So a friend Cait sent me an interesting link on Facebook the other day. It was about having live fences – plants that can be used as natural barriers. Many will plant along a fence line, but perhaps planting as a fence line should be considered?
I loved this idea when I saw it in action in Ireland at the National Stud but haven’t given it a lot of thought since then, or even considered it’s benefits. To me, it had appeal because:
- of the look (who doesn’t like green?)
- the fact that it is a sturdy wind break
- and is highly visible
There are a lot of other benefits to having living fences however. I’ve been entertaining the idea of tagasaste hedges on my future property in between fence lines, but am now wondering if this in itself can be the fence. Obviously growing plants can take time, they can die off and they can appeal to the tastebuds of the inhabitants of the paddock!
However, they can help out with the local eco system if indigenous plants are used, they may be more cost effective and can be regenerated through growing from seeds.
“Set your sights after the last fence.” – author unknown
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[…] Good fences can be both formal and informal (natural boundaries, rows of shrubs and walls) but need to be well built and carefully planned. Always remember a good fence is always a sturdy and safe horse fence. Let’s not turn our properties into cages, remember fencing should complement a property and not dominate a properties look. With the right materials safe horse fencing can also be attractive horse fencing. Work some trees and shrubs into the design and soften the appearance and create some value. For some further reading see this useful blog Equos Blog – Living Fences. […]