But my wattle isn’t like that, as you’ll see. Remember, this is your project and you can do it however you want. Keep it sleek and trimmed, or rugged and spastic. Either way, it’s going to look wonderful! Willow is the most preferred material for constructing a wattle fence; it's a somewhat flexible art. There is no better way than using the gifts of nature to make proper visual elements and protective barriers for your space. You'll Also Enjoy: The construction of wattles starts with the uprights, whether they are set into a frame or placed into the ground. Starting at the bottom, flexible willow shoots, called withies, are woven in and out of the uprights (staves). For example, a person who lives in a mild, temperate climate can use low wattle fences as raised beds. I can’t use those in rural Quebec because the massive snowfall and temperature variations would destroy the fences. They’re pretty, but I’d have to redo them annually.

Try to cut yours as long as possible, as you’ll need to weave them in and around your posts. Aim for at least six feet long, as these are long enough to weave, but short enough to be manageable. As seen above, you can still set posts and add a hinged gate door with decorative gate latch types and really make your entrance something special. Step 5 - Preserving the Longevity of Your Wattle Fence One of my idle dreams is to set up a coppice wood forest on my property so I always have trellis and wattle wood available. HardwoodsAs you can see from the above, these are very useful and versatile structures. You might choose to construct them for a range of reasons around your homestead. Which Wood To Choose However, all gate hurdles had a smaller gap between the bottom three ledges than the remainder – so that lambs could fit their heads through to eat on the other side but older sheep could not (Tabor, 1994: 124).

However, if you’d like the fence to last more than a season, try to find any of these woods: Willow Traditional woods used in hurdle construction include hazel, willow and alder. However, you can make use of a wide range of different woods from your property or the surrounding area. Hard wood is a good choice for the sales. Beware if you use willow as stakes as your fence just might take root and come alive, it will turn out strong, but you would need to trim it each year. Now it’s time to pound the stakes into the ground. The space between each stake depends on the fence design, but they should be at least a foot apart. We create a wattle by horizontally weaving thin, elastic branches – whole or split in two – between vertical stakes firmly pushed into the ground.Hazel has been used for coppice wood for centuries in England. It’s strong, durable and, when cut young, supple enough to bend and form. Hazel also happens to be a favorite plant of permaculturalistsbecause of how diversely useful it is in the garden. Permaculture.co has a great article extolling the virtues of hazel here. Chestnut stakes are banged into the ground and single rods of hazel are woven between the uprights. This means that we need a clear fence line over soil or turf (so that the posts can be banged in to a depth of roughly 2′) and clear of obstructions. We also need space either side of the fence to allow us to install the weavers. Materials Use the line or the tube as a guide, mark every 8 inches on the entire length. Begin from the left side. You can use any available tool to make the holes at the marker point. The holes should be around 8 inches deep.

If you are making a portable fence, you can use a wooden pole of the same length as the panel. You need to drill around 6 to 8 holes into the panels to ensure the resultant structure is firm in its place. Step 3 - Wattle Fence Construction Cleft wattle screen with roof (protecting bee skeps) at the Weald and Downland Museum. Go to wealddown.co.ukfor more information. Sanok-Sansen Wattle Fence When building a larger, sturdier garden fence, you can use limbs up to three or four inches, as long as you can dig a hole big enough.Bamboo is an interesting material that is used to weave the fences. Bamboo wattle fences are very sturdy and last longer than other barriers, regardless of the types of bamboo you use. Does My Garden Need a Wattle Fence? The upright stakes are sometimes called “sales” and the saplings called ‘weavers’.Hazel, willow, sweet chestnut, plum, forsythiaor any supple, long, straight, slender saplings make good weavers. Wattle is made by weaving flexible branches around upright stakes to form a woven lattice. The wattle may be made into an individual panel, commonly called a hurdle, or it may be formed into a continuous fence. Wattles also form the basic structure for wattle and daub wall construction, where wattling is daubed with a plaster-like substance to make a weather-resistant wall.