Am I right in thinking a lighter colored painted fence will make my garden
look biger and brighter? I have a black and white house, and would like to
paint my fences a light color which isn't white (enough of that on the house
already) but would love to have a nice colored backdrop for plants while
making the garden look bigger. Any ideas?

"Peter Churchill" wrote in message
news:Svxzc.108147$Ly.96650@attbi_s01...
Am I right in thinking a lighter colored painted fence will make my garden
look biger and brighter? I have a black and white house, and would like
to
paint my fences a light color which isn't white (enough of that on the
house
already) but would love to have a nice colored backdrop for plants while
making the garden look bigger. Any ideas?

Actually, darker colors in a garden will recede, making the space look
bigger, while light colors tend to jump forward. A dark fence will often
recede into the background and almost disappear behind plantings, providing
the illusion of greater space.

pam - gardengal

I agree.

http://puregold.aquaria.net/landscape/sit/sit.htm
this is only a 20' x 20' area or so. Ingrid

"Pam - gardengal" wrote:


"Peter Churchill" wrote in message
news:Svxzc.108147$Ly.96650@attbi_s01...
Am I right in thinking a lighter colored painted fence will make my garden
look biger and brighter? I have a black and white house, and would like
to
paint my fences a light color which isn't white (enough of that on the
house
already) but would love to have a nice colored backdrop for plants while
making the garden look bigger. Any ideas?

Actually, darker colors in a garden will recede, making the space look
bigger, while light colors tend to jump forward. A dark fence will often
recede into the background and almost disappear behind plantings, providing
the illusion of greater space.

pam - gardengal




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

"Peter Churchill" wrote in message
news:Svxzc.108147$Ly.96650@attbi_s01...
Am I right in thinking a lighter colored painted fence will make my garden
look biger and brighter? I have a black and white house, and would like
to
paint my fences a light color which isn't white (enough of that on the
house
already) but would love to have a nice colored backdrop for plants while
making the garden look bigger. Any ideas?

I agree with Pam. If you paint a fence white, you eye is immediately drawn
to it. It leaves no doubt where the space ends. To make you space look
larger, you can sometimes borrow a view from a neighboring area. If the
fence is obvious, the illusion is spoiled. I would choose an earth tone for
the fence and interrupt the view with some tall plant material so the fence
completely disappears in areas. You might also use the fence for vines to
obscure it.

Fool people with perspective. Choose plants with small flowers to
bloom in the background. Plant things with big, bold colours in the
foreground. Keep clutter to a minimum by planting drifts of one kind
of plant as oppose to many small clumps of plants. Use a mirror in a
strategic location, like on top of a faux gate.

http://puregold.aquaria.net/landscape/sit/sit.htm
this is only a 20' x 20' area or so. Ingrid

Consider a mirror built into sculpture or add a water surface.
Reflection can suggest infinity. You can also use the oriental idea
of borrowing your neighbor's landscape as a addition (Ideally a
mountain this from Flat S. Jersey )) .

Bill

--
Garden in Zone 5 S Jersey USA Shade

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:25:38 GMT, Peter Churchill wrote:
Am I right in thinking a lighter colored painted fence will make my garden
look biger and brighter? I have a black and white house, and would like to
paint my fences a light color which isn't white (enough of that on the house
already) but would love to have a nice colored backdrop for plants while
making the garden look bigger. Any ideas?

Darker fencing helps. So does meandering the borders, so it looks like
just around the bend of that next shrub or tree, you might head farther
back into another part of the garden. So does "borrowing" a bit of view
of your neighbor's gardens. Ruler-straight borders all around a central
lawn make the area look really cramped.

