Sunday, May 13, 2012

An East-Coast Fence Up North

One of the things I like to mull over during my more bored moments at work is the future dilemma of fencing. I know the yard up north has visitors of the wild persuasion (the occasional bear, deer and the like), and I'd like to find a way to  protect the garden without resorting to a jarring barrier that screams "A CITY SLICKER LIVES HERE!"
I think I've found a compromise!

The picture to the left there is a fence most often seen in Newfoundland, Canada. It's called a variety of names, Riggle, Wriggle, Riddle ... and it's bloody hard to find any info on the web! The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador has this to say,
"The riggle rod (wriggle, riddle, lear, roddle) fence is the most unique fence type in Newfoundland and it is very rare today. It is a combination of a longer fence and a picket fence and has obvious roots in the wattle fences of Medieval England. The riggle rod fence was the most effective in creating a barrier to keep things in or out of an enclosure. This fence type was constructed using three horizontal longers with long slender branches woven alternately between the longers creating an over-and-under effect. The tops of the branches were usually left untrimmed at the top. The branches were pushed close together and once they dried, the fence formed a very strong barrier. This type of fence was economically practical because it did not require the use of nails
on the woven uprights."

While this seems to be an east-coast tool to keep out wind and wildlife, I think it will suit our yard and gardens perfectly. It not only allows me to build it as I can, but also allows me to build it cheaply with saplings from the surrounding forest. Natural, useful and inexpensive ... what more could a gardener want?


4 comments:

Rubye Jack said...

It also looks quite nice!

The Cranky said...

It looks quite similar to a wattle fence found in Europe and the UK in Much earlier times.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2007-04-01/Make-Simple-Garden-Fences.aspx

Jenn said...

In addition to being effective I think it looks really nice, and given my penchant for weaving, I'm wondering if it might actually be rather relaxing and meditative to make as well.

LindaM said...

I like it! Just ordered a book on wattle and daub building which is long the same lines.