Softer borders between our gardens could make us happier, healthier and improve the local environment
A very hard border, of my creation
An Englishman’s home is his castle, as someone probably said, at some point, maybe… and we certainly treat it so. However, most of our castles are more like cells, tiny little patches that we covet selfishly; however small they may be, we defend our toy empires as if the essence of our being depended on the immutable sanctity of its borders. Well-worn underwear swaying in the breeze, as modern flags flapping proudly, announcing ‘this is mine’, this perfect little piece of England belongs to me! A branch of birch reaching its drooping limbs into our airspace akin to a foreign legion beaching upon our shores, but you’ve seen it coming for weeks; defensive plans laid, you reach for the homeowners’ trebuchet; B&Q loppers sit waiting, primed for action, accompanied with a passive-aggressive tut the neighbours will surely hear. That will teach a tree to grow.
I challenge a clear headed man not to bound to the window at the sound of a low flying aircraft, peering into the blue, paratroopers maybe? It’s only natural in a world where something of your own is so hard to come by. So we build our high fences, our walls, string up the barbed wire and activate the electric fence — Dog beware! You’re on camera! Grumpy dad lives here! A safe bubble, where everything is as neat and tidy as you like and the bustle of the modern world can be held at bay. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But in our pursuit of this perfect privacy, could we be sacrificing something valuable? Space for nature, for community, for the freedom to roam — sunshine and a little bit of money. Perhaps there’s a case to be made for softening our borders, or even abandoning them altogether.
In the mud
I spent a year in Cornwall building garden fences. It was hard work, but satisfying, especially during the summer. Of course, there were plenty of arguments about borders — an inch here, an inch there, who paid for what, or whether or not you’d accidentally stepped on someone’s prized tulip… sorry. Tensions often ran high. One night, a particularly disgruntled neighbour came out in the darkness, kicked over our fence posts, and sent them leaning haphazardly. We had to dig them out and start again. When we confronted him, he sprayed us with a garden hose. On another occasion, a woman spent an entire day angrily shouting at us over various imagined offences. It wasn’t uncommon.
It’s not too hard to imagine a residential street with less rigidly defined borders. Green corridors running alongside homes. After all, putting up fences between gardens is something we’ve learned over time, not necessarily innate to our nature — we do it almost by default because it’s what everyone else is doing. A good way to visualise this shift is by thinking of an allotment site. My family has had one for the past few years, and it’s been remarkable how quickly you build relationships with your neighbours. You’re always stopping for a chat, swapping vegetables, helping each other out, and sharing tools. The soft, flexible borders allow animals to move freely, creating a more fluid and interconnected space. It’s clear where everyone’s plot begins and ends, yet privacy is still easily maintained through intentional planting. There are no heated arguments over boundaries or expensive fencing bills. This approach fosters not only human connection but also a shared respect for nature, where both people and animals can coexist peacefully, without the constraints of rigid, defensive barriers.
A birds eye view of our allotment in Exeter — first day
To be clear, I’m not suggesting we start knocking through to our neighbours’ gardens à la The Shining — that’s hardly the way to open diplomatic relations! But the next time your fence is looking a little worse for wear, why not consider something a little less impenetrable, perhaps a bit shorter, or if you’re feeling adventurous, get rid of it entirely? Softening our borders doesn’t mean abandoning privacy or security; it’s about finding a balance that encourages connection without sacrificing personal space.
Here are a few more notes on the benefits of soft borders:
Encouraging Biodiversity
Space for Wildlife: By reducing or softening property boundaries, we can allow more space for wildlife to flourish. Gardens, yards, and community spaces become more interconnected, providing pathways for animals, insects, and plants to thrive. A healthy ecosystem in an urban or suburban setting helps maintain biodiversity.
I designed this fence to have lots of gaps that allow interaction between neighbours, flow of wildlife and a ladder for plants to climb. I used Siberian Larch so that no harsh treatments were used.
Pollination & Plant Growth: With fewer physical barriers, plants have more room to grow, allowing them to cross-pollinate and promote the health of our local flora. This contributes to healthier ecosystems and can even support food production in local communities.
