If you want a yard that can be your haven, you want it to be private. A space where you can lounge in a lawn chair, soak in a hot tub, or simply tend a garden in peace. That’s harder to do when all that separates you from your neighbors is a chain-link fence—or nothing at all. Block out the sights and sounds of nearby houses and enjoy the solitude with these privacy-enhancing landscape designs.
Privacy Plants
Hedges
A wall of shrubbery is one way to block out outside sights and sounds. Privet, arborvitae, juniper, or Italian cypress planted around the borders of your property provide a living screen around your home all year round. Columnar or fastigiate varieties are ideal, because they’ll stay narrow as they grow. Typically, city ordinances don’t restrict hedge heights, so you can grow your hedge as tall or short as you’d like. Keep in mind that these types of shrubs thrive in a temperate climate and require regular maintenance.
Layered Plants
Want something that needs less upkeep? Consider planting an assortment of trees, shrubs, and perennials around the edges your lawn instead. The aesthetic is less rigid and more natural, with plants and heights staggered all around your property line. This offers privacy but with variations in texture and color, and most plants won’t need the regular shearing of a traditional privacy hedge. Small trees along the border offer privacy from the upper windows of neighboring houses as well as shade on summer days.
Fences
A boarded fence can feel forbidding and restrictive, but there’s no shortage of ways to add visual interest and liven up your yard. Incorporate architectural details to make your fence more your style, or combine different materials, like a stone half-wall topped by a short fence, or a fence that’s half-paneled, half-screened. Grow climbing plants like ivy or morning glories to make a plain fence beautiful during the summer, or provide additional screening for a latticework fence design. The options are endless!
Fountains
A fountain won’t provide visual privacy, but the gentle noise of trickling water shields your yard from ambient noises: children playing outside, passing cars and trucks, or chatty nearby neighbors. Fountains range from small electrical units that can sit on an outdoor patio table to large custom built-ins that become a part of your landscaping. The running water will be louder the farther the water travels, so test to make sure the noise level is at the right volume for your needs.
Covers and Awnings
Shield your deck or patio from view with a fabric cover or awning. This is ideal for neighboring houses whose upper stories are too close for comfort, or properties that lie above you on a hill. Choose a hardy, weather-proof fabric that can withstand many seasons of wear. As an added perk, a covered deck or patio provides much-needed shade during the warmer months.
At Lawn & Landscape Solutions, our team of professionals will help you design and install the privacy solutions you need. Contact us for more information or to make an appointment today.