make it curved to counter the boxiness of the house.

Instead of a big flat square space, build some curved paths with terraced stone walls going back to the edge of the property. On the side of the cafe, you can have a tall wall dropping straight down, which slopes back toward your yard. If you could stucco that cinderblock wall and paint it some light tan color it will become more friendly. Then you could build a hardwood crown for the wall. That would support wires or strings for climbing plants. Or you could add a veneer of stone, but I think that would make it more dark and unfriendly.

Your architect does have one thing right though. I like the open work of the fence. Good luck.
          Cameron

Ketzel, Ketzel, Ketzel rhymes with pretzel,

First you need to plant Non-Runner (non-invasive) Bamboo. It grows fast and in every zone. You could plant it on the inside of your current fence. It would be tall, airy, green and semi-opaque.

Second you need to construct a yard within a yard. In the west we have outdoor cabanas that are two or three walls that open to either face the house or the yard. The three walls would be all that passers by could see. Then either arrange a bench "banco" that runs on the inside of the walls or just make your garden and paths there. You could even make the walls into 3 or 4 foot tall raised beds. When you are seated you get that feeling of enclosure but still have a line of sight to the bamboo fence.

Third. You must, I say must, install a water feature. I made a fountain out of a sealed pot, pump, tubing and a shallower pot filled with rocks set on top with bricks. It was cheap and gets the most comments from visitors. They of course ignore my in-the-ground pond which was a super pain to install. Any kind of fountain will ease the noise of traffic like White Noise. Plus your dogs will like it.

So there it is. Bamboo. Semi-enclosed walled courtyard, fountain and Chiminea. You know those pot-bellied, ceramic, outdoor fireplaces.
          Randy, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Call me Randy the Rescuer of Reluctant Recluses.