How hit and miss fencing can save your alfresco life

It’s windy. And as climate change moves ahead it’s set to get more windy across the UK. While wind can be fun and exhilarating, it can also be destructive and annoying.

Picture this. Your friends, family and guests have arrived ready for an outdoor event at your place. Everything’s prepared. You’re on the ball. Then the wind gets up and things get tricky. People are hanging onto their hats and hems. Their hair is flying. There’s dust in the food. Then, to cap it all off, your fencing isn’t quite man enough for the job. You’re worried its’ going to collapse or blow away.

Traditional solid fencing doesn’t last long in the wind. One of our customers tells us they had to replace their regular panelled garden fence three times in six years thanks to increasingly windy conditions, not helped by things being wetter as well.

Fencing. Yawn, yawn, yawn. It isn’t the kind of investment that’s fun to make, it’s just tedious. Here you go again, spending yet another fortune buying and fitting new fence panels. It soon eats into your alfresco entertainment budget. So is there a better way?

Hit and miss fencing

Our customer sings the praise of hit and mis fencing, so we thought we’d pass the tip on to help make your outdoor entertainment life nicer. So what’s it all about? Hit and miss fencing lasts for a great deal longer than standard fence panels because it lets some of the wind through, which means there’s a lot less pressure on the fence and it’s less likely to collapse in high winds. The fencing looks good too.

Hit and miss fencing is made from boards fixed to alternate sides of a panel, supported by vertical battens to create a pattern that looks good from your neighbour’s side as well as your own. It may costa bit more in the first place but the results are outstanding, and you’ll be a lot less likely to have to shell out cash every couple of years for new fence panels built the ordinary way.

An alternative to hit and miss fencing

Speaking to another of our customers, we realised there’s another way. And it involves actual greenery. It’s cheap, it’s cheerful, and it looks beautiful all year round. Why not plant a simple row of low-cost hardy laurel bushes? The plant comes with lovely pale green, dark green or even speckled leaves. It grows fast and it’s very hardy. Unlike box it isn’t at risk of disease – box blight has killed off far too many gorgeous hedges in recent years. And the leaves are bigger than alternatives like privet, giving you a good, thick coverage that offers privacy as well as a wind-proof barrier than won’t fall down. All you need to do it trim it regularly to keep it growing thick and healthy, and keep things under control.

That’s it! Here’ wishing you a less wild-and-windy alfresco life, more of a confident and calm experience!