Thursday 24 April 2014

5 Ways to Brighten Up Your Garden Fence



We've spent a lot of time this past week in the garden, clearing and sorting the shed, preparing the veg patch for planting, sorting out pots and tubs and giving the lawn it's first hair cut of the year.

The thing that really lets our garden down is the boring wooden fence around it.  Yes, it's needed for security and privacy, but looking out onto a huge expanse of 6 foot high fence is very uninspiring.

So here are my favourite ways to brighten your garden fence up.

1. Inject some colour!  

If you have a lot of fence, it's a big job but painting your fence a bright colour can be so worthwhile.  We had a beautiful shade of lavender on our fence at our old house and I loved how it added colour in gloomy winter months, and how it provided a beautiful backdrop for the shrubs and flowers in the summer.



Check out the DIY stores, garden centres and homeware stores for seasonal sales of garden paint.


2. Add some fun!

I love this idea of adding colourful glass marbles to fill knot holes, or drill holes to size and pop some in. You'll still have your privacy but as the sun moves behind it they'll sparkle and glow, giving off colourful reflections.

Grab your drill and raid the kid's marble stash!

Image and Tutorial: DIY Cozy Home

3. Get planting vertically!

Fences provide so much untapped growing space if you give it some thought.  I love this idea of using guttering to plant edible leaves and salads.  Cleverly sloped for drainage you can reduce your amount of watering by starting on the top row and allowing it to drain down.

There's loads of ways to utilise the space to plant - hanging pots, reusing old containers, fixing plastic lined pallets to the fence - use your imagination!
Salad Bar : photo and details from Land8.net


4. Hang some bunting!

Everyone loves bunting and this all weather decoration by Love Chic Living is is both a treat to look at and a clever use of old materials.

Get the kids involved in designing and making and create a truly unique and personalised work of art for your garden.

Slate Bunting by Love Chic Living
5. Frame it!

Adding picture frames to your fence breaks up the monotony; adds interest and colour and draws your eye. Use them to show off plants, or just as a feature in themselves.

Raid the attic, hunt in charity shops or car boots for old unloved frames.  You can re-spray them any colour you like to match your style and either hang them directly on the fence panels, or stand on a shelf like here.

Incidentally, adding shelving to your fence is another great way to liven it up, allowing you to display candles; lanterns; favourite pots; vintage china - whatever you like. If you have horizontal supports on the panels it's really easy to add a shelf made from re-claimed wood, or use brackets to attach them to the panels.



What's your favourite way to add interest to your garden fence?  

Love Chic Living and Love Your Home

29 comments:

  1. Ooh my favs are the slate bunting and the glass marbles - gorgeous!

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  2. You must have read my mind. We have three fence panels on our patio that are dull and boring but are what I stare at when I work from the laptop in the lounge. You have given me some great ideas of what to do with them to brighten them up.

    I love the idea of the marbles in the knot holes!

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  3. I love these ideas! I have some bunting, fairy lights and some baskets (meant to be screwed onto a wall, but I have used many many cable ties to attach them to the railings!) on the railings round my balcony.

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  4. LOVE those ideas - especially the frames and lettuces! Fab post xx

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  5. The marbles are fabulous!

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  6. Love these ideas, I took some photos of some canvasses I had done propped on the fence as the light was better outside - always thought it would be nice to have some outdoor pictures!

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  7. i really like those vertical plant pots! great tips!

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  8. We want to paint our fence a lovely vintage sage green but not sure we will be bothered enough to actually get it done this Summer. I love the idea of adding some sparkly gems to the fence too. Lots of great ideas to think about, thanks Liz x

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  9. What great ideas! Love the marbles and the salad bar especially! :)

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  10. What fun fence decorating ideas, it's got me thinking.

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  11. This is great as I am just doing our back yard fence today. And thinking how to revamp it up to look more stylish and intriguing. Thanks for the great tips. #LoveYourHome

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  12. Great ideas Liz, and thanks for using my bunting! #LoveYourHome

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  13. The marble idea is amazing!!!

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  14. Salad bar and marbles are my favourites too. Our fence panels are so dull but thankfully the garden is quite mature so the plants we have seem to cover most of the boring bits. But I'm feeling inclined to cut some back just to use the panels a bit more creatively.

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  15. Urgghhh, I planted my salad today in normal boxes, those drain pipes would have been the perfect solution and so cool too - I may still be in time to change them. Great post

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  16. how brilliant is the salad bar! we were about to get the garden over hauled until the car broke, so will pin these for later!

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  17. I love these! Especially the marble run style planters! Totally inspired !

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  18. Nice post, i hope everyone will like your post..

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  19. What fantastic ideas - now I just need a fence! We have chicken wire at the moment and struggling to get someone to erect a fence for us.

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  20. Lovely! Hopefully soon I'll have a brand new garden to make my own and do all sorts of pretty things to. I love the idea of the marbles in the fence panels!

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  21. I am going to add the marbles in the kids playarea picket fence! I love that idea!!

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  22. Fences really are boring aren't they, but you've got some fab ideas. I love the marbles in the holes. #loveyourhome

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  23. Do you know how tempted i am now to RUN to a diy shop Lizzie? You are the good kind of bad influence. ;-)

    My neighbour has framed mirrors on their fence. They look like windows, and increase the size of the garden.... Its magic.

    Julie's Notebook blog

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  24. Have taken some ideas on board and turned a scruffy corner of my garden in to a little paradise, go to Facebook on my wall. Stephen Cherrington, if you want more info contact me.

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  26. The humble garden fence, our gardens have them but we neglect them. Instead of painting your fence in one color why not add a mural.

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  27. Love these ideas, you must have read my mind. I totally agree, adding shelving to your fence is another great way to liven it up, allowing you to display candles!

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