Nosy neighbours spying on you, double decker bus stopping outside your garden, a neighbours' trampoline with kids bobbing up and down... interrupting your garden peace and tranquility means it's time to get creative by establishing more privacy in the garden. This means a chic (and practical) modern garden design in Essex or Suffolk needs to consider many factors, some obvious and some not so obvious!
When consulting with clients on their new garden landscaping, often means creating privacy in a garden. It’s our job to provide chic garden design and landscaping that's cost a effective solution for gardens of all shapes and sizes. Here are just a few garden design ideas for privacy, that we regularly help clients explore:
1. Oversized plants in large containers. Very large pots can be purchased at different price points and facilitate the planting of trees and shrubs with vegetation at taller heights and bigger foliage sizes. Planted containers can be cleverly positioned, grouped together, layered using either upturned pots or cut tree trunk sections for staging, and moved about in a garden to build lavishness, colour, texture, and privacy. I've used containers like my grandmother's old galvanised metal rubbish bin (pictured), galvanised metal cattle troughs and water storage vats (as just some of the many available examples). Larger pot sizes are required, so ensure budget is retained for statement large format pots, and the more visually interesting and recycled, the better!
2. Planting along your boundary lines. Where there is low-level, see-through fencing or walls, boundary lines and gaps, they can be covered by carefully selected planting:
Fast growing climbers up top mounted trellis panels, for added detail and vertical space dressing for confined areas.
Trees (of an appropriate mature size for the space allocated) and careful root expansion consideration.
Shrubs that cover lines of sight for dappled shade and protection from nosy neighbours who love to chat and pop their heads over the fence.
Hedges in varying heights and planted in different varieties for visual and seasonal interest.
Bamboo is a modern option for privacy, but clumping varieties should be selected and planted with root barrier protection to control spreading.
Always ensure a planting expert is consulted to ensure the right variety is selected and placed in the garden to avoid potential future subsidence issues. Once planted, the privacy garden areas will gain natural character, dense cover and generous screening, which will increase over time as the vegetation establishes.
3. Fence panels, shade canopies, pergolas, gazebos and awnings. These come in assorted colours, styles and materials and can be purchased to suit all budgets. If your current garden seating arrangement is over-looked by nosy neighbours, your privacy can be restored by positioning a garden structure to block their view into your private space. They can provide a safe and secure enclosure, block direct views and offer protection from the weather. Shade sails and wire mounted climbers can add deeper privacy sand sun protection. Dividing the garden into secret spaces for you to enjoy at different times of the day and year provides often much needed garden rooms which encourage friends to explore when they visit. We work with clients to ensure all garden structures are well designed, proportional and implemented within local planning constraints.
4. Screens and trellis. Available in a variety of prices, sizes, designs, and materials such as wood, metal, glass, and vinyl; when properly secured they can provide great privacy and a wonderful eye-catching feature for a garden. They should be of the right weight, correctly installed (to prevent them from falling over in windy conditions) and must be in line with height limits stipulated in planning law (i.e. should not be taller than two and a half meters if within two meters of a boundary line). A trellis can be added as a partition with the option of planting an arrangement of climbing plants and flowers to grow up it. Alternatively, it can be placed on top of a wall or fence to beautify a space and cut out your nosy neighbour’s view into your garden, especially if they like to look in and disrupt your privacy!
5. Pleached trees and privacy trees. If you have the space in your garden, why not consider adding privacy greenery? Organic structures of this type can provide privacy as well as adding beauty to your property. Depending on where they are placed, height/root/width restrictions will need careful consideration if near to a boundary or building line.
***If you would like to discuss how our garden design and landscaping services can help improve the privacy of your garden, book us in for a consultation today by giving Zoe a call on 07860283761***
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