Fences and screens are typically the first options homeowners envision when it comes to creating privacy around and within their property. While fences can be an attractive option, they’re also expensive and an unsustainable solution for the long term.
Foliage and shrubs, however, can provide desired privacy with the added benefits of shade, movement, scent, cooler summertime temperatures, and a backdrop for watching birds and other wildlife in your yard.
Tips for Creating Privacy with Foliage and Shrubs
If you’re ready to add a little privacy while simultaneously gaining a greener view, the following tips will help you create a bit of solitude using foliage and shrubs.
Evaluate your needs. Maybe you want to mitigate the glare from exterior lights or desire a sound buffer between your home and a busy street. Often, homeowners want to create a secluded spot in their own backyard – less visible from the main seating and activity areas. Knowing what you want to gain from your living boundaries will determine which trees and shrubs will work best. Shrubs like privet form a dense formal boundary. Tall, narrow evergreens form barriers that can legally grow taller than most building codes permit for fence lines. If space is an issue, smaller trees pruned and trained to an espalier are an eye-catching option.
Select plants for the look you want. Do you enjoy the formal look of a traditional English garden or is your look more casual? Your living borders can have a very structured look, such is the case when you plant more formal hedges and shrubs like boxwood (Buxus spp), privet (Ligustrum spp), or yew (Taxus spp). If you prefer a more casual or wild look, you can use these to form the primary border and then augment them with more free-form trees, shrubs, and perennials, keeping year-round interest in mind.
Consider maintenance requirements. While most hedges and narrow evergreens will require regular pruning and shaping, other perennial plants and shrubs will not. Select plants that match your level of maintenance enthusiasm. The Lifescape team is always available to shape and prune living boundaries for you.
Are you looking forward to trading boring fences for more attractive living options? Let Lifescape help to design and implement live privacy and landscape divisions using foliage and shrubs that will last for decades.