The Pricey Garden Upgrade HGTV's Erin Napier Doesn't Think Is Worth The Cost

Erin Napier, along with her husband Ben, has improved and upgraded a wide variety of homes and gardens on the hit HGTV show "Home Town." That doesn't mean she thinks that every garden upgrade is the right fit for every situation, though, particularly when it comes to expensive materials. She finds wrought iron especially difficult to justify in some cases.

The issues with wrought iron are especially clear in the Season 5 episode of "Home Town," "Closer to Mom." When upgrading a home that boasts clean and straight lines, Napier opts to remove ornate wrought iron on the home's exterior in favor of something simpler and likely less expensive. As her husband, Ben Napier, comments, the ornate wrought iron combined with the minimal and linear design of the exterior of the house is like, "wearing plaid with stripes." While that doesn't necessarily mean that wrought iron or other old fashioned fence types are always the wrong choice for your yard, you should think carefully about how they work with the rest of your garden decor. And, especially in the case of wrought iron, consider whether these designs are worth the price. In the case of the home in the episode "Closer to Mom," Napier opted to replace the wrought iron with slatted wood to play off the clean lines of the home's exterior and create a sleek and modern look.

It's not just price and aesthetics you need to consider when deciding on a fencing material. You should also think about how much privacy you want your fence to provide. As elegant as wrought iron can be, the large gaps between the metal mean that your yard or patio will be on full view to passers by. Wooden slats or even vinyl fencing could be a better option if seclusion and solitude are your goals.  

Knowing what purpose you want and need your fence to fill can help you decide what material is your best option. If the fence is serving a purely decorative purpose, then opting for the materials that best match your home and garden makes sense. On the other hand, if you need a fence to keep out animals like dogs or deer or to provide privacy, you may need to prioritize fencing that is tall and without gaps. Just make sure to check if your community has any regulations on the standard height for fences. Forgoing the fence completely and instead planting an evergreen privacy hedge could also be a good choice in many cases.