Enclose the space. Because these gardens are a microcosm of the world outside, fences and gates play an important role. Fences create boundaries that set the garden apart. The trick is to keep these barriers from feeling harsh or forbidding. Fences are simple in design and designed to blend with or set off the landscape they enclose. Plantings may conceal part of the fence to both soften it and hint at a world beyond, or the fence itself may be painted to blend into the rest of the yard rather than stand out sharply. The opposite approach is the fence that is opened up in one spot to capture a view beyond the garden itself, maybe a mountain vista or even a tree in bloom in a neighbor’s yard. Bamboo is an obvious choice as a fencing material, but wooden fences, especially those with a grid pattern, will also work