Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Garden Coaching
  • Travel
  • Contact
  • My Gardens
    • The Back Garden
    • The Potager
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Garden Coaching
  • Travel
  • Contact
  • My Gardens
    • The Back Garden
    • The Potager

Green Thumb Sunday: Fences and Arbors

13 January, 2008 By Dee Nash

by Dee Nash
13 January, 2008Filed under:
  • Gardening

Front Gate Yesterday, the gates and fences bordering both my garden and the six and a half acres surrounding it stuck my fancy. The line “‘Good fences make good neighbors'” from the poem, Mending Wall, by Robert Frost came to mind. Later, I reread the poem and saw new meaning in it. I think Frost was poking gentle fun at his neighbor and all of us. Now, I know that Frost was speaking of emotional fences , not literal ones, but after living in the country for nineteen years, I find I support the neighbor’s point of view.

Here, fences do make all of us, both human and animals, good neighbors. Although my barriers aren’t herculean, they give everyone, including the wild dog packs which roam, boundaries. A word to the wise: if you tire of your dog, you are not doing your animal any favor by dropping it here. Before we had the wire, which lines the split rail fence, the dogs constantly harassed my animals. We used to keep horses, and the dogs loved to chase them. The wire barrier and my dogs stopped most of that.

Further, the fences and arbors I’ve placed around my main garden aren’t just for show. They stop the bunnies from eating all my lettuces, daylilies and other edible plants. Also, the deer seem to avoid the enclosed garden. The thorny, climbing roses and native grasses I’ve placed in strategic areas also seem to help. That way, they’re free to go ravage my fruit trees, but that’s another post.Split Rail Fence

As to humans, on three different occasions, including one New Year’s Eve, folks drove too fast around the corner at the edge of our property and crashed through the gate and split rail fence shown here. Later, the same fence slowed one woman’s car as it rolled three times through it, landing in the lower pasture instead of the lake. The highway patrolman said the fence probably saved her life.

Arbor DetailLet’s move on to arbors. I am in love and have been since I saw one in a magazine twelve years ago. When I first wanted one, a welder friend of ours made two for my garden because they couldn’t be found here. Now, I think they are being shipped in from Mexico, and the ones I bought last year are fabulous. I don’t know how available they are in other parts of the country, but if you love the cottage look, and can find one, snag it for yourself. I’ve collected several, and if I could think of a way to include more, I would. They provide architectural interest, and there is something about walking through a gated arbor which makes me pause and release my breath in a sigh. They are the doorways to sacred garden space. How they are placed, and what adorns them, reflects the gardener’s personality. Most of mine have roses climbing up the sides. I used to place the same rose on each side, but I’ve decided with my newest acquisition to plant completely different varieties. I also like the classic clematis/rose combination so often shown in magazines. The French inspired arbor on the left is in shade, so I don’t know if I will grow anything on it. It is fairly complicated, so it is interesting in itself. However, if anyone has a suggestion for a climbing plant that likes shade and hot weather, please let me know.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

Post navigation

Previous Post Storm Reflections
Next Post Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day~~January

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jen Shurley says

    16 January, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Wow! Your photographs are beautiful! Thank you for sharing them! They are very inspiring.

    I’m so glad you like them. I really love taking photographs, and the blog is a good way to show them.~~Dee

  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    14 January, 2008 at 5:40 pm

    “Doorways to sacred garden space,” what an awesome idea. I wish I felt that way about my arbor. The rusted metal piece has such character.

    Thanks. I’m glad you liked my words. I really do sigh when I walk thru one. They are such gateways.~~Dee

  3. The Park Wife says

    13 January, 2008 at 9:11 pm

    Just was able to catch up on the past few days and I am motivated to go out and plant bulbs, can I still do it or have I waited too long?

    Where I live, fences are areally good thing!

    The Park Wife

    PW2, I really don’t know where you live, but I think I pushed the envelope on bulbs as far as it can go. I would wait and plant some others next year. Yes, in a state park, fences are a really good thing.~~Dee

  4. Martha says

    13 January, 2008 at 8:26 pm

    Hi –
    You have some beautiful fences at your place.

    We ended up fencing our 2.5 acres with chain link because of neighbors who enjoy pointing guns at people.

