Gates and Screens for Your Garden

Screens and gates serve so many purposes in the garden. They can provide privacy, enclose a space, act as a welcoming entrance or add a decorative outline around a flower bed.

You can find vinyl privacy latticework screens in double or triple panels. They come in different colors, with white or green being the most common. Some may sport a decorative arch at the top. These panels can be a very easy and inexpensive way to lend an urban backyard deck or apartment balcony some privacy. The vinyl should be UV stabilized to prevent fading. Look for models that can also be interlocked at 90-degree angles if you prefer to create a corner.

Do-it-yourself modular fencing is another very low-maintenance and inexpensive privacy option. It comes in single, double or triple panels. Water or sand can be added into the base of the legs to add more weight and stability. These panels are about three feet tall; the vinyl should be UV stabilized to resist fading.

As for decorative dividers, wrought iron edging lends beauty along walkways or flower beds. It’s typically 10 to 15 inches tall, and you can find easy-to-install interlocking varieties. Many shapes and designs are available. Common colors include black, antique white or rust finish.

Another type of divider that can border different plantings or flower beds is a three-panel screen. Such screens can be adjusted to form a zig-zag, straight or slightly arced configuration. They usually stake right into the ground, and come in a variety of styles and designs.

You can also find wrought-iron interlocking fence panels with interlocking gates. Some versions feature no-tool assembly. These panels are typically three, four or five feet tall. The hard part is choosing a design! You can choose shabby chic, New Orleans styles, and any manner of artistic embellishments such as animals, dancing children and suns. But you should note that these decorative fences may not be the best option if you need to keep small children or animals enclosed in a particular space.

Gates and arbors feature countless attractive designs, as well. Gates beckon us to enter a garden area. They’re constructed of anything from cedar to vinyl to wrought iron, and they range from decorative to practical. You can find arbors with built-in gates and even benches! Arbors also make for quaint weddings in your beautiful back yard!
Arbors can also feature artistic detail, from leaves to quotes such as “Bless this garden.”

This is all fine and good, you’re thinking, but what about unique garden gates and screens? You know, the type of thing that can’t be purchased from a garden store or catalog--something that will set my garden décor apart from everyone else’s! Throw on your jeans and get ready to do some digging at flea markets, antique stores and architectural salvage shops.

Here are some creative ideas for unusual objects to use for garden screens, fencing and gates. Try these for sectioning off a flower bed, building a gate or simply as an accent behind plantings:

• Antique car hoods
• Antique car doors
• Fireplace screens
• Antique fencing
• Antique gates
• Cast iron architectural salvage
• Wooden fireplace mantel frames
• Wooden window topper arches
• Headboards
• Shutters
• Antique doors; wooden screen door frames can be particularly ornate
• Architectural arches
• Wooden or wrought iron railings--from porches, churches, etc.
• Cast iron grates
• Stained glass, such as old church windows
• Chair backs
• Antique signs
• Wrought iron window guards
• Furnace grates

Of course, you have to see these objects with a new eye when you’re digging for them; you need to be able to imagine transforming them into your desired garden screen, gate or fence. If your goal is to construct a functional gate or fence and you’re not handy with tools, bring along a friend who is so they can help you envision whether your unique found object is capable of practical functioning in the garden.

With all the countless options of garden screens, gates, arbors and fencing in garden supply stores and antique shops, the hardest part of your hardscaping project will be choosing your favorite style!