I see a plain fence and I wanted it painted black

My friend Rob Cannings and his wife, Joan, have a fabulous garden in Victoria. They have been working on it for many years.

It is special not just because of the wonderful variety of plants with different shapes and textures and sizes but also because it is a very dragonfly friendly garden.

But there’s a reason for that. Rob is a dragonfly expert, having worked as the Curator of Entomology at the Royal British Columbia Museum for more than 30 years and also managing the Natural History section from 1987 to 1996.

Recently, Rob published a new Field Guide to Insects of the Pacific Northwest.

It is a glossy pamphlet with lots of colour photos of various insects and includes a short, easily-digestible paragraph on the insect featured.

It’s the perfect guide for those who want to know but don’t want to know too much.

Rob has also put his expertise to work in his garden, creating a habitat for not only dragonflies but also for damselflies, including ones such as the Pacific Forktail, Blue-eyed Darner and Cardinal Meadowhawk.

The garden is also very bird friendly. One summer Rob counted 72 different species of birds in the garden. Impressive.

However, as wonderful as all this is, there is one rather unusual aspect of the garden that I have long admired – the beautiful black-stained wooden fencing.

You don’t often see black fences. You see fences, of course, but usually they are stained or painted other colours, not black.

Rob and Joan made a bold decision to stain theirs all black and it looks fabulous.

Plants standout against them in a dramatic way as the fencing tends to act rather like a stage backdrop to put plants in the spotlight and show them at their best.

Recently, I wrote to Rob and Joan to ask about their fences as I am thinking I will need to install some new fences in my garden and I would like to do it the way they did and stain the wood black.

“We highly recommend a black-stained fence for several reasons, “ says Rob. “We think that it really enhances the plant colours whether it be a shade of leafy green or a magenta flower, much more than just a bleached natural wood or that harsh orange stain that some people use.

“The beauty of a water-based stain is that you do not need to clean the fence before touching it up every few years.

“Joan paints right over the algae, dirt, scratches from plants rubbing and bird poop!”

Says Joan: “Rob was horrified at first but finally admitted that it worked fine! It’s much less work and so easy to just do a quick touch up when needed. “

The fence is six feet high and composed of panels (1/2 inch red cedar boards) with six inch cedar posts.

“We think 4-by-4 posts are too wimpy looking and not nearly as strong and durable. The edges of the boards are cut so that they overlap a little and produce an attractive inset strip between them when they are fitted together. “

Around the ponds in their garden, Rob and Joan have planted lots of plants beneficial to dragonflies.

These incliude floating pondweed (Potamogeton natans), bladderwort (Utricularia), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), water plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica) as well as large water lilies.

The garden also has a beautiful pergola with both Japanese and Chinese wisteria trained along it.

Borders are artistically planted with all sorts of perennials and ornamental grasses, including heuchera and hostas that help create interest through all the seasons.

Rob’s pamphlet/book is published by Harbour Publishing, $7.95. Great value.

swhysall@hotmail.com