How to Use Gutters To Dress Up Your Fence

Wooden privacy fences are functional, but boring. Unlike wrought iron or other types of fencing, wooden fences offer little aesthetic value by themselves, so many homeowners try to dress them up. Here's a nifty idea: use standard aluminum gutters to turn your dull fence into a beautiful and productive gutter garden!

Lots of flora will grow nicely in the shallow troughs of gutters. Small-root plants, annuals, and vines will flourish nicely. Various herbs like thyme, basil, sage, peppermint, and spearmint are also popular choices for gutter gardens. Or you can grow your own produce such as strawberries, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and onions.

Here's a step-by-step process on dressing up your fence with gutter gardens:

Step 1:

1. Measure the length of the fence sections that you will be using. Determine whether you will have more than one gutter garden on each section of fence. If you have dogs or other animals, you may want to avoid low-hanging gutter gardens. If you have kids who want to help tend them, make sure they are within reach of a child's hands. If you have decreased mobility, place them at about chest height.

Comments

[rc jedi]

great idea! and the stencils are cool too. I saw another idea along with this, hang nets on the fence too to hold heavy stuff like melons tomatoes and such.

[Takelababy]

I have extra viny gutters and a few will look great along the front of my deck. Thanks for the idea.

[DvsNegrito]

Great idea. Thanks.

[flyingpuppy]

Very pretty and smart gardening! Gonna pass this on to my green thumbed sister! Thanks.

[vincent7520]

Great !…

The irony is that we usually take great care of clearing our "actual" roof gutters of all leaves and dirty matters that could clog them !…
Here on the contrary …

I really like this way of "dressing up" fences and walls !…

Thank you for the Inst'.

[JediZombie]

I love this idea! We are about to replace a chain link fence with a new wooden privacy fence. I think i will add this to the cost and grow our own spices (and strawberrys)

[rosewood513]

Just beautiful, I am gong to do this and make it a feeder for my chickens on th eside of my shed,, I have one in the coop.

[lostbord999]

Thank you for posting this Instructable! It is a very wounderfull way to use some wasted space that we all we know we have.

[blkhawk]

Wow! Great way to recycle old gutters.

[Nostalgic Guy]

I like these a lot, I will have to remember this one in the spring.
With a garden that has to be grandchild friendly anything that brings a bit of colour that is safe from balls & bikes is a good idea in my book :-)

[scoochmaroo]

Clever ideas!