Comments on: Does wanting a fence make me unneighborly?

By: Tru-Link Fence & Products Company. | Play Basketball

Tru-Link Fence & Products Company. | Play Basketball — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:37:40 +0000

[...] Does wanting a fence make me unneighborly? (sustainablegardeningblog.com) [...]

By: Annie in Austin

Annie in Austin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:35:37 +0000

Hi Susan,

Our HOA says no front fences and no hedges so although I’ve gradually added shrub beds and flower borders up there, my heart isn’t in it. My reasons are yours, Susan – stupid people who let their dogs & cats crap anywhere and watch indulgently as they dig & sit on plants. Since more than half of the square feet of my lot are in front of the privacy fence, it feels as if my property is not my own.

In Illinois we had a 3-foot tall wooden fence around the front garden, with roses and clematis trailing along the timbers and many people stopped to chat when I was out there. I wish that were possible here! May you rebuild your fence and reclaim your garden!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

By: Hilery - Desert Greenhouse Guide

Hilery - Desert Greenhouse Guide — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:23:11 +0000

I also agree, fence! I love the definition of space and it leaves that element of “discovery” when entering a garden. (Not to mention keeps out the presents dogs leave when the are walked by.)

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:46:17 +0000

A fence doesn’t make you unneighborly at all. That said, I really like hedges.

Here in Falls Church, we live on a corner and were able to define our yard by putting in a mixed hedge. I like the definition that it gives the front yard. And, it does make it seem larger.

By: Building Materials & Supplies

Building Materials & Supplies — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:58:17 +0000

I agree good fences does make goos neighbours, you all need your own space!

By: Fog

Fog — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:18:49 +0000

I also live in a neighborhood with an insane neighborhood association. It opposes sidewalks and forbids front yard fences, on the theory that these would destroy the “park-like quality” of the community. My front yard is the only part of my yard that receives any sun so I grow my vegetables and sun-loving flowers there. Like other commenters, I’ve come to see that the space needs a fence to define it, to protect against deer, and to give me a sense of seclusion. A simple homemade wire lattice strung between posts and covered with climbing roses and vines would do the trick and still connect me to the neighborhood, but I can’t do that. My solution? Because the front yard slopes down to the street and retaining walls are allowed, I am hauling in multiple cubic yards of soil and building a high retaining wall with thick, tall hedge on top to hide a deer fence on the inside invisible from the street. What a lot of expense and work to get around a dumb rule, especially when the result will be less “park-like” than the fence I crave!