It’s that time of year again! Time for everyone who has spent the winter cooped up indoors to get out and plant a garden. Whether you intend to grow a flower garden just for show or a vegetable garden to cut down on your produce bill, you can make your garden exceptional this year by adding a garden wall or fence. Constructing a wall or fence is an easy to moderate do-it-yourself project, and the type of enclosure you make will depend on your budget, style, and purpose.

Here’s a look at some of the most popular options:

Chicken Wire Fence
Chicken wire fence is ideal for backyard vegetable gardens; it keeps rabbits and other animals away from the produce, yet it won’t affect curb appeal since the garden is in the backyard.

At an average price of $20 for a 12 by 150 foot roll; chicken wire is your least expensive option by far. It’s also the quickest and easiest fence to construct. You can have a good-sized garden completely enclosed in under an hour.

Wood Fence
A wood fence will still keep vermin away from your plants but adds elements of style that you just won’t get with chicken wire. There are many options when it comes to wood fencing; wood type, color, and shape can all dramatically change the overall look of your landscape. For instance a wood fence with white lattices will most definitely look different than red cedar panels.

Depending on how elaborate you’d like to go, wood fencing can range from moderately costly to expensive. For example, many wood garden fences have matching trellises, arbors, and gates, which can really dress up your garden. However, these additional purchases can also bust your budget. Although wood fencing can be pricey, it’s surprisingly easy to construct; most wood fencing is now sold in prebuilt form. All you have to do is put the fence in the ground.

Brick Walls
Brick walls wrapped around flowerbeds were a favorite of the Victorian era and can make your property look stunning, especially if you have a Victorian-style home. Bricks do not have to be as costly as most people think either; the quality, color, and durability of the clay and shale all affect the price of bricks. Mortar also comes in different shades, and you’ll want to choose your shade carefully as mortar actually makes up 15 to 17 percent of the surface area of brick structures.

Of course, for premium bricks and mortar, a brick wall will be quite expensive. Brick laying, or masonry, is also a full out trade, so making brick walls is likely the hardest do-it-yourself project for garden enclosures. However, there are many short classes, tutorials, and guides (some even online), which can teach you how to make a brick wall. Plus a basic wall is one of the easiest brick projects to do; so if you’re committed, brick walls can be a fun way to add beauty to your landscape.

Stone Walls
Stone walls are easy to make; they only require a variety of stones and sometimes mortar. You can slap them together without worrying about symmetry, like you must with brick walls.

However, stone walls are not for everyone. For instance, premium stones are a dime a dozen in New England. Many homeowners in New Hampshire, the Granite State, find they actually have enough stones on their property to build their entire garden wall. However, the same stones don’t exist in the sandy soil of Florida, and local suppliers sell them at a very high cost.

For additional help and ideas, consult your lawn and garden equipment user’s manuals available in the OwnerIQ Library.