What I’ve noticed more and more lately (and admired) are hog wire panels: used for fences, gates, and trellises.
A see-through hog wire gate welcomes guests to a Michigan summer house by Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp.
Photograph courtesy of Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp.
What are hog wire panels?
Also called cattle or livestock panels, hog wire panels are made of steel rods welded at every intersection and galvanized with a zinc coating. Feed- and livestock-supply companies sell different styles with different rod gauges.
Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
How do you construct a hog wire fence?
Four-foot-high hog wire panels, a common size, come in 16-foot lengths, which are usually cut in half to make 8-foot sections. The stringers (or rails) at the top and bottom of the fence could be 2-by-4-inch pressure-treated fir or redwood.
Hog wire fence and a see-through gate creates an sense of open space.
Photograph by Ellen Jenkins.
Close-up shows 1-by-1-inch redwood strips hiding the sharp edges of the wire.
Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.
Which plants grow well on a hog wire fence?
One of the nice things about a hog wire fence is that it acts as a trellis.
Photograph by Marie Viljoen.
For more of Marie’s garden, see Rehab Diary: A Year in the Life of a Brooklyn Garden.
If you’re using wooden posts and rails, a hog wire fence is a little more expensive than chain-link, but costs less than a solid cedar fence. If you omit the 1-foot stringer at the bottom and install a 5-foot fence, the cost per running foot is about $10 less: from $25 to $40.
How much does a hog wire fence cost?
Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
Cons:
Looking for a fence to repel deer? For more ideas, see A Deer-Proof Edible Garden, East Coast Edition and Elegant Deer Fencing in the Hamptons.