Original wicker fence in the country: manufacturing technology

The eco-friendly woven-branch hedge is an archaic decoration of the exterior of country-style landscaping, which is gaining more and more popularity. Such designs are convenient not only to decorate flower beds and flower beds, but also to carry out landscape zoning.

The main advantage of wicker fences is the ability to make them yourself from various materials at hand. How to do this is described in our article.

The first wattle fence appeared in the Stone Age. In the Neolithic era, fences made of young shrub growth acted as walls of simple residential or household buildings, and later acquired the functions of a fence.

The wicker fence is a lightweight fence, for the manufacture of which are shoots or flexible branches of a bush... Due to the use of natural materials after minimal processing (or even its absence at all), the wicker acquires a chaotic, artisanal structure. Therefore, such partitions look as natural as possible, becoming an organic continuation of the landscape design of a summer cottage or a country house, made in a "rustic" style with its inherent eco-style elements.

The main advantages of wicker fencing include:

• Versatility of application... Wicker partitions decorate flower beds, form supports for climbing horticultural crops, indicate visual boundaries between adjacent areas, barbecue patios, dining area, pool and relaxation corners.
• External appeal... A variety of artistic weaving techniques (from simple to rope and checkerboard) allows you to create original masterpieces that make the design of a garden landscape truly unique, distinguishing it from others.

• The ability to create optimal conditions for growth and the development of shade-loving and moisture-loving plants, if an earthen backfill is provided for the construction of a wattle fence. In this case, the installation of an openwork partition that allows air flow well will be much more effective than a solid fence.
• Availability and low cost of raw materials... Considering that this type of garden decor can be made by yourself, using shrubs from your own dacha, the manufacture of wattle fence can be completely free of charge.

Minuses:

• Short period of operationwhich is limited to 3-6 years. This is due to the susceptibility of natural materials to the influence of natural factors.
• Poor maintainability Is a problem common to all wicker products. Damage to one fragment of the fence will require the dismantling of an entire section or the entire fence.
• Fragile material eliminates the possibility of using a wicker fence as a reliable barrier fence.

• Flammability and flammability of dry twigs.
• Gossip is appropriate only in summer cottages and adjoining plots, decorated in country design.

Another significant advantage of a wattle fence made of wooden rods is environmental friendliness, since natural or harmless synthetic materials are used for modeling. The quality of the future hedge, its quality factor and durability depend on the correct choice of raw materials. Let's take a closer look at the most popular options.

Willow branches with high longitudinal strength combined with excellent flexibility are considered one of the best materials for artistic weaving. Nature has endowed the willow with long, even, flexible branches, which guarantees a very beautiful and hardy fence.

For the construction of a wicker fence, vines cut from any representative of the numerous family of these trees (willow) are suitable. Such woody plants are widespread on the territory of our country almost everywhere, which greatly simplifies the task of harvesting material.

The twig-like branches of a hazel (deciduous shrub or undersized tree) are the ideal material for creating garden partitions, as they are distinguished by unsurpassed decorative qualities and durability. The picturesque vegetation of the local area, the clarity of the lines of the graceful hazel hedge form a winning contrasting combination, without which it is impossible to imagine the landscape design, sustained in a rustic or alpine style.

As a supplement to such a fence, you can use a grapevine in order to get an original hedge over time, which is unlikely to leave guests indifferent. An alternative to hazel branches can be alder, birch, cherry or apple shoots.

Such a wattle fence is easy to manufacture, since the flexible, long grape stems can be easily wrapped at the right angle.

The vine is highly resistant to sudden temperature fluctuations and excessive humidity conditions. Therefore, the hedge of its shoots and sleeves will delight you with an attractive appearance for several years.

Both representatives of the coastal aquatic flora - reeds from the sedge family and cattails from the family of cattails, which are often confused due to external similarities, are also often used for weaving garden fences. But the strength of the stems is not the strong point of these plants with an extremely fragile structure, so there is no need to talk about the wear resistance of these materials.

Yellow acacia is an ideal candidate for creating stunningly beautiful decorative hedges in regular geometric shapes. For this purpose, cuttings are rooted, which are cut from one-year-old shoots.

The optimal time for harvesting them is spring, until the buds begin to bloom and autumnb when the plants have finished growing. To avoid drying out, cuttings are placed in the soil in advance.

Pros of acacia hedge:

• Has an aesthetic appearance.
• Provides wind protection.
• Produces oxygen. Like any "living" fence, the acacia structure acts as a natural filter.
• Creates additional sound insulation.

Due to the use of planed boards as a building material for a wicker fence, protective functions are added to the decorative functions of such a fence. A capital fence is able to restrict outsiders' access to the backyard territory.

Fence sections are formed from planks, and vertical supports can be concrete, wood or metal.

Although the classic wattle wicker is made from branches or young growth of trees and shrubs, at present, PVC has become an equally popular material for its manufacture. Polymer fences come in the form of curb strips or sectional fences.

Structural advantages:

• Long lasting. PVC is chemically stable.It is resistant to UV radiation, corrosion and decay.
• Mobile. Sectional fences are quickly assembled and disassembled for easy transportation.
• Trouble-free operation.
• Inexpensive.

