Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Growing a Privacy Fence

My wonderful little 900 square foot house is located smack dab in the middle of what I lovingly call "the land of crackerbox houses."


The neighborhood was built during the housing boom shortly after WWII, and most of the homes are small single story frame houses separated by 3 foot tall chain link fences. The fences work great for marking the property line and keeping small dogs enclosed, but they don't offer much in the way of privacy.


It's not like I'm out sunbathing in my yard or anything, but I do spend a lot of time out in my garden, and I sorta get tired of being on display for the whole neighborhood. 

While many of my neighbors have upgraded to 6 foot wooden privacy fences, it would seem that I'm simply too cheap to cough up the several thousand bucks that it would cost to put one in.


Then one day I was noticing that one of said privacy fences was totally covered with a vine, and suddenly it occurred to me that perhaps I didn't need to buy a privacy fence... maybe I could grow one!


Anyhow, I did some research and concluded that Virginia Creeper was the vine of choice for quick growth in my area, so I bought a few at the local nursery and planted them along the fence line. It took a few years for them to establish, and a couple of them died, but soon the ones that "took" were covering the fence. Now all I had to do was figure out how to extend the height by a few feet.


I finally decided that the best option was to just get some tall metal fence posts, pound them into the ground in front of the fence every five or six feet, and then secure an additional three feet of fencing on top of the existing fence.


I just used bailing wire to attach the fencing to the posts:


Anyhow, I added the extra height about a month ago and it's filling out marvelously!


It gives the yard an entirely different feel and it's certainly a vast improvement over how it looked before. It's also given me new motivation to get some vines growing on the chunk of yard where they didn't take first time around!


So that's my el cheapo landscaping trick du jour. Soon I'll be able to prance around as scantily dressed as I like in my backyard... well... with a LOT of sunscreen that is! ;-)


So how about you? Anybody got any great recommendations for landscaping on the cheap?








28 comments :

  1. I find it interesting that you went to the nursery to get a Virginia Creeper. Here they are an invasive weed and hard to get rid of.

    Bamboo is another plant that many use as a privacy screen. It can also be invasive, so you have to be careful with it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Well one of my neighbors did accuse me of planting a weed... I don't think it can survive here in places where it doesn't get at least some irrigation though.

      I thought about bamboo, but couldn't find any locally. I think that most varieties can't survive our harsh winters.

      Delete
  2. I planted Morning Glory at my old home and it filled in very nice, but it is invasive also. I didn't care as it gave me privacy in my front window and a sun screen.
    It is hard to find things that are cheap and can give you a little privacy.
    I like your idea of the extra fencing on top. It did the trick and looks nice.
    Have a wonderful rest of the week and up coming weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting... I haven't been able to keep morning glories alive. Maybe I don't water enough for them.

      Hope you have a great weekend too!

      Delete
  3. Nice work!

    I did turn some hedge trimmings into a terrace, and planted herb cuttings round it for a hedge. It's cheap (i.e. free), but very slow. That terrace may also end up covered with Virginia creeper, both horizontal and vertical surfaces. I had some creeper that I'd stripped out of a fence like yours and dug up - the roots were taking up far too much of the veg patch - and left sitting about for a year or so. I included this in the terrace just as a layer of stuff, but it came back to life! Oh well, it'll be an unusual lawn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I need to go research the British meaning of the word 'terrace.' To me it means a low patio or a leveled hunk of ground on a hillside, and I'm having trouble picturing either of those made out of hedge trimmings! But whatever it is, I'm all for free landscaping tricks. :-)

      I do have to dig the roots out of the edge of the garden each spring when I turn the soil, but so far it hasn't been too bad. Hopefully I haven't created a monster!

      Delete
    2. 'Terrace' has exactly the same meaning here - in this case it's a leveled bit of hillside (though people often assume I mean patio, which it isn't). It's 'hedge trimmings' that may have been a bit misleading - I hacked quite a lot off that hedge. I wrote about it here if you're interested.

      Delete
  4. what a great living fence, looks beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It sure makes the backyard feel more like my own private oasis.

      Delete
  5. I too, live in a post-WWII boom box house. A little over 1100 SF, which makes it larget than many of the neighboring houses that look exactly the same above ground, but don't have a basement (1/2 my square footage is in the basement). I've tended to see vines as a problem rather than as a solution (my homeowners insurance told me I had to get the vines off the house or they would drop me, and now I'm worried about the ones on the mature trees, which are growing in patches that are mixed in with poison ivy, that I am very allergic to -- so I can't venture in myself. Looks like I have to hire someone!) Anyway, you've made me see the potential benefits of ivy. I also like your fence extension idea. I'm wondering if that would work as a poor man's "Cat Fence In" product. I've been thinking about buying one of those systems, but they are not cheap. My poor housebound cats are BORED. It is not a safe neighborhood to allow them to do the indoor-outdoor thing, as I am mere blocks from insanely busy roads. Not highways, but urban thoroughfares. BTW, these WWII crackerboxes in my neck of the woods run over $200k. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PS - your picture kinda reminds me of vineyards . . . . ;) Now, there's an idea.

      Delete
    2. I planted some grapevines on a small section of fence in a different part of the yard. They're doing ok, but they take a lot longer to mature.

