Garden Fence Styles and Ideas

What are the best garden fence styles for you?

Garden fences – a thing of beauty or a purely utilitarian feature in the garden? Or, dare I suggest, a structural element of your garden that manages to be both?

Last time we considered the various materials that garden fences can be made from. This time, we get to view lots of photos: design ideas for fence styles.

We’re considering boundary fences in this article; the ones to keep you safe, or to show where your garden starts. They may also need to act as a noise barrier if you front a busy road, or a windbreak for an exposed coastal garden. If you live in a Conservation Area, for example, there may be restrictions on the type and look of garden fences allowed.

Garden Fence Styles – Cottage Gardens, Rural Gardens

Where the local fence style has a distinct look, then I would always suggest that as your first option. There are ways of adapting it to suit your needs. If you have a free hand in your choice, then consider the following…

Wooden Paling fences are very rural. A chestnut paling fence is one of my faves, I have to admit; it’s that combination of bark and roughhewn edges that makes it so textural.

Palisade fences are a smarter version of a paling fence, made all of wood. The style of the top could be tulip shaped, flat, rounded, pointed. You could even have matching topiary on either side of the gate; very cottage garden style.

Hazel or willow hurdles. These will give you more privacy than a palisade or paling fence, and still act as a windbreak.

Featheredge fences are found in cottage gardens, suburban gardens, coastal gardens and city gardens. It’s one of the best solid wooden garden fence styles, being flexible with regards to the length of the bays and the wood used. Gravel boards should always be used.

Post and rail fences are of course totally at home in a rural landscape. Brushwood fences are another traditional country fence style. They’re eco-friendly as they use the waste material of smaller branches and brushwood. The loose parts are contained within a framework, often hazel or chestnut as these are commonly coppiced woods.

Garden Fence Styles – Suburban Domestic

This is category with the widest choice of garden fence styles purely because there is such a wide variation of house styles!

Picket fencing and palisade fences –

These two domestic fence styles are largely interchangeable. Indeed, one could argue that the names refer to the country where the fence is rather than any real difference in style.

White picket fences are the epitome of a certain North American middleclass suburban style.

Domestic palisade fences vary from the commercial fencing in material, height and gap between the uprights. Commercial palisade fences tend to be 6 foot or higher, and the verticals are narrower than the gaps between. In a garden setting the flat verticals of a palisade fence, like that of a picket fence, are the same width as the gaps in between.

Featheredge fences as above. A cost-effective option, as any broken uprights – perhaps from a stray football! – can be replaced without replacing the whole fence section. Trellis panels can be incorporated along the top of the fence. Oak is a stylish option to softwood for posts and fence.

Close boarded panels look similar to featheredge fences, but with a frame around them. If they fit the space available, then this is a clean, neat look.

Hazel or willow framed panels are a more solid version of hurdles. They look especially good where the garden borders a park or other open green space.

Garden Fence Styles – Urban Chic

Brushed, coloured aluminium panels are a low maintenance option that look good for some years. They can have trellis panels incorporated along the top, just like their wooden equivalents.

Metal palisade fences in various styles merge into a cousinship with the metal railings which adorn low walls. They are railings when the space between exceeds the diameter of the uprights. The uprights and spaces should be of the same width. You’re not limited to shiny steel or black, coloured aluminium is also available and adds individuality.

Horizontal boarded fences are popular in city gardens and suburban ones. They may be single or double layered, depending on the privacy required. But to be chic they must be of planed wood. Although composite boards may be lower maintenance, they can’t yet compete in style against oak or tropical hardwoods.

Where the garden fence is there to mark a boundary but doesn’t have to offer security, then an urban version of post and rail can be used. Try chunky round posts with thick steel wire. This fence style works especially well in maritime cities

Garden Fence Styles – Coastal Gardens

Whatever fence style you choose, the material will need to cope with salt laden winds. A semi-permeable fence design will help to filter the winds, whilst solid fences may create eddies on the leeward side. If you need a solid fence for security reasons, then layering the planting will help reduce the wind effects.

Where possible, have open style fences so that you can enjoy the view. Good quality PVC palisade fences are available in colours as well as white. Horizontal boarded fences where the gaps between are wider than the boards offer views through and provide support for climbing plants.

Garden Fence Styles – Practical Reasons a Priority

Where low maintenance fencing is needed, perhaps for a rented property, then it is worth spending time and money getting it right to begin with. Putting up cheap Lap panels with insecure posts is a false economy!

Types of dog-proof fences can be found in our blogs on puppy proofing your garden and dog friendly gardens. Keeping livestock, deer and rabbits out of your garden is another matter. Rabbit proof fencing is partially buried to prevent access and is more usually found around vegetable gardens than as a boundary fence. If you’re trying to keep deer out of the garden, high fences are the order of the day. These may need to be chain link fences for cost and maintenance reasons but can be disguised on the garden side with planting. Preferably planting that helps to dissuade deer from even trying to vault the fence.

Security can be achieved with decorative trellis set on top of a solid feather edge or close boarded fence. Leaving a bit of ‘wobble’ in the trellis helps dissuade burglars and foxes. Tall palisade fences with gothic or fleur-de-lies tops are another security fence option. If metal rather than wood, go for a coloured aluminium or wrought iron.

Garden Fence Styles and Ideas – what next?

The aim was to offer you general ideas for a practical fencing solution that’s pleasing on the eye, within your budget and legal. For individual design and consultancy help, please drop us an email.