Fostering Community Connections
Building Stronger Relationships: Softened boundaries between gardens can promote a sense of community. Shared spaces, like community gardens or play areas, encourage neighbours to interact and collaborate, creating stronger, more connected neighbourhoods.
Self/Community Sufficiency: In a world that seems increasingly divided by the day, it’s more important than ever to rely on the people nearest to you. Building connections, pooling resources, looking out for one another, and being able to produce your own food — these are the foundations of resilient, healthy communities. Sharing land, labor, and knowledge not only strengthens these bonds but creates a self-sustaining network where people can thrive together, no matter the challenges the wider world might throw at them.
Shared Responsibility: When boundaries blur, residents are more likely to take collective responsibility for local green spaces, gardens, or even security. This sense of cooperation fosters trust and mutual care, reducing isolation and fostering a greater sense of belonging.
Improved Mental Health and Well-Being
Access to Nature: People who live in more open, nature-connected environments are often happier and less stressed. Having access to green spaces and natural surroundings is linked to improved mental health, offering places for relaxation, contemplation, and play.
Spending time outdoors and in the sun is proven to improve mental health and wellbeing and cause sunburn
Encouraging Outdoor Activities: Without tall fences or rigid property lines, there is more freedom to move around, enjoy outdoor activities, and let children play in shared spaces. This fosters healthier lifestyles and encourages physical activity.
Social Connections: In today’s ‘connected’ world, many of us feel more isolated than ever. True connection has been replaced with mediated proxies for social bonding — digital interactions that hijack human emotions for profit, contributing to rising feelings of depression and loneliness. By removing physical barriers, however, we open up more opportunities to genuinely help one another and foster cooperation. Softening the walls between us can create spaces where people feel more comfortable reaching out, where spontaneous acts of kindness and mutual support are easier to come by, and where real community connections can flourish once again. I once half joked to a fencing friend after a particularly tiring day, ‘if there were more love in world we wouldn’t have to build so many fences’, he obviously laughed at me but I think there’s some truth to that.
Producing more of our own food would reduce demand on land and reduce costs for families
Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability through Shared Resources: Reduced borders can lead to shared resources like rainwater collection, composting, or communal gardening projects. These efforts can reduce the overall environmental footprint of individual households and encourage a more sustainable approach to living.
Reduction in Urban Heat: Smaller, well-maintained fences can allow for larger green areas that can help reduce the urban heat island effect. Larger communal spaces, trees, and gardens help absorb heat, keeping neighbourhoods cooler and improving the quality of life for residents.
A generic stock photo of happy people drinking a mysterious liquid
Encouraging Movement and Freedom
More Freedom to Roam: Softened boundaries between properties can provide more space for people to roam freely, enhancing the feeling of openness and freedom. This can be particularly important in cities where personal space is limited. Imagine stepping out of your back door and instead of facing lines of straight fences being greeted with mixed use areas of food production, wooded area, play and social spaces.
Creating Flow Between Spaces: When borders are relaxed, areas feel more integrated with one another. It promotes movement between spaces, blurring the lines between “home” and “community” while allowing individuals to enjoy more fluid transitions between their private and public lives.
Challenging Materialism and Consumerism
Re-thinking Ownership: Softening boundaries may encourage people to rethink the traditional idea of ownership, where everything is mine and you are not allowed to touch it! It fosters a mentality of shared spaces and common ownership, which can counteract the growing trend of materialism and excess. Just think how many spades, lawnmowers and garden hoses there are on your street alone! How many would there need to be if they were shared resources and how much more affordable they would be to buy and maintain. And think just one shed to store it all rather than one in every garden, and one play area, we’d have extra room in spades. ha.
Less Obsession with Perfection: When boundaries become less important, the focus shifts away from obsessively guarding and maintaining the idealised home. People may find joy in imperfection and sharing, rather than in the pursuit of individualistic perfection.
Some of these points may admittedly sound a little far fetched in reality, but on a modest scale starting with neighbours you get along with it’s definitely worth having a go. For me the most important advantages would be; saving space, sharing tools, more wildlife and animals, social spaces for kids and adults, shared responsibility and community food growing to improve diets and reduce reliance on supermarkets. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve done something like this!