      In terms of cats... well all I can say is that my yard, being one of the few in this neighborhood that is sans dog, is like a feline super highway! So I don't think it can keep them either in or out.

      But I know several people who have built 'habicats' for their felons. Most are accessed through a window with a cat door installed. I've seen really sturdy ones with wooden frames, locking doors and the whole 9 yards, but I've also seen them cobbled together with chicken wire.

      I have a little fantasy of building a greenhouse on the south side of the house with window access for the cats, but at this point it's still very much a fantasy!

      Delete
    3. Ok that was supposed to say 'habicats' for their 'Fe-lions' but my tablet apparently 'corrected' the spelling for me and made it 'felons.' I suppose that depending on the cat, either title could apply!

      Delete
  6. We have the same issue. Our new house has wisteria and that is really thick -- and it grows high in it's own without additional support. The only issue is that it can take 10 - 15 years to bloom sometimes. But you still get pretty quick growth.

    The pods are poisonous, so I cut them all off and gave them away. We don't need to plant more because it grows like a weed. But vines make a great screen. You'll be finding birds nests in them too....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not familiar with wisteria, but I'm all for free fences! Poisonous pods sounds a bit scary though, especially with a dog to worry about.

      Delete
  7. We have a little section of chain link in our back yard (our home is from 1950 and we have three, count 'em, three types of fence around our yard. I think I'll use this idea to put some vines to cover it, if we can find the right type to grow year round...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmm... are there actually plants that can survive in 118 degree heat? How 'bout a saguaro cactus fence? :-)

      Delete
  8. That is awesome! Our living room has southern expoure and huge windows so it gets pretty toasty in our living room in the summer. A friend of mine from Japan said that lots of folks there are growing "cucumber curtains" to keep their apartments cooler. So I put up a bunch of cucumbers in front of our window and it's providing much more shade than the tomato plants last year. Plus, free cucumbers!

    Does the virginia creeper flower at all? Would be especially lovely if it did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that's an awesome idea. Do you have them growing up a trellis or something? I fear my struggling little cucumber plants are only about 6 inches tall so far.

      The Virginia creeper doesn't flower, but in the fall the leaves turn a beautiful bright red color.

      Delete
  9. I think what you did was great. No need spending all that money on a fence. I am doing the same thing actually but prefer to go with hedges. I heard that a lot of people give plant away simply because they have so many. In my case I am bartering my seo services to my landscaping company. We both get what we need without spending money per se.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like a wonderful idea! Wait... you're bartering from one company you own to another? At least you know you can trust you! :-)

      I thought about hedges, but didn't want to lose so much yard space. I'd be curious to know how long it takes the bushes to fill in enough to work for privacy.

      Delete
  10. I love this idea! I'm always up for adding more green to the yard :)

    We have a concrete patio behind our house that lines up directly with our neighbors driveway and front door (because the street curves, pushing his house way back compared to ours). It sucks! We've talked about getting a lattice (like this) and planting something up the side. My only concern is the plant being so close to the house and someday snaking up the gutters or something.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do have to say that it has started growing up the side of the house in places... but I actually think that vine came from the neighbors because it's on the opposite side of the house from where I planted them. I'm not sure if it can do damage or not, but I'm planning on hacking the stuff on the house all down as soon as I get a chance.

      You could also plant something a bit less exuberant like clematis or a climbing rose.

      Delete
  11. Your new privacy fence looks great, and good for you for not putting up an 8' wooden fence. There are so many ways to dress up chain link and the plants get better air circulation.
    We also have chain link around the yard and I've used a variety of screens. I have some cedars at the moment. I had a hedge but that just took so much work and it was always "out of control" and even though Virginia Creeper is native to my area I've never planted it. I've seen what it can do and it's scary.
    I did plant a native clematis once it has nice white flowers and it grows like a weed but is easy to hack back. I can't remember it's proper name but it goes by the name Virgin's Bower or Old Mans Beard, it's great for a fast way to cover a fence.
    Castor bean plant is a wonderful quick screen for the summer it grows over 8' tall and has huge leaves but it's seeds can be poisonious.
    Morning glory or sweet pea is also nice but so is Hyacinth Bean and I believe the beans are edible. You could also grow cucumbers or peas at a fence.
    And check out local horticultural societies for plant sales. Most of our local societies have annual plant sale when you can get great plants for cheap. Freecycle is another source of plants.
    Marie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are all great ideas, but you guys are making me a little bit scared that the vines are gonna take over everything! Guess we'll just have to see.

      I LOVE the idea of edible plants along the fence, but the neighbor on the other side likes to spray, and it worries me that everything would get coated with poisons.

      Delete
  12. Love your vines, I never have liked chain link fencing myself but do want privacy. A couple of quick growing hedges would look nice too in some spots. Bayberry buses are supposed to grow quickly and would come back each year. Here I have so many weeds to deal with that it is easy to create privacy by simply not tearing them all out. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Well, I'm sure I could grow a bindweed fence without much effort, but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate it! :-)

      Delete
  13. This is a great idea and so much prettier than a fence :)

    ReplyDelete

I welcome your thoughts so please leave me a comment and I promise I will respond.

On older posts I've had to enable comment moderation to prevent spammers, so don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away - unless you're just commenting for the sake of embedding a link, in which case I really wish you wouldn't waste your time or mine because I'll just delete it.

Thanks, and have a fabulous day!