Good fences make good neighbors

Good old-fashioned suburbia will never be the same. Bigger, modern homes on smaller, modern parcels leave little space for gardening and trees. What is not shaded by the taller homes is shaded by the taller fences, which are needed for privacy since the homes are closer together. Building codes in most municipalities limit the height of fences, but lattice screens are often added on top for extra height.

Because lumber is not of the quality that it was when shorter, light-duty redwood fences were built decades ago, relatively expensive modern fences do not last nearly as long. They might last longer if they were repaired instead of replaced when only the posts rot. Green technology seemed to work better before it became trendy.

Ironically, no one wants these bigger and bolder fences that are closer to home to be so prominent in the landscape. We try to obscure them with vines that can tear them apart, or shrubbery that can push them over. Watering these vines and shrubs accelerates rot in the posts.

Shrubbery intended to obscure a fence should not be so voracious that it wants to displace the same fence that it is intended to obscure. Some types of pittosporum work nicely because they support themselves without leaning against other features in their surroundings too much, even if they eventually get quite large. However, they do get quite thick, and can obscure a fence so well that no one would miss the fence if it were to get pushed over. A good hedge without a fence is sometimes a better option.

Many types of vines can be kept much closer to a fence than shrubbery can, but most tend to be more destructive. Star jasmine works nicely if allowed to climb a trellis directly in front of the fence, but should not be allowed to get between planks in the fence, or to get too intertwined in lattice. If it gets too fluffy, it can be shorn back like a light hedge.

Clinging vines like creeping fig can be very appealing on fences, and can be shorn like hedges, but will eventually necessitate the replacement of the fences they climb. For those who appreciate such a tailored appearance, replacement of the affected fences every several years or annual hard pruning of the fast growing vines is a fair compromise.

Once established, most shrubs and many vines that are large enough to obscure fences do not need much water. Plants that want significant water can be problematic to fences they are adjacent to, since moisture in the soil accelerates rot in fence posts. Thick foliage and foliar litter on the ground shade the soil and hold moisture in. Irrigation systems (sprinklers), whether they are for shrubs or vines intended to obscure a fence or for something as simple as lawn, should not spray water onto fences. Unfortunately, most fences naturally involve neighbors who are not necessarily as concerned with the maintenance of the fences.

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Good fences make good neighbors