Can anyone think of a cheap alternative to fencing panels? Crazy ideas welcome.

[Dragonbutter]

Hi,
We need to fence about 15 metres around our back garden to keep the children in, the burglars out and so I don't have to watch our neighbours' dog having a shit while i eat my dinner.
We currently have a hedge along the back but it is bare in the winter.
Even the cheapest fence panels cost about £16 for just under 2 metres, and they are a bit ugly.
Anybody got any alternative ideas?
I'd like something creative.
And cheap.

Willow or reed panels. They are about £10 for around a 3 metre width and are about 5 or 6 feet high.
Or...get some old pallets and make your own fencing. I heard of someone on Freecycle doing this and she said it was a great success and cost her nothing.

Thanks Solo, I haven't been able to find willow and reed panels that cheap. Where do you recommend. I looked on the Homebase website who recommended they be fixed to existing fencing. Does this sound right to you?

Willow screen - can sometimes find it in Wilkinsons dead cheap - it is supposed to be attached to something but you could always bung a reaaally cheap wire fence up and then cover it with the willow??
Or expandable trellis (try Wilko's again)- even cheaper, could fasten it to posts, and then plant some evergreen stuff - ivy for example, trailing up and across it - but might not last long if wet and windy.

Yes, Wilko's or I think Aldi have a current offer that is even cheaper...keep a look out there though for sure. Their offers are every Sunday and Thursday...go onto their website www.aldi.co.uk

Yes, you'd definitely need to fix them to something...the cheap wire should suffice as purpl said.

Well when there was a fence panel shortage I did vaguely consider hay bales lol!!
neighbour diagonally opposite has a willow/reed fence. They are rather upset that something small (and perhaps cat shaped ) has made a hole in their fence.

I'm thinking that some trellis painted a funky cornflower blue type colour or black with some willow panel attached behind might look nice. but not sure how prices compare. both trellis and panel might cost the same as boring cheap fence panel.
Does that sound crap?

Why don't you buy the cheapest trellis that they have and little by little buy a climbing rose bush or something prickily to climb up it? It will block the view,hold the trellis together and stop anyone thinking of climbing on it.

By the time you have bought the posts and everything and them the willow you will be surprised how quick it will all add up.
Or again use pallets and grow something over them.

I'd be dubious of how long cheap trellis will last: In my experience a climbing rose is more likely to pull it down than hold it up. Have you looked at how much it would cost to make your own with treated tile batton (that's what we're doing, but we only wanted a couple of metres and I haven't a clue how much it cost). How would chain link compare on price? Or sheep netting?

Then planted with prickly things as TTT suggests (roses - esp. rosa rugosa, blackthorn - especially good if you like sloe gin , hawthorn, pyracantha, berberis, holly...)

What's tile batton?

tile batten is strips of wood that are used to make roofs - they go over the roofing membrane horizontally, then teh tiles are fixed to them.

anyway, who cares abotu that, it means they are available at builders merchants dirt cheap and they are the right proportions to make your own trellis - about one inch by half an inch by as long as you like

try travis perkins or jewsons or anywhere local that's a builder's mercahnts. you may need a pair of baggy jeans that show your bum crack before they let you buy from them

another interesting stuff is the sheets of metal grid they put in concrete floors to reinforce it - excellent for growing climbers up, climbers love things like that.

Stuff you use on the roof to mount tiles on? (can you guess I wasn't too involved in getting this ?) I think it's about 1.5" x 3/4" in section - MUCH more robust than the trellis pannels you'd buy in garden centres.

Just had a quick look and might not be able to spell either - try batten instead.

good ideas. we went to B&Q this evening for a mooch around. the trellis and split bamboo idea would work out costing quite a bit I think. Their fence panels look like the simplest option.
But I don't want a boring garden. I do mosaics so could do interesting panels but they would take me a while.
My brother deals in plastic pipe. Do you think I could create something with cut in half coloured plastic pipe. Could be 'eco' if i use damaged/unusable ones?
The arty side of me is thinking 'installation' rather than fence.

The metal grid might be a possibility, will check on prices.
Will also have a look round the timber merchants' yar tomorrow, have had an arse crack problem all day in my gardening clothes, so should be ok

That's called reinforced steel I think and may be quite pricey...

i like the metal grid idea. (no idea what it might cost tho)
you could be as arty installationy with it as you liked. or just plant stuff to grow up it.
start with beans. i have planted a row of beans for first time ever and they are growing and climbing away already, lovely things. they will have v pretty flowers too. and the beans obv.
and scented climbers.
and little mirrored mosaicy installationy bits.
i like the sound of your garden.