I am having a fence put in the side yard for the dogs, to keep them out of the garden (and the blueberries, oh how they love to trample those!) when they are not being watched.

Rather than putting in a standard fence with boards and pressure-treated wood, I wanted something more natural and rugged looking. I found a great local connection for split cedar posts and rails off Craigslist, and picked up a whole pile of them. (I figured any extras could be used for other landscaping projects.)

The posts went in yesterday, which you can see from the picture below. They are being installed by an excellent local contractor here in Eugene, Russ Kimball, who doesn’t think I’m totally insane for installing a field fence in a small area of my backyard. Once the posts set, he will be attaching rails to the front of the fence and wire deer fencing to the back of the fence. I wanted it this way because the posts will make an attractive backdrop for the Clematis vines I purchased, which will be growing on cherrywood trellises that I am assembling soon. I also wanted the wire on the back in case I ever wanted to remove it some day, or change it out for a finer mesh in case my husband ever caves and lets me get chickens or ducks.