    We resisted giving up the wide open feeling but have been happy 100 times since then that the fence was in place. So, good fences made us less afraid of our neighbors indeed.

    Only one arbor graces this place and it has grape and butterfly vines on it all summer.

    I tried Jasmine once but it couldn’t survive Oklahoma winters. Confederate Jasmine is new to me – I’ll have to look it up.

    Thank you, Martha. You’ll have to write and tell us about your crazy neighbors sometime. I thought all the nutty ones moved out here. We can see through our fences, because the field fencing mostly blends in with the grass. Maybe it’s the wide openings. I’d like to see your grape and butterfly vines. Please take a picture for us next summer.~~Dee

  5. Ang in TX says

    13 January, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Dee, you might try “confederate jasmine” for a shady area. Also, Cattle panels and four landscape timbers make a really nice wide arbor.

    Ang, I’ll give confederate jasmine a try. I’d like to see the arbor you’ve described. Do you have a picture on your blog?~~Dee

  6. jim says

    13 January, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    You tease us with all this talk of arbors but don’t show them? What kind of woman are you?

    Jim, look up, I did another post for you.~~Dee

  7. Curtis says

    13 January, 2008 at 4:58 pm

    Beatiful Dee. I love the garden arbors I see around with roses or morning glories planted around them.

Trackbacks

  1. » Blog Archive » 2008: A Year in Posts: Part II says:
    3 January, 2009 at 11:26 am

    […] Fences and arbors, with all their uses, were also discussed in January, as well as the garden at rest. […]

  2. Gardening Gone Wild » Blog Archive » Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshop – Arbors and Pergolas Wrap-Up says:
    31 January, 2008 at 4:02 am

    […] Green Thumb Sunday: Fences and Arbors (Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings): Dee shares the story of some structures in her Oklahoma garden. […]

Primary Sidebar

About Dee

Hi, I’m Dee, a professional garden writer and speaker born and raised in Oklahoma. Here you’ll find all my best dirt on gardening and travel. Welcome!

Read More

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Subscribe Here To RDR Updates.


* indicates required
Email News
Email Format

Garden Coaching

Garden Coaching

Grow a beautiful and manageable garden with personalized pointers from Dee!

Learn More

Give my podcast a listen!

Our podcast logo! The Gardenangelists.

Search me baby!

Travel

It's time to get the leaves off of the pansies.

It’s time to plan for next year’s garden

9 November, 2022 By Dee Nash

Yes, I know we're all exhausted from the summer from hell in Oklahoma and Texas--or is that just me? But it's time to start planning for next year's dream garden. Trust me, it's time, and who knows? Maybe next Read More

Fun days at the daylily national convention

16 July, 2022 By Dee Nash

For July's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I want to share my visit to the daylily national convention. A region of the American Daylily Society puts on the AHS National Convention each year. Region 15 put on this Read More

Road trip to Yellowstone National Park

28 October, 2019 By Dee Nash

Bill and I traveled all summer. I'm not gonna lie. It was tons of fun, but after getting back from our road trip to Yellowstone National Park last month, I am tired and will be staying home for a while. I Read More

GOW Footer Widget Header

Ask me a question!

Please feel free to ask me a question here or at my email addy: dee@deenash.com.
I’ll try to answer every question and get back to you as quickly as possible.

Contact Us

Footer

Blogs I Dig

  • Clay and Limestone–TN
  • Cold Climate Gardening–NY
  • Dirt Therapy–PNW
  • Each Little World
  • Faire Garden–TN
  • Greenbow–IN
  • Growing With Plants
  • Joanne's Cottage Garden
  • May Dreams Gardens–IN
  • Redeem Your Ground
  • Rock Rose–TX
  • Toronto Gardens–Canada

Red Dirt Sisters

  • Curtiss Ann Matlock
  • The Not Always Lazy W

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Let’s bring back the Monarchs

Let’s bring back the Monarchs
For more info about speaking and other work, visit my other website!

Dear Friend and Gardener

Join our virtual garden club and share all summer

Join our virtual #garden club and share all #summer

Disclosure Notice

Red Dirt Ramblings participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and its affiliates.

Occasionally, I also accept some garden items for review. If I review one of these items, I will let you know in the post. Thank you.

© Copyright 2023 Reddirtramblings.com · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Sitemap

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT