Fences are sometimes the best way to obscure an unsightly view. If your yard looks over an abandoned lot, chances are you don’t want to have to look at it everyday. A fence, with boards placed tight against each other, will hide it. This kind of fence can also keep some, but not all of the problems that grow on the lot from blowing onto your property. Low flying weed seeds, diseases spores, and pest insects will tend to get trapped on that side of the fence, minimizing the troubles your garden could acquire.
While you can grow many plants right up against a fence, it’s not always a good idea. Plants give off moisture, which can damage the fence after a few years, and more importantly the moisture they release can create the kind of environment that makes them susceptible to fungal diseases. Good air circulation is the best preventative measure against these problems.
Top tip: If you want grow a plant against a fence, use 20-30cm (8-12 inches) eye screws to attach a wooden or plastic trellis, nylon netting, or even strings for twining plants to climb. This distance guarantees that some air can move behind the climbing plants. Particularly useful for espalier fruit trees.