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DIY, Garden, Garden design

The great fence color debate: a conclusion

January 24, 2019

garden arbor

I’ve asked the opinion of my dear readers many times and it’s always an illuminating exercise. It’s interesting to get a feel for a direction others think my garden should go, even if you only know it from photos and descriptions.

But in the nearly 10 years this blog has been in existence, there has never been an issue as divisive as the great fence color debate. And I never saw it coming.

In fact, I wasn’t even planning asking for opinions because as long as I’ve been dreaming up the vegetable garden, I’ve been picturing a black fence. I love the combination of black with a variety of greens, hence why the raised beds are stained black and the gravel that surrounds them is dark gray.

So it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to ask people what color they thought it should be here  as well as on Instagram and Facebook. And although the only options I gave were gray and black, several other suggestions, some intriguing—a deep, dark green—some not really up my alley—ehem, purple—also came in. 

black fence mock-up

A pair of quick mock-ups I made when looking for input on what color the fence should be.

gray fence mockup

In fact so many people weighed in that I lost track of the official count, but not before realizing it was a pretty even split. There was great reasoning in both camps, including excellent points about how the gray might wear better than black and would show less dirt and further reinforcement to my existing thoughts about black. A garden designer whose work I very much admire even weighed in with a strong vote to black and honestly that pretty much sealed the deal.

My plan was only to stain the two gate posts this winter so that it would look OK when we added the arbor. So, black stain in hand (I went with a solid stain because I was afraid of a semi-transparent stain looking brown), I went about staining those posts black.

black posts

Stain try No. 1: Black

And then I lived with it for a few days and it started looking a little aggressive to me (this was something a few people mentioned in making a case for gray). I liked it on its own, but combined with the statement-making black raised beds, it just seemed like too much.

And then I randomly came across a photo of Brook Gianetti’s garden, which happens to have gray posts and be entirely fabulous. I’m a big follower of hers so I’m certain I’ve seen this photo before but somehow I had forgotten about it.

pergola with roses

Gorgeous gray posts in Brook Gianetti’s Patina Farm garden. Velvet and Linen photo

So back to the store for gray. And out I went to restain the posts. Although the stain could be applied down to 35 degrees, I was pushing my luck on the temperatures so I had to do it when the thermometer dictated, leaving little time to ponder the decision longer.

Except it wasn’t gray. It was brown. Or maybe taupe. But not gray, and definitely not gray compared to the cool gray stones. I still wasn’t positive if I wanted a black fence or a gray fence, but I knew damn well I didn’t want a taupe fence.

staining fence posts

Stain try No. 2: taupe?

So yeah, I went back to the store. Have I mentioned that I’m buying this stain by the gallon? But yes, I bought a gallon of a different gray stain. 

garden arbor

Stain try No. 3: gray.

how to build an arbor

And, as you can see from yesterday’s tutorial on how we built the arbor, that’s where they ended up. So Team Gray gets the win. Of course I reserve the right to change my mind again. Goodness knows I have the stain for it.

 

arbor DIY fence vegetable garden
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
5 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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previous post: How to build an arbor regardless of the season
next post: The gardener’s nemesis is the garden’s savior in the age of extreme weather

Comments

  1. Kristin says: January 24, 2019 at 6:54 am

    Love it!! My husband got deck stain when I was out of town once and started staining. Fortunately he was smart enough to stop because, when I got home, I told him it was orange and we were NOT having an orange deck. And I don’t mean how people call 80s oak kitchens (got one of those) orange, this was ORANGE.

    Reply
  2. Wisconsin Gardner says: January 24, 2019 at 7:03 am

    I love the gray! It us understated and tasteful and it will help the wire fencing recede so you hardly notice it at all. I don’t think you want the fence to be the focal point. Your arbor still draws your attention because of it’s design. I enjoyed watching how you built it; you gave so many great tips! I can’t wait to see what other uses you find for all the other stains you bought. I’m sure they are coming.
    The gray you chose is very similar to what we used on the pergola we built over our deck 24 years ago and we have never tired of it. We get so many compliments on it’s design and color. Another advantage to the gray is it needs re-painting less often. If it fades it isn’t as obvious as black would be.

    Reply
  3. Lisa at Greenbow says: January 24, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    You made the right decision. You want that fence to fade away not be brought to the fore with the black paint. Well done.
    Funny what color can make people say and do.

    Reply
  4. Linda Brazill says: January 26, 2019 at 2:09 pm

    It all looks fabulous! Plus I am always so amazed at what you do yourself on these projects and all the tools you are comfortable using. That makes a big difference in what you can achieve in your garden. One of my big learning curves with Mark has been color. He’s the one who taught me there were warm and cool grays. I used to think gray was gray. No way!

    Reply
  5. Kyle says: January 29, 2019 at 10:00 am

    TEAM GRAY, FTW!!!!!
    My BFF is a designer and has taught me the ways of the gray. The walls of my home are gray. The walls of my office are a different gray. Colors pop so beautifully off the gray….your garden will look amaze!

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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