Living Fences?

[River Rest]

I was just reading this thread on Living Fences and wondering if anybody here has
experience with living fences.

Thanks!

[sugarbush]

It is an old idea. Osage orange grows all over this part of the country because it was planted as hedges to keep livestock contained. If planted close together it will keep anything in.

[foxfiredidit]

I've got some stretches of fence with "living fence posts" rather than a living fence. Some of that wire is now several inches deep into the trees where I nailed it years ago. A sweet gum, poplar, or other fast growing soft hardwood species only take a few years to be large enough to hold a wire, and of course they get stout as the years go by.

[ericjeeper]

Purdues started this stuff back in the 60s.. Now the old neighbors fences have spread all over the township.. Otherwise known as multi floral rose.
Barbed wire stays where it is planted..

[Tiempo]

Hedges were very common in England when I was growing up there.

http://www.britainexpress.com/Histor...ish-hedges.htm

Unfortunately this article finishes by saying that they are becoming a thing of the past.

I have such fond memories of eating ripe berries out of them.

[MELOC]

another choice is hawthorn. the old farm below my house has it all along an old fence row. i also have it, lol. it is pretty invassive too, but it would make an awesome hedge.

[pookiethebear]

When our new neighbor moved in and we seen how strange they are we planted 400' of hedge to make a living fence between our properties.

[haypoint]

White Spruce grows well in this area. It will overtake old fields. I needed to clear some old fields and removed hundreds of White Spruce, from 5 feet tall to a foot tall. I needed a wind break. I planted these trees about two feet apart in a row about 200 yards long. I still had more trees to dig out of the field, so I did a second row, about a foot back from the first row. I spaced them between the trees in the first row.

That was 25 years ago. The thick branches would prevent cows or horses from getting thru. I'd guess goats would eat their way to freedom, but I don't know. One thing to remember about a living fence is the same as a regular fence, it is only as strong as its weakest link. A couple dead trees and it won't hold livestock. I had a wet spot/drainage area that kept killing the trees until I planted cedar. Later I changed the drainage direction and replanted Spruce.

This living fence runs north and south 150 feet west of the road. It needs to be back from the road because a windbreak slows the wind and snow is dropped after it hits the trees. I see people put in windbreaks near their driveways and end up with twice the snow to plow. I've had snow drifted 6 feet deep between the living fence and the road.

[haypoint]

Good idea, Pookiethebear! The next time I move somewhere, I think I'll act weird so the neighbors will build me a privacy fence on their property!

[pookiethebear]

Yes well it is eventually going to be totally to their advantage... The wind BLOWS from our property to their and on down the line so we have essentially built them a massive wind break...along with privacy. I don't care though, these folks are strange and I did not want them gawking at us all the time. We have spoken to them a time or 2 and well they are strange.

Reminds me, I do have to get out there and weed the poor little hedges, and miricale grow them - don't know how many more times I can take seeing them in thier bathing suits....guess it could be worse!

[Junkman]

Originally Posted by ericjeeper

Purdues started this stuff back in the 60s.. Now the old neighbors fences have spread all over the township.. Otherwise known as multi floral rose.
Barbed wire stays where it is planted..

Multifloral rose is a menace! We cannot control it. Birds must eat the berries and a new patch starts where they leave their droppings. We tried Tordon but it is off the market now. I am with you, stay with fencing. Went to a craft show once where a woman was selling bunches of it tied with ribbon calling it WV mistletoe! Anyone out there with ideas of how to kill it, let me know. The branches grow out from the roots and are so mean you can hardly get into them to cut them down. I was secretly wishing for a rose blight!

[River Rest]

We have a privacy fence of hemlocks that runs between the road & the creek. It's just for privacy. It will not keep anything out. The adelgid that is killing hemlocks here has also infested our trees.

[CSA again]

I love liveing fences
I read where a place in TN. has a hybride thorn bush with large thorns ( and no suckers to spread ) planted on 3' centers will keep out just about anything

[DixyDoodle]

Hmmmm, I've been giving some thought to some "natural" fences myself lately, but what would everyone suggest for someone with a "real winter" season? Most of the plants mentioned will lose their leaves, leaving not much of a winter fence. And please, don't say "cedars". Yuk.

[Itsme]

I was told years ago that there wasn't any "prickly ash" here before the
German immigrants brought it with them to use as fencing for their pastures
Having found myself in a thicket of the stuff a time or two I can see how it would work!!

[Tiffin]

Nasty multifloral rose here too. Supposedly some Cornell idea of natural fencing. It is out of control. Prickly and arching shape. So, you can't chop it down by hand. We have brush hogged where possible. It does not take mowing well. Round up does a number on it however may need more than one application depending on size. We heard that it is turkeys that love the rose hips. They eat it and spread it all over the country side through their poop. Chalk one up for Cornell. One neighbor has even been trying to get Cornell to help him get rid of the nasty stuff. I'm for barb wire which can be put up and taken down at will.