Living Ocotillo Fence

The traditional art of hand tying the canes together with wire is slowly disappearing.

Living ocotillo fence.

6 x 5 and are available throughout. Ocotillo handmade fence panels are truly unique to the southwest. 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. Ocotillo cactus is very easy to grow in indigenous areas.

To make living fence you only need dig a shallow trench and then hunt up the cactus respectfully. By that i mean you don t find a cactus and cut all its branches leaving it to die. Fences are made by cutting ocotillo branches intertwined with wire to keep them together. You may plant ocotillo branch fences at any time of the year.

If you snip a branch off and stick it in the desert dirt it s very likely take root and grow. Ocotillo fences make very good coyote and privacy fences. 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. 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.

We made panels of the ocotillos like 30 in each panel. To fence our garden it took over 2 500 ocotillo stalks. Apr 16 2012 great source of ocotillo canes to make your own living fence explore travel travel destinations north america travel palm springs. Install 6 foot t posts 2.

Due to their light weight and interesting pattern ocotillo branches have been used for. It took them a few months to root but that was it. Dig a trench along the fence line that is at least 6 inches deep. Ocotillo living fencing is a unique design element here in the desert southwest where its rustic appearance accentuates our landscape space and style.

Civano nursery is one of the last few places in tucson that you will be lucky enough to find this product. Ocotillo use in fencing. We stretched a top wire for the fence and attached the panels to that making sure their bases were in the trench. Ocotillo is also called devil s walking stick and candlewood and grows well in full sun and sandy soil.

In the desert southwest the ocotillo cactus fouquieria splendens is harvested to create living fences and other garden features. The plants are hardy in u s. By walks on rocks.