My sweetheart recently shared a picture of a chair & flowers installation from the Hampton Court Flower Show on Facebook and got a flurry of comments from people who didn’t fancy a bonfire-sized pile of used and broken furniture in their garden. So I am opening with the caveat that I’m not expecting many of these to be ideas you might go on to use at home.
I was not sure whether to include these shark vs octopus pictures – they are so wonderfully distressed that you might not make them out on some screen sizes – but went for it as I love the artwork and am fascinated by octopuses. I am happy to credit the artist if anyone knows who it is.
My second design appears to feature creatures that are also wrestling, except that the mood, flowers, expressions and loving dedication to Little Rock (below) suggest a more peaceful co-existence might be envisaged. Your guess is as good as mine at what’s going on.
I shared a pink flamingo section from this fence some time ago. Together with some other creatures, these enlivened the backyard of the Moondog cafe & bakery in Key West.
These would not go down well in parts of Edinburgh, Scotland, where a pale pink door can provoke weeks of headline news.
I’m including a couple of close ups below so you can see the care lavished on Jane’s fence.
I’m sensing a few of you may be thinking ‘Only in America!’ but we have bursts of colour in the UK too.
This fence was not leaning, as it seems from my picture. I’m including it as ‘proof’ that colourful fences are bang on-trend, although I’m not totally convinced by these particular shades together – they strike me as being both bold and dull. But wouldn’t it be inconceivably boring were we all to like the same things (thinking of the much-maligned chair pile)?
My next three are not from the Hampton Court Flower Show but I won’t say they could never be. They feature recycling, after all.
Where is this headed? Never fear. My final selections are plain old, unaccessorized wood of various styles, to act as a cleansing of the imaginative palate and bring us all back down to earth.
Traditional-style, with larkspurs and a pretty garden seat…
angular and modern…
sinuous…
uneven…
functional (provided the nettles and brambles have been cleared)…
everyday… I trust by now you are well grounded?
I’ll bid farewell for today with a shot that interests me for its lines and contrasts of light and shade as much as for the pelican art.
As some readers may have guessed, this is a very late submission for Dawn Miller’s Lens-Artist’s Challenge: Fences.
Susan Rushton 
I always find it interesting to see individual creativity in the garden, and I also applaud the artists.
I like to see it too.
This has got to be the most original entry to the ‘Fences’ challenge. I love it! I love the – er – murals (yep, I know that’s not the word) and Jane Tucker’s fence too. But there’s not a fence here I would refuse to entertain. The neighbours might think differently.
It’s amazing what we have in our files when we look! Your aesthetic is wider than I might have imagined, given your very classic home, so my hat’s off to you in celebration.
Apart from the shark v octopus one I like all these, especially the brightly coloured ones. My favourite is the second one though – it may not be easy to figure out what’s going on but I think it’s quite beautiful in its own way.
I wondered if it references a classical myth, but the artist will have her own story. I love the character she’s given to that ancient and persistent spear-like plant.
What fun! And, as always, educational. “Sinuous” for the fence was inspired. I wouldn’t have thought of that. Quirky and funky abound, and are good for the brain, but the fences I most want to linger at are the ones in Darwen, especially the one with the wide open sky. Just wonderful.
I like them all. I never have a problem with bold, bright, or quirky. I was even fine with the broken chairs featured in your sweetheart’s post. I might not necessarily want them in my garden, but I never use that as a criteria when I look at displays. Rather, do I find the display striking, arresting, or thought provoking? Yes, yes, and yes with the broken chairs.
Hi, Laurie! I enjoyed your comment, but I think it was intended for Susan. I’m doing a lot of head-scratching with blogs these days.
Oh, goodness! I use my phone a lot to read and answer blog posts. Sometimes the comments go awry. Thanks for letting me know!
I know all about “awry”!
I suspect the moorland has something to do with that!
I suspect so too!
I’m amused by Jane Tucker’s fence and “see rock city.” I wonder how many of your readers will recognize the phrase.
I’m not sure how many will. It’s from an advertisement for Rock City, I take it, but I might be barking up the wrong tree, er, fence.
Rock City is a scenic and commercial area on Lookout Mountain outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. A few decades ago, you could not drive anywhere around the area without seeing billboards, posters, bumper stickers, even red and black birdhouses that shouted “See Rock City.” Of course, I did.
You’ve shown us a fun variety of fences. Very enjoyable.
Thanks, Anne. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
😊
Such interesting variety and expression. Human creativity knows no bounds.
I loved the pink door story, ‘bonkers!’
It started off a more vibrant (and even more rule-breaking) shade of pink.
The wonderful fences just kept coming, so good and a Pelican at the end to make me smile 🙂
Pelicans are always fun (unless you’re a fisherman trying to fish next to them).
😂
LOL for “as some readers may have guessed….” Your fences surely would have won the prize if there were one Susan! They’re just fantastic.
That’s very sweet of you, Tina – thank you.
This ended up as a comment to Oddment. Meant to have it go to you. Here it is: “I like them all. I never have a problem with bold, bright, or quirky. I was even fine with the broken chairs featured in your sweetheart’s post. I might not necessarily want them in my garden, but I never use that as a criteria when I look at displays. Rather, do I find the display striking, arresting, or thought provoking? Yes, yes, and yes with the broken chairs.”
Oops! I’m happy you have an open heart for the bold, bright and quirky. I didn’t get a very good picture of the chair pile, but I have lots of convincing excuses.
Ooh, I’m loving that Trentham Gardens fence! Great collection of images!
That one is especially lovely in the early evening light.
The trouble with the colourful fences is that they detract from the planting, indeed planting anything seems superfluous. And talking of fences I recall a post about the different styles of picket fences; what did your sweetheart finally choose?
Some work with the planting better than others. The Trentham one always looks nice with the sumac, but I have never managed to catch it to my satisfaction. My sweetheart didn’t go with the picket fences, but installed long branches cut from crape myrtle trees, giving a War of the Worlds look. He recently chopped them in half, so it’s a WIP.
His fence sounds interesting. Photos?
I do have some. I should have thought to include it in this.