Good design isn't just about aesthetics but also how well the hardware functions. A picket fence often ... hardware on gates made of cedar, redwood, or oak. Tannins in the wood will eventually ...

But not everyone loved fences. In 1841 landscape design ... the wood pickets and gave the fences their traditional white color. Getty Images Blame the Cold War for doing in the picket fence.

Wood fencing is classic, but even well-installed posts will start to deteriorate over time. Instead, consider swapping them ...