Having trouble with nosy neighbours? Here’s 8 great ways to improve privacy in your garden.
We’ve had so many enquiries recently with people asking how can they improve their garden privacy, it seems that every patch of green gets houses built on it and more and more gardens are being overlooked! These garden screening ideas will improve privacy in your garden, whether from overlooking neighbours or from other parts of the garden.
From all-natural screens, to solid metal structures and clever planting tricks, creating more privacy needn’t be harsh or ugly looking and it can actually become a stylish part of your garden design. After all, we’re all creating outdoor living spaces right now to make our gardens the most cozy and comfortable of places to be, in all seasons.
1. Plant Pleached Hedges
Create a contempary look by adding pleached hedges, great for giving you further screening and is soft on the eyes. They are also so much cheaper than building a wall or adding height to old walls. They are stately, precise, and an instant architectural feature, pleached trees have become the star of contemporary gardens. Over the past few years, garden designers have brought these formal trained trees to a wider consciousness, so that anyone might consider adding some height and grandeur as well as giving that extra needed privacy.
Traditionally, Lime, Beech and Hornbeam trees have been a popular choice for creating garden privacy, and today they are still some of the most commonly-used pleached trees.
2. Create a Sunken Garden
Sunken gardens don’t need to be grand affairs, simply lowering a section of your garden can offer some seclusion and give you a whole new perspective. It will really transform your garden and give you the perfect space to relax in without the worry of being overlooked. This not only affords you the pleasure of a slightly secluded area but gives you a different view of the plants. It is exciting to be able to see things from a slightly alternative angle.
3. Build a Focal Wall
Create privacy screens without making them blatantly obvious. Jenn Lassa and Marcin Matlakowski of Rooftopia succeeded with a vertical wood wall that is appealing both day and night. Just like gardens, walls can take on a different role at night. A crisp, stone-clad wall by day can easily become the perfect screen for displaying dramatic shadows and dancing plant silhouettes when lit up when dusk falls.
4. Install a water Feature
Although water features may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of garden privacy ideas, screening noise in a garden is crucial for a tranquil ambience. Waterfalls, streams and fountains have turned distracting noises into white noise for centuries, providing quiet, peaceful environments for meditation. Today, the sound of a nearby fountain can camouflage irritating sounds in your garden, like busy road traffic noise. Check our range of water features here
5. Make a living wall
Plant a living wall to hide an ugly fence or deaden noisy neighbours! These are especially popular in transforming patio’s / sunbathing areas into something more secluded & sheltered. Living walls are one of the hottest gardening trends to emerge in recent years, increasingly making their way into residential gardens. They are vertical gardens, where plants are rooted into a structure that is attached to a wall – creating a lush wall of foliage.
6. Plant fast growing Evergreen Trees
Line the area or the perimeter of your garden with fast growing evergreen trees that will screen your property and give you the privacy you desire. Evergreen trees are friendlier than fences & cheaper than walls. Evergreens may take a bit longer to reach the size to fully do the job, but it will likely outlast a fence and look better too.
Since privacy is something most of us want all year-round, why use a deciduous tree that drops its leaves every winter? Dense evergreens with thick branches are the best trees for privacy. Popular trees to choose from are Thuja’s, Italian Cypress, Leyland Cypress, Lawson Cypress, there’s many more but from experience these work the best. Here’s our plant gallery to give you a taster of the vast selection.
7. Plant Ornamental Grasses
Taller ornamental grasses can be good for adding height and structure and blocking your seating / sunbathing area from view. With their wispy forms they won’t feel as heavy or suppressive as a fence or larger shrubs. Their fast growth rate makes them ideal for privacy because new plants can rapidly fill in any gaps. Moreover, ornamental grasses can be an economical way to achieve privacy on your property.
8. Add a retaining wall
If your garden is sloped but overlooked you can use this in your favour. A retaining wall may be enough in itself but add plants to that first level to add heaps more interest, height and therefore privacy. Retaining walls keep soil on one side of the structure, allowing for a lower floor level on the other side of the wall. In the past, they were often made from concrete, which works well because it is strong and long-lasting, but concrete is not very pleasing to the eye. Though they serve a very practical purpose, there’s no reason retaining walls shouldn’t look good at the same time.
Feeling inspired to transform your garden into a quiet & secluded retreat? Drop us a line if you’re ready to discuss your landscape project on sales@bannisterhall.co.uk Let us know your favourite privacy idea in the comments below or if you’ve got any other screening ideas!
Our renowned nursery manager Dave Newsham will be on hand for you when you come to visit us in person 😀
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