A front garden is a small garden or flower bed with various flowers and bushes surrounded by a decorative hedge. The personal plot, like the facade of the house, says a lot about the owner himself. The fencing of the front gardens serve as a decorative decoration, and support for climbing plants. Such fences can be made independently. What material can such a fence be made of?
Varieties of fencing
As a material for the future fence, you can choose almost anything, for which there is enough imagination. It could be:
- brickwork;
- metal sheets;
- forged fence;
- decorative rock;
- wooden bars or picket;
- metal mesh fencing.
You can use the most unusual materials in the form of old plates, bottles, glass or plastic. The main thing is that the fence, the selected material and design are combined with other buildings located in the courtyard.
General fence options
Before building, you need to think through the design so that the fence for the front garden meets several requirements:
- The height of the future fence should not exceed the height of the flower bed so as not to obscure its beauty.
- It is better to choose a transparent material or design the fence so that the front garden fence is not solid.
- The design should be as stable as possible.
- And harmoniously blend with the overall design of the house.
Consider several options for how to arrange a flower bed in the yard.
Material selection
When choosing material for a future fence, we take into account the following criteria:
- Life time.
- Aesthetic design.
- Minimal need for care.
- Terms of installation.
- The cost of material and installation work.
Almost all the fencing of the front gardens can be done independently. We select and buy material, create a sketch of the future fence and proceed with installation.
Metal fences
Metal is considered more durable than all other types of materials for the fence. The structures are weatherproof and withstand mechanical damage. When using forged fences, the front gardens look rich, especially if you come up with a unique design.
A considerable advantage of the metal is its unpretentiousness. Such a fence does not need to be constantly painted and washed, much stronger than wooden or plastic. Due to the huge variety of finished metal elements for fencing, in shape and color, you can choose the most suitable option for your yard.
Installation of iron fence
When installing a metal fence for the front garden, several rules should be observed:
- On the ground around the entire perimeter of the flower bed we make marks for the bearing pillars.
- For metal sections, it is advisable to dig the supports away from each other, for greater stability of the sections.
- We mount the finished steel sheet or metal picket on the dug supports.
- If the project provides for reinforcement, it should be welded at the base of the posts.
In addition to the picket fence, you can use corrugated board as one of the varieties of a metal fence.
Decking
This type of metal construction has the following advantages:
- Minimal care.
- Soundproofing.
- Favorable cost.
- Modern design.
- Huge color scheme.
It is easy to mount fences and protections for a front garden from a professional flooring. Often the sections are screwed to the already finished and dug up supports with self-tapping screws. Supports and finished sections are sold complete and differ in color, design and design features.
Rabitz
The fence for the front garden, made of metal netting, is very popular. The welding method of mounting the grid to the posts makes the structure even more stable. Attract minimal cost and expense.
To keep the mesh in shape, wire is passed through the cells. For greater presentability, you can use the chain-link in metal corners or decorate it with a hedge. If climbing plants are planted in the front garden, it will be easier for them to grow, woven into the net. In addition, the transparency of the material does not block the access of sunlight to plants, and does not hide their beauty from prying eyes.
The chain-link has several disadvantages:
- Unsightly view.
- Over the years, it can lose shape.
- It’s hard to paint.
It is worth buying a galvanized mesh, slightly susceptible to corrosion.
Wooden fence
Classic never goes out of style! And to make such a fence for a front garden made of wood with your own hands is very easy. Although it is not the cheapest of materials, it is environmentally friendly. In addition, it has some advantages:
- Simple and convenient design.
- Large selection of design ideas.
- Convenience of installation.
- It is a reasonable price.
Any tree should be treated with special protective equipment, as it is easily susceptible to adverse weather conditions, which reduces the life of the fence. For this, antiseptic mixtures and paints are used.
Assemble the structure is easy. Preliminarily mark and dig supports at a distance of about three meters. Then we connect the posts with transverse boards, on which the picket will subsequently be mounted.
Wicker fences
There are often cases when summer residents choose non-standard ideas for designing their personal plot. For example, it can be intertwined tree branches or a hedge. You can take willow branches for this. They are durable and well bent, so weaving a fence will not be difficult. Pre-steam them in hot water and weave between pre-installed wooden posts.
Hedgerow requires care. You need to choose the right plant that grows well, creating a crown, plant them at an optimal distance from each other, and trim in time, giving shape.
Stone fences
Concrete garden fences can be purchased in prefabricated sections. Often they have a one-sided pattern, which is not very attractive. On the other hand, such front garden fences are as strong as possible, durable and well protect flowers from animals. Some disadvantages:
- The sections are quite heavy.
- It is impossible to mount the fence yourself.
- Opacity.
If you choose fences made of stone, concrete or brick, it is better in any case to make low fences for the front garden, so as not to block sunlight and flowerbed. The flowerbed surrounded by an ordinary stone looks pretty pretty. Used by:
Natural stone can be fixed with concrete or, as a design move, use rectangular blocks of mesh filled with river stone.
