The Secret To a Better-Looking Fence (Without The Hard Work)
Every summer, the same ritual unfolds in gardens up and down the country. Out comes the paintbrush, the dust sheets, and the tin of fence stain, and a weekend disappears in a haze of DIY. Twelve months later, the colour has faded, the paint is flaking, and the job needs doing all over again.
There is a smarter way to give a boundary character, says Leigh Barnes, garden expert at Jacksons Fencing, and it doesn’t involve the annual paint job.
The secret lies in choosing the right combination of panels and trellis from the outset. Leigh believes most homeowners are creating unnecessary work for themselves. “Paint fades, it flakes, and on a pressure treated timber fence with a lifetime guarantee, it isn’t doing anything to prolong the life of the wood,” he says. “Unless the colour genuinely suits your style, you’re signing up for an annual job you don’t need.”
Think in layers, not coats
The alternative is a modular approach that uses decorative trellis toppers and ready-made hybrid panels to build a boundary with genuine character. Slotted posts make it simple to stack different panel styles, so the fence becomes a feature in its own right rather than a flat backdrop crying out for colour and interest.
Leigh recommends pairing a solid base panel with an open top for the best of both worlds. Featherboard panels topped with a square trellis give a traditional cottage garden feel, while tongue and groove panels finished with a diamond trellislend a more contemporary, geometric look.
For homeowners who want the effect without planning the combination themselves, a combi panel does the work in one piece, balancing a tongue and groove base for privacy with a venetian style slatted header that lets light through, for example.
“Toppers let you customise the look of your fence from the outset by combining different panel designs,” he explains. “You can mix and match styles along the same boundary, soften a solid panel with a trellis top, or add a Roman topper for an architectural, vertical feel.”
A living feature that improves with age
The beauty of planting up a trellis is that it only gets better with age. As climbing roses mingle with clematis blooms and evergreen star jasmine thickens into a rich green backdrop, the fence itself all but disappears from view. Instead of committing to the endless cycle of paint tins and preservative sprays, you are investing in a living feature that changes with the seasons, adds privacy and brings a sense of abundance to even the most modest outdoor space.
There are practical gains too. Trellis panels allow air and light to pass through, which is better for plants growing near the boundary and reduces wind pressure on the fence in stormy weather. The open top also offers a clear view of the garden, which is a quiet but effective security benefit.
Plan it all together
The one mistake to avoid is treating the upgrade as an afterthought. Adding height to an existing fence rarely looks clean and seldom matches the structural strength of a properly planned boundary.
“My one piece of advice is to plan it all together from the start,” says Leigh. “Panel style, trellis design, post system, and gravel boards are best chosen as one. Get it right first time and you’ll have a boundary that lasts for decades, paintbrush free.”
Images courtesy of Jacksons Fencing
