2l6 GARDEN PLANNING 



board to protect the lower end of the pales 

 from moisture, and to act as a barrier against 

 burrowing animals. 



Oak fences should be put together with cop- 

 per or galvanized nails; ordinary iron nails 

 cause unsightly inky stains. 



If the gardener cannot afford the cost of oak, 

 he must use larch or other boarding for his 

 pales, but certainly he should have oak posts 

 and plinth boards, though he may omit the 

 latter if he stops the pales just clear of the 

 ground. The pales will need painting either 

 with a tar solution (a preparation of Stockholm 

 tar, not coal tar) or with good oil paint. 



If oil paint is used, the colour is important. 

 It is difficult to select a tint which harmonizes 

 well with flowers and foliage. Perhaps the 

 best is a subdued green of a sagey tint. One 

 disadvantage of painted fences is that the paint 

 has to be renewed from time to time, and that 

 involves the temporary removal of creepers 

 and other plants which may have been trained 

 over them. 



Wire fences are not desirable for a permanent 

 purpose, but are permissible when it is wished 

 to mark the garden boundaries whilst a hedge 



