Living Ocotillo Fence

It is a material that is exciting in that it is unique to the region where it is used and it really gives a sense of the place.

Living ocotillo fence.

In the desert southwest the ocotillo cactus fouquieria splendens is harvested to create living fences and other garden features. Ocotillo fences make very good coyote and privacy fences. The traditional art of hand tying the canes together with wire is slowly disappearing. Ocotillo living fencing is a unique design element here in the desert southwest where its rustic appearance accentuates our landscape space and style.

It took them a few months to root but that was it. Ocotillo use in fencing. To fence our garden it took over 2 500 ocotillo stalks. There are many creative ways that people have installed and used ocotillo fencing but installation can be as easy as the following directions.

We made panels of the ocotillos like 30 in each panel. Each panel is approximately 6 feet tall by 4 5 to 5 feet wide. Ocotillo handmade fence panels are truly unique to the southwest. Ocotillo is also called devil s walking stick and candlewood and grows well in full sun and sandy soil.

Dig a trench along the fence line that is at least 6 inches deep. Due to their light weight and interesting pattern ocotillo branches have been used for. Ocotillo cactus is very easy to grow in indigenous areas. Because they re hand made there s some variation in the exact length of each panel.

6 x 5 and are available throughout. They can be set against an existing fence or stand on their own with a post every 5 to 10 feet for support depending on your install. Apr 16 2012 great source of ocotillo canes to make your own living fence explore travel travel destinations north america travel palm springs. We stretched a top wire for the fence and attached the panels to that making sure their bases were in the trench.

By walks on rocks. Fences are made by cutting ocotillo branches intertwined with wire to keep them together. Civano nursery is one of the last few places in tucson that you will be lucky enough to find this product. Individual ocotillo stems are sometimes used as poles as a fencing material in their native region and often take root to form a living fence.

By that i mean you don t find a cactus and cut all its branches leaving it to die. The plants are hardy in u s. If you snip a branch off and stick it in the desert dirt it s very likely take root and grow.