Garden fence on a budget

[RiverTam]

We're on the verge of buying a new fence but having a wobble over the fence we've chosen (haven't bought it yet though!). It's this one. We're now worried that stuff could grow through the slats (we have honeysuckle and ivy by the fence which we try to keep on top of, and next door is rented, not a mess but they're not really gardeners), and also our cats and next door's are forever hurtling across the fences.

Has anyone got any recommendations, or has had this fence? Our budget isn't huge as the garden is very long (we'll need 11 panels), otherwise I'd be getting a Jacksons one!

Er.... most of us normally advise people to grow things like honeysuckle, clematis up a fence to cover it, because they are really ugly things - and who wants to look at a load of cheap timber instead of beautiful flowers on a climber?

No fence is tall enough to keep out cats .

The honeysuckle is very thuggish, though, and I'm worried that it could push its way through this kind of fence and damage it. Plus I'm not worried about keeping cats in or out, it's whether or not this kind of fence is sturdy enough to deal with them. But it might be fine.

Ahhhh, I see! Most climbers will force themselves between fence slats, but it looks like those panels are pretty sturdy and even have room between the two layers to allow for this. You can generally keep an eye on things and intervene if it looks like any branches are getting a bit too thick. The alternative might be to replace the honeysuckle with a less thuggish and thick-stemmed climber which is easier to control?

I'm no fence expert, but in my experience the sturdiness is very much down to the way they're fitted. If the panels are nice and square and the posts are really well set in, even a cheap fence will be quite strong (enough to withstand kitty parades anyway). If there is a lot of wobble, however, it can be a very different story. My (nightmare) neighbours at a previous house put up a fence where panels were literally 20 degrees out of the true line with each other, and then wondered why something as light as a large bird landing on it caused seismic shivers throughout the panel!!

I have a Forest large arch. We were impressed with the sturdiness of it. Going back for the fence but I'm having the trellis one to train the honeysuckle and rose through. They were on a wrought iron arch that collapsed as did the rustic fence. Friend's son put Forest one up and put the post into some concrete first. It doesn't even wobble!

We bought the same style fence but without the trellis top. We are really pleased with it - however I can see in some places it could be a problem. Advantages are the panels look modern, sturdy and are equally nice on both sides. Disadvantages are that if your neighbour paints once side of it then the paint will look awful on your side as it drips through, so you would need to be certain they wouldn't paint it or that you'd agree on a colour and do both sides as your painting it would look terrible on their side. Next doors plants poke through the slats so we can see cordyline spikes and one or two perennials come through. As the slats are hit and miss you can see through it into the neighbours garden, not much and only a narrow amount, but if that bothers you then avoid. Hth.