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Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 237
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 7:04 pm: | 
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Has anywone considered using a line of shrubs instead of a fence? We've got a little one that we're trying to keep in the backyard and out of the streets/driveways, and thought that instead of a fence, we might line the area with shrubs (It's about 50' of length). Nothing extravegant, just simple and effective.
We tried getting fence quotes, but becuase the three neighbors all have different fences, this has made that idea practically impossible. Suggestions? |
Scully
Citizen
Username: Scully
Post Number: 123
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:23 pm: |
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One problem you might have is that it could take a few seasons for properly spaced shrubs to grow tightly enough together to act as a barrier to a toddler. |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1050
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:56 pm: |
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That raises an interesting question... I believe for fences you are required to put the fence 100% on your property. I wonder what the rule is for bushes?
I agree about the growth issue. I suppose you can consider a short 'hidden' fence at the line of the bushes... it might slow a toddler down.
I am SO tempted to suggest one of those invisible fences for dogs, but I suspect that there's a downside to them. |
Jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 62
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 9:12 pm: |
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We live on Center St. It's busy. We have a toddler and a small dog. We considered shrubs plus electric fence (for the dog, not the toddler). Ultimately we did a fence. I learned a lot about fences and shrubs during the process.
Fences: the cheapest is chain link and that shows your cheapness. Next are the wooden fences, in an older home you can get a nice wooden one (prices vary based on height and density -- open picket vs. shadow box style. More wood =more money) If you leave it wooden, it's fairly low maintenance, but there is maintenance. If you want it white, you need to paint it every five or so years. I thought, "I"ll just paint it myself, it'll be fun, then I'll pay my son to do it, he'll be like Tom Sawyer." But realistically, I'd end up paying someone else, I know it.
Next is aluminum. These can look like wrought iron and they are zero maintenance. They cost way more (a little less than twice what wood does) but you never have to paint it or pay someone to. This is what we did and it looks great. I even had a neighbor pull over when I was raking and say, "I love what you did with your fence." Twice! Very satisfying after the expense.
Last, actual wrought iron. It's more authentic for the historic type person, but it is EXPENSIVE. We put up wrought iron railings on our six steps and 5 feet of one side of a porch for $800. I didn't even get a quote for around my whole property.
Shrubs: you can make a wall of arbor vitae pretty easily, but as the above poster said, you have to wait for it to thicken up. You can put in temporary chicken wire or plastic chicken wire, but that's kind of tacky. About arbor vitae: when they reach your desired height, cut them at the top and they grow laterally creating your wall. However, I began to feel that this look lacked character, it was the landscaping equivalent of a concrete wall: too flat. Cool if you wanted the traditional garden look though. WARNING: they die. Look around for some walls with dead ones.
The other alternatives for shrubs are boxwood -- slow growing and expensive.
Yew -- an evergreen bush with small pine needles. Common in this area, but usually old growth.
An alternative is the skip laurel. This is a waxy leaved bush that people grow in rows. You can definitely walk between them even when almost full grown. I never got far enough to price them.
I went with fence plus rhodadendron. Safety plus privacy. However... I saw on a gardening show that plants will stop growing in a windy area. You can even stop plant from growing by shaking them regularly, to imitate wind. Our rhodies are in a very windy corridor, and it was just dumb luck and impulsiveness that made me by giant ones. If I had bought small expecting big things I may have been disappointed.
Good luck.
J.B. |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2781
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 9:29 pm: |
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Wow Jersey Boy. You really did your research.
Personally, I would go with the fence. I have little ones and a dog. I wouldn't trust shrubs to keep the little ones in the yard. As a matter of fact, my guys like to crawl under and through the shrubs in my yard.
If I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about what kind of fence the neighbors have, and just put up one you like on your property.
If you think of the cost of installing the fence as the cost of keeping your little ones safe in your yard, it hardly seems like too much. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 246
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 7:41 am: |
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The issue of a fence isn't so much the cost, as it is the dilemna- Three neighbors have three different fences bordering our yard, and their fences all look great. Our yard seems to have suffered the brunt of the problem, and throwing up another layer of fence in front of all these fences seems like it would worsen the situation, so we came up with the shrub idea. (not All of our neighbors fences are impassable, as some are decorative).
Anybody have any luck with outdoor temporary child gates? |
tjohn
Supporter
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 3993
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 8:59 am: |
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I recommend the hardy orange as a fencing shrub. It has the stopping power of razor wire but is all natural.
http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/sgponcirus.htm |
Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 8491
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 9:04 am: |
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I bet they'd even keep deer out. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 253
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 9:18 am: |
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Great suggestion, but it's to keep a 1-2 year old in the backyard..."large, heavy, hooked thorns" might be overboard :-) |
shoshannah
Citizen
Username: Shoshannah
Post Number: 1157
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 10:06 am: |
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JB: Does you aluminum fence give you privacy too? I like the sound of it, but we need privacy as well as enclosure. |
mimi
Citizen
Username: Mimi
Post Number: 199
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 12:07 pm: |
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we have 2 dogs and a little one on the way. when we moved in, there were large established arborvitae on one side, the back of a neighbor's unsightly fence on the back side, and nothing on the 3rd side. we buried welded wire fence deep in the arborvitae and it's effective, cheap, and disappears. in fact, when people come over, they ask how often the dogs escape through there and don't even realize there's a fence. we like it because it feels less boxed in than a fence on 3 sides of our postage-stamp back yard.
