Small Garden? Five Ways to Assign Your Fence Double Duty and Make Your Yard More Functional
If you are installing a fence around a small garden, consider using your fence for more than just creating a perimeter around your property. Instead, have your fencing contractor modify it so that it fills two purposes at once. Want inspiration? Check out these five ideas for dual purpose fencing in small yards:
1. Rebound Wall
A rebound wall features a similar material as a sport court, and it allows you to bounce tennis or racquet balls off it so you can work on your stroke. Ideal when combined with a half court of a sport court, a rebound wall can be built into your wood fence to create an active and fun area without using a lot of space.
2. Movie Screen
If you prefer to lounge rather than work out, consider turning part of your fence into a movie screen. Keep in mind that it's easier to turn a flat panel of a vinyl or PVC fence into a movie screen than the panel of a wood fence with lots of planks and gaps.
Alternatively, you can add a retractable film screen to the top of the fence and pull it down as needed, but obviously, you will also need a projector to make this idea work.
3. Game Board
Paint or style some of your fence panels to turn them into game boards. If you have an empty lot behind your house, you can have a fence contractor cut holes in your fence and even paint point values near each hole. Then, you can throw balls through them as fun target practice.
Alternatively, you could paint games like tic-tac-toe on your fence, and then, add small pegs to each square. To play, you simply hang x's or o's with little loops on them on the corresponding squares. With a bit of ingenuity, this tactic works for a range of traditional games including checkers and chess.
4. Vertical Gardens
You can even plant a garden against your fence to save room. To create a vertical garden against your fence, you can attach a trellis to it and train climbing plants along the trellis. Alternatively, you can even have your fencing contractor add shelves or planting boxes to the fence itself, and then you can add containers to the shelves or plants and soil to the boxes.
5. Backrest
If you are adding living areas to your backyard, consider getting your fence involved for more than just providing privacy. In particular, if you are adding benches next to an outdoor table or in a sitting area, you can build them right into the fence, optimising the fence as a backrest.