Brickwork
The brick fence looks very original, emphasizing the unique design of the yard. There are also many design options: you can build a solid brick wall or lay them out in blocks in the form of a pattern. Brick is an excellent material not only for protecting the flower garden, but also for plant growth. When heated in the sun, the brick creates a greenhouse effect, which has a good effect on flowers and shrubs.
First you have to dig and pour a small foundation into concrete, laying reinforcement in it. These are the most durable designs, they steadily tolerate the negative impact of the environment. On sale there are bricks of different textures, colors. But the construction can take a lot of time, especially if you do not know the masonry technique. The wall will have to be treated with a special solution so that the salt absorbed by the brick from the ground does not leak to the surface and does not look like drips.
If the site is soaked, and the earth contains a large amount of salts, then it is better to refuse stone and brick fencing, since the durability of the structure depends on these factors.
Plastic fences
Don't like the previous options? PVC fencing is gaining great popularity. This material is sufficiently reliable, durable, resistant to sudden changes in temperature, does not decay, does not fade and does not require painting. Such fences have the same pattern on both sides, which does not harm the design decision. Perfectly fit any landscape. You can assemble it yourself.
There are ready-made sections on sale, differing in color, design, height, design. The package includes supports and mountings, with instructions for assembly. We make a plan for the future fence, marking all the corner posts where the gates will be located. From the drawing it will be easy to determine how many sections we need.
Mounting
You can assemble a plastic fence yourself. We make markings around the perimeter of the flowerbed, mark the places of the posts with pegs. If you first know the width of the section, it will be easier to measure the distance between the supports. We make holes with a drill or a shovel, calculated on a pole with a diameter of 10 by 10 centimeters, the hole should be 25 by 25 centimeters, with a depth of 60 to 150 centimeters.
We insert the support into the obtained holes. Using a tape measure and a building level, align the vertical position. Using a stretched cord, align the height of the posts. Having knocked down the supports with wedges, we fill the pit with concrete and reinforce the reinforcement. After a day, you can begin to assemble the plastic sections.
Original ideas
For the most extravagant gardeners, design ideas for fencing from old plastic bottles are suitable. Perhaps they will not be able to protect the flowers from the invasion of animals, but they will decorate the garden and look very original. You can also make a plastic fence from disposable plates by drawing a pattern on them. A wonderful activity: decorate your garden with your children.
As an option: fill the bottles with earth, apply some kind of drawing, and drop them with the neck up or down, along the perimeter of the flower garden. Bottles can be strung on a wire or, having cut bottoms or necks, put them in the ground. The most avid and patient gardeners can build a fence in the form of shelves from bottles, placing containers on glue.
Fences for beds
You can install decorative fences not only for the garden plot with flowers, but also for beds in the garden. This will protect crops from weeds, flooding during the rain, well, and separates one type of plant from another. On the other hand, this allows you to harmoniously organize the garden, giving it a twist.
You can make a fence for the garden yourself, from anywhere, without significant cost. The main thing is that the materials are environmentally friendly and of high quality. The beds can be distinguished by wooden bumpers with a thickness of more than 2 centimeters, mounting them in any desired shape. Be sure to treat the tree with an antiseptic or stain. Larch or pine is best. But such fences are short-lived, as the tree quickly succumbs to the sun and rain.
Slate
To design the beds, you can use slate. This material is in almost every country house after replacing the old roof. If possible, cut out the slate in even strips and dig into the ground. However, it is worth remembering that the old material is toxic enough to plants and breaks quickly.
We strengthen the structure with metal corners or rods so that the structure does not fall under the pressure of the earth. For decor, it can be painted with external paint or whitened.
Metal and wood
The fence from metal, a professional flooring or a profile firmly holds and protects a bed. Metal bands are fastened with corners at the joints and the upper edge, so as not to accidentally cut themselves. Cons: the cost of the material and the fact that the iron is heated in the sun, while at the same time heating the earth. On hot days, the garden will often have to be watered.
For fencing small bushes and supporting branches, you can use structures made of metal-plastic waste pipes, boards, beams. We attach a strong rope to the supports along the perimeter of the bush to keep the branches in one position. The advantages of this front garden fence:
- Reduce the risk of rotting fruits.
- Ease of watering and timely cleansing of shrubs from dry branches.
- It is convenient to collect ripened fruits.
- Branches do not interfere with moving around the garden.
- A bush shape is created.
- Lightweight construction does not clutter up the space.
For example, supports for the vineyard can be made of wooden or metal gratings, which are often used to build arbors. Weaving into the walls of the gazebo, grapes or any other climbing plant will provide shade for vacationers. To do this, we install several supports from the beams on which the rails in the form of a lattice are mounted. We process with an antiseptic or varnish.