we've also planted arbortitae etc along the back fence to make that side feel more open, create a sense of continuity, and to hide the view of the neighbors.
finally, we installed a genuine picket on the 3rd side with a gate that we stained white (less maintainance than paint). and this spring we'll be planting fast growing clumping dwarf bamboo to create a screen along that fence for privacy.
due to maplewood's height restriction of 4 feet (i think that's right), if you want privacy, i imagine you'd have to plant along the fence no matter what kind you go with.
our big issue was creating a sense of uniformity since there was already something on 2 sides. and using what was already there to full advantage. that sounds like part of your issue as well. plants in front of the neighbor's fence made our edging feel continuous, and our picket is now the only structural element that one notices. and it is in keeping with our house style.
hope this helps.
good luck. |
Jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 77
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 1:39 pm: |
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That was my issue. And I think that's Smarty's too. You get both with a solid fence, but that's weird in a neighborhood like ours. So we did the open fence with gates all over the place. You can still walk across the lawn in any direction (even put one into the neighbor's yard to be friendly). Then the landscaping began. That's for the privacy. |
Jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 83
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 10:41 pm: |
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Okay, I still have more to say. Instead of arbor vitae, consider leyland spruce. We planted one and it's way more hearty (so far, but in general, I believe this is true.) Leyland spuce is another tall skinny evergreen. I don't know about it growing in a row.
However, if you do your own landscaping, know this: plants grow roots during Fall and Winter, and leaves and flowers during Spring and Summer. This means the best time to plant is the Fall. Last chance is two weeks before first frost. The roots grow over the Winter, and the plant is set up for the Spring. It is tempting to buy in the Spring -- the plants look better, but they're more expensive. You have to water them like crazy to keep them alive because their roots are right in the root ball where they were when you planted them. Add the seasonal expense to the extra water and it's a lose-lose proposition. Be patient and get good deals on "end of the season" plants and they're more likely to survive "transplant shock."
Landscapers work around this and it can work, but if you DIY, it's good to know.
Good luck,
J.B. |
The Libertarian
Citizen
Username: Local_1_crew
Post Number: 1402
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 10:50 pm: |
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if i could get a permit for it, i would build a moat. dead serious.
Complaining isnt activism.
stop bitching on the internet and do something about it!
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Jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 84
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 11:07 pm: |
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Libertarian, we need you over in soap box- all politics. I have a thread "Political Philosophy" where I requested your input. Fences and shrubs are not your forte. Clearly. |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1626
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 6:02 pm: |
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We fenced in our backyard with an "open" fence - I think it's called a "split-rail" fence. It looks natural and it doesn't obstruct your view out of your yard.
We also installed a wire green fence abutting the split rail - you can't see the wire fence unless you're a foot or two away. It keeps a toddler in and dogs.
I've planted lots of trailing vines to cover the fence - my grape vines took off -- it looks gentle and graceful.
Another advantage to split-rail is it weathers naturally (no upkeep) and it's fairly inexpensive. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 266
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 2:06 pm: |
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Lydia, please elaborate on the wire green fence you got (how high is it, and where did you get it?) there's already 2 sides on our house that are split-rail, and that just might fit the bill.
Thanks! |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1630
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 3:53 pm: |
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Smarty -
My landscaper installed the green fence - it's as high as the split-rail. He got the fencing material at that place on RT.10 right before Costco.
I would go to the place on RT. 10 and ask them for a rec. for a company to install it - it was not expensive.
My landscaper unfortunately moved to Portugal, but it's a simple job - you just unroll the metal fencing and attach it to the wooden fence posts. It's thinner than chain-link but still sturdy.
An advantage of keeping the split-rail airyness is that your yard doesn't look all "fenced-in" -- it's still open and friendly. |
mimi
Citizen
Username: Mimi
Post Number: 200
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 4:49 pm: |
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The green fence Lydia is talking about is likely the same thing we buried in our arbor vitae. We did it ourselves for about $100 (if memory serves). Got the green coated wire and stakes (which it sounds like you wouldn't need) from home depot. comes in different heights (3 ft, 4 ft, etc). and pulled the branches through to make the fence "disappear."
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Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 268
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 7:49 am: |
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Great suggestions, thank you. I found the stuff in Home Depot, and you can get it in 28" or 3'. 3' would come rise to our top splitrail, 28" would come to above the middle rail. Either would suffice for keeping in our daughter, and now I need to decide on asthetics. For those of you who have this installed, do you think higher fencing (matches evenly on top splitrail)will look more even/blend in better, or would you suggest going with the lower one? |
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