Dont fence me in! or wildlife out!

[Ben Rigsby]

hi folks,

not sure if this this the best place to post this but id enjoy reading (hope you would too) a few opinions/thoughts on the subj of Garden Fencing.

esp (oft standard) in urban/suburban situations -
the 5' solid overlapping pannelling type.

personally im against it and would seek to bring barriers between people and foraging/migrating wildlife DOWN.
Post And Rail maximum!

unless youve got a dog then i cant see the point of solid fencing myself.
the more i think about it, the more i think - why have it?
you and them next door know where your properties end.
and if not, you can always refer to the house deeds.

maybe you want a fence because you hate your neighbours.
but its often unlikely that your fence is tall enough to screen them out completely.
if theyre in the garden, youll still see them.
so that dont work.

and even if it does, its at the expense of light to your garden.
most home-owners (not me) spend relatively little time in the garden anyway!

also, tall, solid fences blow down easily in strong winds.

dont they?



why do non-dog owners feel the need for fencing?
i dont get it.

DOWN with barriers to people and wildlife!

your thoughts readers please....




cheers,
ben

[Deb London]

Our fences, walls and trellises are used for privacy and security, though the odd would-be burglar has scaled them. We really have the neighbours from hell (well their kids actually). We told then to build their wall as high as they liked and now we can't see them, the kids can't get into the garden, and their balls enter it slightly less frequently. Balls bouncing all over the place ain't really good for the wildlife, is it? I don't want foxes on the garden (though they are seen) and I've dug a way in for the hedgehogs (which are rarely seen, the neighbours don't really 'do' wildlife). When you live in an area with a population as dense as it is here, you grab every opportunity for privacy and seclusion that you can.

[healfdan]

Well said Deb, an Englishman's home is his castle (Englishwoman included) and as such we have the right to protect our privacy and security, subject to planning law. For the reasons Deb mentioned I have a strong wooden fence but I am happy to say foxes still scale the fence, cats too unfortunately, hedgehogs squeeze under a rotted portion in one corner and mice, voles frogs and toads come and go at their leisure. Birds perch on the fence and I have three nest boxes sited on the fence at different points around the garden. Yes, it does cast some shade on the north facing side but ferns and a selection of shade tolerant plants thrive there. On the sunnier sides of the garden I have placed a few thorny shrubs which attract insects and serve as a deterrent for night time intruders.

[tameblackbirds]

I agree, when I moved into my terraced house over 20 yrs ago no panel fencing to be seen until a neighbour(who we get on with) moved in 5yrs ago.

Our gardens are traditional long narrow gardens they are about 170ft long. Panel fencing coloured black and 6ft high! going up is to me ridiculous. It must look like they have a tunnel for a garden.

The open feel at the back gone. Fortunately they are two gardens down from me so still have two gardens plus mine open. We have fencing but just chain fencing. The foxes scrabble under it and climb the 6ft panel fencing to get at the chickens in the end garden.

It is the small orchard that was chopped down at the bottom of their garden, to make way for this ugly fence that grieves me. Yes, in the high winds recently two of their panels came down

[Richard Baber]

Hi Ben

I understand where you're coming from and ideally I'd have hedges on all sides of my little garden, but it's not practical with the neighbours on one side. Their two young boys do nothing but play football in their garden and the big panel fence that separates us is a really useful barrier for both of us. My garden has a pond, so I absolutely do not want their boys in my garden, for obvious reasons. We certainly don't hate them - we get on well.

Happily, my other two boundaries are with neighbours who only use their back gardens for drying their laundry and open hedges work just fine. The side hedge also has an ash tree and a cranberry bush and this is where I hang my bird feeders. Just the right mix of cover and open access to draw the birds in. It does, of course, let the local cats in too, of which there are many, but I'd much rather have hedging than panelling on this side and the bottom of the garden too.