The easiest way to create a decorative fence involves the use of any weaving technique from twigs. You can weave a partition by laying branches:

• Horizontally, when the vertical supports are braided with long blanks, which provides the best strength and tightness of the weave of the fence. The distance between adjacent posts must be at least 0.3 m.
• Vertically... In this case, the basis of the future hedge is formed from horizontal veins installed on the supports. The advantage of this technique is the ability to create wattle fence with a different pattern.

• Inclined... This technique involves the frequent location of the supports, which provides a step of up to 0.3 m, followed by filling in the gaps with branches located diagonally during weaving.
• "Chessboard", which makes it possible to create a beautiful checkerboard pattern on the hedge. First, beams are formed from several branches, and then they are arranged horizontally in a checkerboard pattern.
• Round... The supports forming a circle are braided with branches or bunches of thin growth. In this technique, flower beds are most often decorated.

Consider a master class on creating a fence from twigs using simple horizontal weaving - everyone can master this technique.

For the manufacture of a wicker fence, any bendable rods are suitable. Their optimal length is 1.5 m... A favorable time for harvesting willow trees is spring, until sap flow has begun, late summer and autumn. Preference should be given to even vines with the same thickness and without lateral branches. The rods are cut obliquely. They are formed into bundles and left to dry or used freshly cut.

The process of preparing the material for weaving includes several stages:

• Soaking... The rods, with the thick end down, are placed in a bucket, poured over with a steep pitch and left for a week. The action of water activates the movement of the juice, due to which the material acquires the necessary flexibility.
• Cleansing of buds, knots and bark... The bark is removed with a pinch grinder in the form of a narrow conical fork with sharply sharpened edges inside.
• Antiseptic treatment to increase the wear resistance of the wattle fence.

• Drainage device... To do this, they dig a trench up to half a meter deep. At the bottom, a sand cushion up to 15 cm thick is formed. Its task is to quickly remove moisture, which prevents the development of rotting processes of the bearing part of the fence.
• Blanking of supports... Wood stakes, thick rods, steel tubes are suitable for the role of support pillars.

Sequence of work:

• Performing markup... Bearing stakes are placed at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m.
• Deepening of supports... The installation of thick pillars is carried out at a depth of 0.3-0.5 m. The length of the support should exceed the height of the fence by 0.2-0.3 m.
• Weaving rods between supports... The thick end of the workpiece begins to weave, alternately bending around the pillars from one side or the other and extending it along the entire length of the fence. The ends of the branches should remain on the inside of the fence.

Before installing the last row of rods, the fixing bar is removed. The supporting stakes are fastened to the top row with a wire.

Vertical stacking is carried out in the same way, but all rods will need to be fixed at the upper and lower points of the supports to avoid loosening of the structure. The situation with the manufacture of structures from a board is more complicated.

To securely fix the pillars, two types of foundation are used in the form:

• Separate pedestals for supports.
• Monolithic tape base.

When installing supports withstand a step of up to half a meter, after which they begin to form the sections, placing the blanks with the end parts down.

Garden curbs are sold in rolls. To install it, a groove is dug, a tape is partially placed inside and covered with earth. Then the soil is thoroughly rammed, after which the fence for the flower garden is ready.

Consider a few useful recommendations regarding the manufacture of a wicker fence:

• To increase the service life of wooden poles, the supports are buried in the ground, placing them in pre-hammered plastic pipes.
• For the manufacture of transverse logs and pillars, metal painted in the natural shade of a natural hedge is suitable.
• To provide protection for the lower part of the fence, it can be erected up to 10-15 cm above the ground level. An alternative option is the arrangement of a sand and gravel drainage cushion.

• When the plans include the creation of a wattle fence of a specific color, the blanks are painted. To get a beautiful brown tint, potassium permanganate is used, and thanks to the stain, the color is more saturated. The use of ferrous sulfate allows you to achieve a grayish tint. After treatment with peroxide, the peeled rods acquire a beautiful white color.
• If you use a matte composition for varnishing, then the protective coating not only minimizes the negative influence of external factors, but also preserves the natural beauty of natural wattle.

The growing popularity of country style has led to an increased demand for the use of wicker products in landscape design. Here are collected the most successful options for decorating the site with wattle fences.

• You can diversify the design of the wattle fence with the help of earthenware hung on pegs and flower pots placed on supports.
• The composition of sunflowers is considered a classic decoration of wattle fence. Bright artificial plants can also emphasize the beauty of the wicker fence.
• Nothing decorates the site like flower beds and flower beds, and it is interesting to beat them with openwork fences. Together they form amazingly harmonious compositions created by man in tandem with nature.

• Hedges are not only very beautiful but also practical. The crowns of plants form a dense fence that restricts the access of the scorching sun, which makes the country holiday as comfortable as possible.
• The wattle fence is an effective element of landscape zoning. The use of diversified wattle fences to delimit the functional zones allows each segment to be individualized without violating the stylistic unity of landscape design.

How to make a wicker fence with your own hands - practical advice.