Don't Fence Me In!

Somehow I have managed to overlook talking about the privacy fence we installed along our property line to the north!  When we first purchased the house, the existing fence, erected by the home owner to the north, was the same type as our temporary fence but far older...and in very poor repair.  At first it was hard to ascertain just how much disrepair the fence was in because it was buried behind the excess of Knotweed, lots of grapevine, and a fair bit of Euonymous that was over-growing from the neighbor's yard.  Once we began to tackle the removal of the jungle, we realized the fence was not going to last much longer.

With enthusiastic permission from the next door home owner (the home is a duplex, rentals up and down), we tore down the old fence along our property line and built a new, sturdy privacy fence.

The fence is a nice marriage of utility with a bit of detail to dress it up. We chose to scallop the top of the fence for a little more formal look, and we capped the 6 x 6 inch posts with simple metal caps painted bronze.  The whole fence was stained with Sherwin Williams' "Foliage," a natural shade of green exterior stain that embraces the surrounding plant life.

We wanted the fence to function as a back-drop for our plantings in the raised bed and block the view of and from the neighbors' yard.  In one sense, it creates a "room" effect, with our house as one wall, the garage as another, and the fence as a third.  And it's such an integral part of the total picture that one sees as they view our house and yard from the street.

But how do we keep that open feel and allow passersby to have a glimpse at the landscape?  We always knew the answer would be a traditional iron fence to enclose the south border of the backyard.

We selected our design from among the standard choices at Fortin Ironworks (http://www.fortinironworks.com).  Located less than a mile up the street from our home, Fortin is certainly one of the go-to places for fencing, gates--really anything you can dream up in iron!

We opted to install our fence ourselves--not due to monetary concerns but because that's how we roll!  With me as the gopher, Rob's brother and his business partner both helped with installation during the chill of November, 2014.  Three ultra-perfectionists and me, who was constantly weighing the coldness of my feet against the need for one more little tweak.  The cold feet were worth it!

I wish I could have bottled some of the chill.  I spent the winter after the installation of the iron fence planning the flower garden I wanted to create along the outside of the fence.  I wanted a garden to add just a bit of privacy along the street, but probably more important was that I just love to garden and to be outside when the weather allows.

I planned a 3-foot wide garden that ran the length of the fence: 107 feet!  I started my project in mid-May and it took me well into July to finish it.  I was moving plants and planting new additions long after the ideal time to do so.  The saving grace was the wet late spring and early summer.  At this point, after a very mild autumn, I feel confident that everything survived nicely and that next year the plantings will fill out and accomplish the effect I am hoping for.