It turns out that painting your fence white can fix one big nuisance many households face in their garden.
Gardeners urged to paint their fence white before summer begins
Many people probably don’t pay a great deal of attention to their garden fence. It’s simply there as a way to mark out the boundaries of their outdoor space or perhaps add to the overall aesthetic of their garden.
As well as improving the look of your garden, it turns out that painting your fence white can keep a troublesome pest out of your garden – pigeons. With flocks of pigeons flapping about, seeds being taken, and furniture getting splattered, many gardeners see these birds as a real pain.
Instead of using spikes or strong repellents, avian expert and founder of Birdzy Isabelle Manseau claimed that gardeners should use colour to their advantage.
She told Home and Gardens: “Pigeons are deterred by certain colours they perceive as threatening or unsettling, such as reflective or metallic shades and intense hues.”
Pigeons see the colour white as danger
Gardening experts at Sefton Meadows Garden Centre also agree that the colour white serves as a natural deterrent to pigeons
They said: “White is a ‘danger’ colour to birds, much in the same way that red is a warning colour to humans.”
By incorporating more of the colour white into your garden, the space will become increasingly less appealing to gathering pigeons.
Isabelle said: “Painting garden furniture or fence posts in shades of white can help deter pigeons while still keeping the aesthetic cohesive.
“A pop of colour can really liven up the yard too, especially if you’re putting in outdoor furniture for a small space.”
Alternatively, if your old furniture is looking a little worse for wear and beyond repair, you could consider investing in new, white furniture.
Painters of fences at Paint With Pinnacle also recommend opting for the colour white to deter pigeons. They said: “One shade that most pigeons avoid is white. A bright or dull white signals danger and alarm to birds and causes them to avoid these spaces.”
It’s worth painting your fence before the spring season is up as pigeons are more active in the summer months.
As well as painting fences white, Sefton Meadows Garden Centre also recommends adding white flowers to gardens.
They said: “Many birds use the white plumage in their feathers to show each other that there is danger ahead, so planting a variety of white flowers around areas you want to keep protected might be enough to deter birds from landing.”
There are several ways to incorporate white flowers, such as mixing them into planters, hanging baskets, or simply dotting potted plants around your garden.
Comments are closed.