Please help to cover ugly fence!
Hi. We have just put in a pool and a new deck in our outdoor area. We have 2 dilemmas and would love your help!
1. The rendered wall in the pool zone is only undercoated at present and we need to choose a topcoat colour (any suggestions? Our house is creamish with dark grey trims - like the retaining wall) and would love suggestions as to how to make this wall less stark.
2. Our side fence clearly shows our neighbour's house and we would love some privacy here. Problem is the area from deck to fence is only 2.7m and is the main part of our backyard so we don't want a wide garden clogging up the area. Any ideas of something slimline and tallish that likes moist soil with limited sunlight?
Comments (14)
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Comments (106)Miranda You appear to be making all the right choices in life. I will be a little bit presumptuous by offering some advice on helping you to raise your child in touch with nature in this age full of all the electronic lures that keep the kids indoors. or, when outdoors, glued to a small screen, rather than the glory that surrounds them. I am writing a book about landscape architecture and have a section regarding the importance of embracing nature in the preschool years. - which I would like to forward that section to you. However, my computer skills are limited to email and US Mail. I don't even know how to attach a picture to the text. If you would like to receive this draft from my future book, send me your email or postal address, and I'll get it right off to you. My email is cascio.offsite@gmail.com Good luck with your new challenges and opportunities. Joe Cascio...See MoreUgly home front, help please!!!
Comments (31)I would paint the upper part of the brick so that it blends in with the house colour, then I would hang plant pots off the top of the brick making seasonal type planter boxes that way you are not waiting for a larger plant to grow and you can quickly swap out any plants that are not thriving when the house is on the market. I would start the paint level at the same height as the bottom of the weird rectangular boxes. This will be a very cheap idea with impact / freshness....See MoreCamouflaging ugly retaining wall
Comments (30)Hiya, for a no fuss cover my suggestions are: Ivy - would cover the wall completely and also climb the fence. It's super easy to keep neat by using an electric hedge trimmer. Bamboo - get a species that is clumping - not spreading. Species that have black stems against the green leaves would look very striking. Most grow quite tall though and require full sun so you'd need to take this into account. Lilly Pilly's, Murraya's, Photinia's are hardy and great for tall hedges. Certain species grow quite quickly. Want to get some use out of your plants? Consider passionfruit vine. Great fruit, but the wine will lose its leaves in winter. Same with wisteria, ornamental grape, etc. Enjoy, and hope this helps. Cheers, Debs...See MoreNeed help deciding on type of paint or stain for treated pine fence.
Comments (19)Thanks for this suggestion. I've just had a look at a photo of a fence painted in this product and it looks great. ... It's been almost three years since we posted our original question on this site and we still haven't painted the fence! Some parts of the fence have turned grey, as they are exposed to more sun, but overall I do think a dark charcoal finish would be more attractive. :)...See More
9 years agoDulux White Duck is a soft creamy white and looking out from you undercover area seems to need light rather than dark colour.
You could add some decorative panels to personalise the pool area to your taste.
Ocean Beach · More InfoOr a soft grey could work maybe too.
Camp Hill · More Info
Outdoor living: By the pool with Entanglements laser cut metal art · More Infopmurray74 thanked LouieT
PRO9 years agoA colour like this looks amazing against the greenery,I suggest painting wall and fence all the same ,then maybe large large leaf bird of paradise(blue and cream flower) I have about 10 in my fairly shady Balinese backyard,they r super hardy and stunning !
pmurray74 thanked Nicole's Interior Creations- PRO9 years ago
Just some plants these r pretty much in shade all day! My place......
pmurray74 thanked Nicole's Interior Creations 
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoNot sure if you're still looking for suggestions, but we installed stainless steel 'stringers' into our similar wooden fence with self-tapper hooks in an X pattern. We planted a jasmin at the base of each wire, and in about 20 months we had a very cute pattern.
Measure it out first so you don't end the pattern in a random way though..!
PRO4 years ago
4 years agoStar Jasmine is an excellent plant if you want to completely cover a fence and dont have much space, it requires very little maintenance (just needs the occasional trim to maintain shape) and is fast growing - it will happily grow in full sun to part shade and its dark green glossy leaves are very lush. Its also a complete privacy screen and the scent when the flowers are out in summer is amazing. Jasmine will also compliment and soften your rendered wall, whether you go for grey or white paint
I have star jasmine on the south side of my block and its a complete privacy screen. Having just finished a major extension I have also planted it on the north side and will be training it over some rio sheets for privacy on that side also.
4 years ago
LouieT