Kay

good info

thanks
(Pen) wrote in message . com...
Fool people with perspective. Choose plants with small flowers to
bloom in the background. Plant things with big, bold colours in the
foreground. Keep clutter to a minimum by planting drifts of one kind
of plant as oppose to many small clumps of plants. Use a mirror in a
strategic location, like on top of a faux gate.

good info

thanks
(Pen) wrote in message . com...
Fool people with perspective. Choose plants with small flowers to
bloom in the background. Plant things with big, bold colours in the
foreground. Keep clutter to a minimum by planting drifts of one kind
of plant as oppose to many small clumps of plants. Use a mirror in a
strategic location, like on top of a faux gate.

"William Wagner" wrote in message
...

http://puregold.aquaria.net/landscape/sit/sit.htm
this is only a 20' x 20' area or so. Ingrid

Consider a mirror built into sculpture or add a water surface.
Reflection can suggest infinity. You can also use the oriental idea
of borrowing your neighbor's landscape as a addition (Ideally a
mountain this from Flat S. Jersey )) .

Bill

--
Garden in Zone 5 S Jersey USA Shade

I have seen this work very well. In a quite modest garden they had worked
hard to disguise the back fence with shrubs along and in front of it and
there was quite a bit of foreground planting too. In the middle of the back
fence was a gate with a frame over it covered with a creeper. It looked
terrific and invited you to go through the gate to see the second area of
the garden revealed. Except there was no second area just a big mirror
fitted into the frame behind the gate to nowhere. The illusion was 100%
convincing.

David

I have seen these in books about small gardens in small spaces and they are
convincing. Ingrid

"David Hare-Scott" wrote:
In the middle of the back
fence was a gate with a frame over it covered with a creeper. It looked
terrific and invited you to go through the gate to see the second area of
the garden revealed. Except there was no second area just a big mirror
fitted into the frame behind the gate to nowhere. The illusion was 100%
convincing.

David




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

I borrowed a page from Christopher Lowell and put more stuff into a small space and
it gives the illusion of larger "room". I also divided the space up into smaller
areas with the fence so walking thru is a discovery of turn a corner and find
something new. so my maple is on a corner seen from the yard, but go by the maple
and there is a narrow walk with Japanese fern, white bleeding hearts, JitP.
I like the idea of a "surprise" of exquisite little things not immediately seen but
only when turn the corner. Ingrid

Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:25:38 GMT, Peter Churchill wrote:
Am I right in thinking a lighter colored painted fence will make my garden
look biger and brighter? I have a black and white house, and would like to
paint my fences a light color which isn't white (enough of that on the house
already) but would love to have a nice colored backdrop for plants while
making the garden look bigger. Any ideas?

Darker fencing helps. So does meandering the borders, so it looks like
just around the bend of that next shrub or tree, you might head farther
back into another part of the garden. So does "borrowing" a bit of view
of your neighbor's gardens. Ruler-straight borders all around a central
lawn make the area look really cramped.

Kay



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

"Vox Humana" in
news


I agree with Pam. If you paint a fence white, you eye is immediately
drawn to it. It leaves no doubt where the space ends. To make you
space look larger, you can sometimes borrow a view from a neighboring
area. If the fence is obvious, the illusion is spoiled. I would
choose an earth tone for the fence and interrupt the view with some
tall plant material so the fence completely disappears in areas. You
might also use the fence for vines to obscure it.




avoid painting fences.if you want to darken the fence, maybe use some kind
of *non-peeling* staining liquid. watered down india ink ?

" wrote in message
...
"Vox Humana" in
news


I agree with Pam. If you paint a fence white, you eye is immediately
drawn to it. It leaves no doubt where the space ends. To make you
space look larger, you can sometimes borrow a view from a neighboring
area. If the fence is obvious, the illusion is spoiled. I would
choose an earth tone for the fence and interrupt the view with some
tall plant material so the fence completely disappears in areas. You
might also use the fence for vines to obscure it.




avoid painting fences.if you want to darken the fence, maybe use some kind
of *non-peeling* staining liquid. watered down india ink ?

Yes. I would use a stain rather than paint. You can get stains in
transparent, semi-opaque, and solid (opaque).