Gardening expert shares ‘best colours’ to paint garden fences for space to ‘appear bigger’

There have been just under ten thousand searches for "garden fence" in the UK, and over three thousand searches for "garden fence paint colour" in the past month. Clearly, Britons are looking for inspiration surrounding garden fencing, as well as which colour paint they should use on their fencing to spruce up their garden in spring. To help elevate the look of a garden, gardening expert, Angela Slater, from Hayes Garden World has shared some tips on how to freshen up the theme of a garden by the "trick of the eye" to make it "appear bigger" than it actually is.

While it might seem like a bold and aggressive choice to some, black and dark graphite are fairly neutral tones. The colour will make a garden look much more open as the greens and different colours will stand out effectively.

Angela claimed that dark colours like black or graphite are "best" for average-sized gardens.

She explained: "Generally, a fence painted in dark colours makes an average sized garden appear larger as it shifts the eye from the fence to the plants.

"If you have a lot of plants packed into your garden space, you can get away with a black or dark graphite fence as it will provide a foil to the colours of your plants and make any light coloured flowers stand out; it will also give the illusion of depth to your plants."

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Due to the colours having a bit more edge than lighter tones, a dark fence can make a garden feel more open and modern.

Plus, it’ll also ensure that the garden is the focal point of the outdoor space. Bright colours can often end up taking away from a garden space.

For those who have a lot of green in their borders, the expert recommended painting the fence in dark olive or French navy to tone in with the plants.

For those who only have a tiny courtyard, it would be "better for your fence" to be painted in pastel colours such as: cream, soft blue, light olive or a light dusky pink.

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Angela advised that the colour of choice should be dependent on the colour palette of the garden plants.

The expert warned: "Painting your tiny courtyard in dark colours can make it look oppressive.

"However, if you are trying to achieve a jungle look to the space, then a dark olive or graphite colour would give the illusion of depth and really make the tropical flowers stand out."

Some gardeners may decide to go for a theme in their courtyard, if this is the case they should opt for a bright fence colour.

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Angela said: "If you are looking for a themed courtyard, such as Mexican, then a bright orange or deep yellow fence would help strengthen this theme

"Just keep the planting to a minimum of specimen plants and the garden furniture to a small bistro set."

The expert recommended that a Provencal themed courtyard could be painted in sky blue and planted with a statement olive tree, lavender, rosemary and thyme. Opt for seating in a pale blue wrought iron to tone in with the walls."

Light blue is a great colour choice as it's a light and airy shade that's reflective like most bright colours. However, the hint of blue helps add more depth to the colour. The additional depth is what’ll make gardens feel much larger.

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Light blue can also make a space feel relaxing, open, and airy. For those who have a garden shed, then it's a good idea to paint it the same colour to ensure it matches the fence.

Aside from painting the fence, gardeners can include a mirror in their outdoor space to give the illusion of a bigger garden.

Angela instructed: "An outdoor mirror placed at the end of a path or at the end of the garden will make the garden appear as if there is another part to be explored.

"Better still, place an arbour covered with climbers around the mirror to further the illusion of a portal into another spacious garden."