Garden fencing
Garden fencing has to do several jobs at once — screen the garden, keep pets and children in, survive the weather and still look right from the patio.
Matching the fence to how you use the garden
A garden that is mainly a play space wants a solid, gap-free base and no sharp fixings at child height. A garden that is mainly for entertaining wants privacy at seating height and a finish that looks good from inside, not just from the neighbour's side.
If you have planting against the boundary, the fence needs to be installable and later maintainable without destroying the border — which usually means concrete posts and slot-in panels that can be lifted out individually.
Finishes and detailing
Post caps, capping rails, trellis toppers and a stain or preserver all change how a fence reads. A plain close board fence with a capping rail and dark stain looks considerably more expensive than it is.