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Fence Line Planting and Gardening

If your house is one of the many with a perimeter fence, you have a variety of landscaping options to add interest to your landscape. Whether you’re looking to enrich the aesthetic feel of your yard or provide additional cover and privacy, fence line planting is important. You can construct several different looks depending on what you plant.

What to Plant with Privacy in Mind

If you are trying to find plants that not only look good but also provide cover and privacy, consider these factors when fence line planting. First, you’ll want to select plants that will be taller than the fence when fully grown. These plants should also offer a lot of foliage or needles for cover. Keep in mind, however, that this feature plant should not be too tall or have thick branches that could damage the fence if they fall. Emerald green arborvitae is a great option since it grows to about 12 feet tall with dense foliage and is very easy to maintain. It’ll also allow room at its base to plant small flowers and bushes, such as low-growing hellebore or lady’s mantle.

What to Plant to Cover Your Fence in Vines and Ivy

Another popular fence line planting practice is choosing plants that will eventually grow up the fence, adding interest and beauty. In this case, a wood fence is the best choice, as vines will take advantage of the cracks in and between planks. Some popular plants that grow up fences are English ivy and Virginia creeper. If you’re looking for flowering vines, you could try Dutchman’s pipe or trumpet vine.

What to Plant in a Fence Line Garden

When fence line planting, it is important to keep positioning in mind, since the fence acts as a backdrop to the plants and draws attention to the spaces between them. Flowering bushes and smaller flowers are great options for a fence line garden. Planting small bushes and flowers along the fence will draw the eye and add vibrant colors to the border of your yard. Combine a variety of species with varied foliage and sizes to add texture along with the pops of color. Some bushes to consider are frost-proof gardenias, Bloomstruck hydrangeas, and snowball viburnum. Appropriately sized flowers include roses, lilies, and petunias. Some ground covers you might consider are creeping phlox, lamb’s ear, and dianthus.

Planting along a fence can add a lot to your landscape. Plants can make your space more private, bring a colorful appeal to the border of your yard, or integrate with the fence to form a beautiful scene, like a picture glimpsed in a wooden frame. To achieve the best results, identify your goal before anything is planted and make sure that any progress you make moves you closer to it. If your needs or interests change, you can always revisit your decisions.