People often build fences to protect the privacy of their neighbors or to protect them from invaders from wild animals. Many of the garden fence ideas depicted here may be too low or too difficult to penetrate to disturb peepers or herbivores. But they can mark the edges of flower beds or borders and provide connecting elements between them.

Some can also help secure mulch and keep your plants away from the path of the lawnmower. Most importantly, garden fences can increase the appearance and fluidity of the landscape. Make sure that the style and materials of your fence complement your home and garden so that they don’t end up looking inappropriate rather than uniform.

Fence materials vary, and most wicker fences like this (available on Etsy) are made of curved willow trees. This rustic appearance is perfect for informal cottage garden beds or borders, where plants such as hollyhock, foxglove, peonies, bellflowers, and sweet Williams tumble each other. The flowers can also tumble on the wicker to prevent them from falling on the path or lawn. Although this complicated style is incompatible with simple modern houses, it complements the more traditional style.

Reminiscent of Mediterranean balconies or the wrought iron fences that were once used to protect the perimeter of the estate, the elegant decorative metal fences (available on Wayfair) are particularly compatible with Moorish or Spanish-designed stucco houses. Since these are generally popular in warm and dry climates, the plants that accompany them may include traditional balcony geraniums (annual geraniums) and dwarf citrus trees, as well as cacti and succulents, climbing roses, and jasmine.

The semi-log trim (available at Lowe's) exudes a rustic atmosphere reminiscent of fences and corrals. Therefore, it matches well with wildflowers and pastoral flowers such as black-eyed susan, daisies, cones, zinnias and sunflowers. Add charming low fences around the gardens planted in summer cottages, log cabins or farmhouses. If you like the idea of ​​wood, you can also use money-saving old pallets to build garden beds and barriers.

Related: How to: Install Lateral Edges

If you agree with the American dream of white picket fences, but don't like the work involved in maintaining wooden fences, you may want to choose vinyl garden fences (available on Wayfair). The pickets complement Cape Cod or other traditional style houses. As for what to plant in front of them, try delphinium, foxglove and hollyhock, these plants are fixed in front of those low growers, such as sweet fragrance and lobelia, maybe all the plants are covered by a rose that crawls across the beam Covered.

Although it is difficult to discern the design and composition of this fence behind the veil of roses, it shows an excellent garden fence concept—horizontal railings act as a kind of "side-laying" lattice. On the top, you can train climbing plants or vine plants such as roses, clematis, honeysuckle to grow horizontally instead of upwards, perhaps almost hiding the original fence, but making a living in your own way.

If you like the classic look of wrought iron mentioned earlier, but don’t want to rust — or if your plot or garden bed is so small that a larger fence looks ridiculous — you might want to try a low border like this An edge made of black resin (available at The Home Depot). However, you always want to check the reviews because some plastics may be fragile and may not last as long as an iron.

The advantage of this metal fence (available on Etsy) is the lattice pattern underneath its decorative scroll. In theory, you can use it to bind tall climbing plants, such as hollyhock or morning glory. However, when buying a metal garden fence, be sure to ask about the composition of the metal, because if you put wet plants against an alloy containing iron, they are likely to rust.

Related: How to: Fix a slanted fence

Picket edges made of plastic (such as propylene polymer) can be used in certain environments, provided that the plastic is really durable enough to withstand the test of installation and weather. You can use low-maintenance materials to get the look of a wooden fence design. A low type like this (available on Amazon) can be low annual plants such as petunias and marigolds in the sun, or begonias and impatiens in the shade.

Similar to the appearance of the cable-type fence, the style of this fence largely depends on the type of construction material. For example, weathered wood and ropes may be suitable for casual rural environments, while metal piles with cables may be more suitable for modern industrial-type buildings. In the latter case, planting a large number of the same shrubs or flowers is more suitable for a simplistic style than many different varieties.

Manicured living fences, such as the boxwood hedges shown here (available for purchase at The Home Depot), are very popular in formal gardens associated with mansions or English estates. In a formal garden, simplicity is the key. A large number of the same type of plants instead of a mixture of multiple plants can give a simple and formal feeling. Since tall hedges tend to hide all but the most solemn flowers standing behind them, you may want to make your flowers shorter or place the bed in front of those hedges instead of behind them. Or use this hedge as a living fence to separate the front yard or border the sidewalk or driveway.

Some garden fences provide more functions than aesthetics. Nets are strictly practical and are designed to keep wild animals-especially deer-away from your vegetable garden (available on Gardener's Supply Company). Remember, to be successful, the net needs to provide a deer with a height of at least 6 feet, and may not be strong enough to prevent rabbits and marmots from biting it. Although desperate gardeners sometimes use it for flower beds, it is not particularly beautiful, but it does not spoil the landscape like a barbed wire fence.

Related: How to: Keep deer away from your garden

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