How to Make your Garden more Private

You’ve spent all summer (and lots of effort and money) into making your garden the perfect place to relax and you want to make the most of the little sun that’s left. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to relax in your garden when you know that your neighbours could easily peer over. However, most of the ways that spring to mind about creating garden privacy can be boring or expensive, such as wooden fences and brick walls. This guide should provide you with some inspiration for more interesting privacy ideas.

Hedges

There is such a wide variety of different shrubs and hedges available that it would be almost impossible not to find one that’s right for you and your garden. You can keep the hedge looking natural by using a different varieties of shrub, which will also make it more interesting to look at. You could also include a couple of small trees in with the hedges to give more texture.
Top tip: The best way to maintain your shrubs is by shearing them so that the bottom is wider than the top; they’ll stay looking good for years!

Berms

Not only are berms a great way to create privacy in your garden, they can be useful for drawing attention to smaller plants, too. The berms, almost like small hills around your garden, also provide good drainage for the plants and flowers you have on them. Planting shrubs and bushes on top of these berms will give you even more privacy, making the division higher. Top tip: Place rocks and stones around the plants on the berms to provide stability.

Lattice Panels

These are fantastic because they are so inexpensive and can be positioned exactly where you require the privacy. You can also make them more attractive by growing vines and ivy on them, as well as any other climbing plants of your choice. The more plants you choose to include, the more privacy you will have.
Top tip: Ensure you select the correct vine for the size of your lattice panel: too big and it will crush it, too small and it won’t cover it.

Sail Canopies

Sail canopies work in the same way as a regular garden canopy to create privacy, but can be a lot more interesting. They can also be inexpensive and great way of recycling materials that would otherwise go to waste. Check your local junk yard, dump or boot sales for disused sails before buying a new one.

Choose a Private Spot

Perhaps it would be too expensive or impractical to make implement these methods of privacy in your whole garden, so why not choose one particular corner or spot? You could make this area private using parasols, climbing plants and trellises. You could also use a variety of small potted trees to give yourself some privacy without committing to something permanent and without spending a lot of money.

Do you have any tips on how to make a garden more private? Comment in the sections below.

[Photo Credit:thetimchannel]