Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
EASY STEPS TO YOUR FENCE SCREEN
Cover a plain timber fence with a hardwood screen that doubles as a vertical garden.
Gather your supplies
• 150 x 50mm x 2.4m H3 treated pine
• Hardwood boards in various sizes
• Wire baskets
• Coir liners
•Selection of plants
You’ll also need Circular saw; nail gun; spirit level; spacers; drill; galvanised screws; clamps; chalkline; potting mix
For you to note
• This screen was designed to disguise a portion of timber fence that meets a metal fence, and is attached to the face side.
• Measure the area you are covering to determine how many lengths of treated pine you’ll need for the fence rails, and how many hardwood boards for the screen slats.
• This screen uses several sizes of hardwood boards. Use boards in different width but the same depth, plus one size of board in a different depth to add dimension to your screen.
Here’s how
STEP 1 Cut pine rails to length if needed. Position pine rails flush with top of fence and nail to palings, checking for level as you go.
STEP 2 Attach new rails to centre and base in line with original rails on back of fence. Secure with nails.
STEP 3 Position a couple of screen slats with spacers in between, sitting them on a slat so all are equal height off the ground, then start nailing slats to top rail.
STEP 4 Add a few more palings, then nail to centre and base rails.
STEP 5 Use a chalkline to mark the centre of top rail on screen slats. Repeat for centre and base rails.
STEP 6 Predrill and screw screen slats to rails with galvanised screws, using chalkline as a guide.
STEP 7 Cut hardwood into 140mm lengths and secure to widest palings with screws. These will hold the hanging baskets.
STEP 8 Line wire baskets with coir, part-fill with potting mix, add plants and more potting mix, pressing it down firmly. Water and mount on screen.
For you to note
• Here, the retractable clothesline was attached to posts but you can also attach to a wall on one side.
Here’s how
STEP 1 Clear area of turf, weeds or debris. Roughly level area with a rake.
STEP 2 Mark locations of post holes for clothesline and set up a stringline to mark edge of garden bed in front of clothesline.
STEP 3 Dig post holes. Position posts and check for plumb with a spirit level.
STEP 4 Concrete in posts and leave to set.
STEP 5 Dig a trench with a mattock or hoe, using stringline as a guide.
STEP 6 Lay garden edging in trench along stringline, then hammer in edging spikes to hold in place.
STEP 7 Lay pavers (see
How to lay stepping stones, right). Sponge pavers clean. Leave mortar to set.
STEP 8 Plant garden bed, water in well and spread the mulch.
STEP 9 Install retractable clothesline to posts.