Richard

[nightshade]

My garden originally had 6' and 3' panels both sides a couple or three 6' at the house end and the rest 3'.
It was a very neighbourly arrangement I could chat to both sides over the lower fence. Big storm all panels down this happend several years running so on the advice of my local fencing man I had my side replaced with a post, arris rail and feather-edged boards with gravel boards.
Bonuses,
1 The whole garden temperature went up, plants loved the extra warmth so did the wildlife.
2 Windbreak
3 I got more done (less chatting)

My neighbour the otherside left his fences down for 3-4years my garden was overun with cultivated deadnettle and bindweed.
Last year his Son in Law replaced the fence with all 6' panels, the lioness has had a lot of sucess in getting rid of the bindweed etc. and now we have 6 Bantams that side of the garden.
In our time here we have had Foxes, a couple of Badgers, there are still 10" gaps for these guys and Hedgehogs stuff still turns up Grass Snake, Sloworms so I am happy and the microclimate has improved although I have to open the back gate to let fog and mist roll on out
I have planted hedging, there are as many trees in the garden as possible (given its size) I would love 3'thick hedges all around but you have to cut your cloth accordingly. The Lioness and I have an amazing amout of wildlife through here on stopovers but we are only one JIg Saw piece and sadly the other gardens are going easy maintainence

[artdemole]

I live in a sheltered housing bungalow.Open plan at the front with trees.Which gives me pleasure as the birds go to the trees then to my Small lawn to the bird feeder.Dividing side walls at the back give security and privacy,also helped by sensor light.The rear fence is wire but have put up willow fence as wind break.The birds like it as well.We can see through it.It also protects the fruit trees in pots on patio where we sit in summer.Have had panels in houses where lived in the past.They do not last long and are ugly when aged or broken.

[Cowgirl]

Hmm would tend to agree with fencing for privacy.

I've always had hedges & although I curse them profusely when it's trimming time I wouldn't be without them. I do have dogs tho, but if I didn't I think I would still feel I have to have some sort of screening fence.

The outlaws get on with their neighbours well & only have a 3' open trellis type fence (with shrubs &plants). I hate going there & sitting outside. I feel as though they are constantly watching me & I can't relax. Course that could just be my paranoia coming to the fore . I don't need a huge 6ft fence but I couldn't do without a fence to screen me when sitting down.

As an aside, the criteria for my perfect house would be rural, (huge garden obviously) no neighbours & a decent hedge or wall (I drool over traditional walled gardened houses sometimes advertised in the Yorkshire Post) so that if I wanted to run around naked in the rain I could do so without being reported to the police or carted off to the funny farm

[Susie]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

As an aside, the criteria for my perfect house would be rural, (huge garden obviously) no neighbours & a decent hedge or wall (I drool over traditional walled gardened houses sometimes advertised in the Yorkshire Post) so that if I wanted to run around naked in the rain I could do so without being reported to the police or carted off to the funny farm

You and me both. Sounds perfect.

I have a six foot fence with two foot trellis on top around my back garden. My husband put it up for security although it isn't needed around here, old London habits die hard.

In the front garden we have hedges. I put one in (a nice mixed wildlife friendly hedge) as there is a small patch of grass next to our land and dog walkers tend to let their dogs go to the loo on it and thought our front garden was an extension of this. I am very territorial and the thought of someone uninvited walking over my land really winds me up (remind me to never buy a property with a public foot path running through it!).

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Ben Rigsby

hi folks,

not sure if this this the best place to post this but id enjoy reading (hope you would too) a few opinions/thoughts on the subj of Garden Fencing.

esp (oft standard) in urban/suburban situations -
the 5' solid overlapping pannelling type.

personally im against it and would seek to bring barriers between people and foraging/migrating wildlife DOWN.
Post And Rail maximum!

unless youve got a dog then i cant see the point of solid fencing myself.
the more i think about it, the more i think - why have it?
you and them next door know where your properties end.
and if not, you can always refer to the house deeds.

maybe you want a fence because you hate your neighbours.
but its often unlikely that your fence is tall enough to screen them out completely.
if theyre in the garden, youll still see them.
so that dont work.

and even if it does, its at the expense of light to your garden.
most home-owners (not me) spend relatively little time in the garden anyway!

also, tall, solid fences blow down easily in strong winds.

dont they?



why do non-dog owners feel the need for fencing?
i dont get it.

DOWN with barriers to people and wildlife!

your thoughts readers please....




cheers,
ben

Since fences dont stop birds, invertebrates or small mammals, the only real issue is amphibians and reptiles. Great crested newts, common and natterjack toads, adders tend not to use gardens anyway. So smooth newts, palmate newts, grass snakes, common lizards, slow worms and common frogs can usually get under gaps within the fencing. The type of habitats (suburban) you describe are often heavily fragmented from other suitable habitats anyway. Garden fencing is unlikely to be having serious issues on our wildlife in comparison to habitat loss etc.