Your backyard should serve as a personal oasis–a place to escape to after a long day. However, it can be hard to unwind and relax if you don’t have the proper privacy. No one wants prying glances from nosy neighbours while you’re trying to enjoy your personal sanctuary.
Luckily, there are a variety of ways to increase your backyard’s privacy that won’t make you sacrifice the luxury and beauty of your already well-designed space.
Add some height and privacy to your outdoor space with these 10 creative possibilities!
1. Fences
The classic choice for backyard privacy features are fences. There are countless styles, types, and designs.
Adding a fence is a simple and effective way to achieve the seclusion you’re looking for. For materials, opt for hardwoods over softwoods. Although more expensive, hardwoods are more durable, last longer, and they’re typically nicer in terms of appearance than softwoods.
2. Vine-Covered Trellis
An outdoor structure like a trellis is a great way to block unwanted views from your surrounding neighbours. Trellises are versatile and can be styled in a variety of ways that best suit your backyard.
Planting s fast-growing vine with a freestanding trellis, for example, is an excellent way to incorporate an added layer of privacy. This is an easy way to include some more greenery in your space that doesn’t require a lot of effort.
3. Living Walls And Hedges
Do you want a more natural option for your backyard that also serves as a method to visually enclose and border your space? Look no further. Living walls and hedges are adaptable depending on your backyard’s location and style, and they are perfect for people who don’t want to settle for simple fences.
Hedges and living walls are standout privacy elements that can give any space much needed lush greenery and vibrant pops of colour depending on the types of plants you choose.
However, be mindful of the fact that these choices require routine maintenance in order to keep them from becoming overgrown and uninviting–which is the opposite of what you want for your own space. In order to prevent them from becoming overwhelming and unruly, ensure that hedges and any fast-growing vines are pruned meticulously and regularly. With the right upkeep, hedges and living walls are fantastic additions to any home’s outdoor space.
Some favoured options for living walls include:
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Azalea
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Cypress
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Loropetalum
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Spirea
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Yew
4. Vertical Gardens
As you’ve learned by now, plants can serve a backyard well when it comes to increasing privacy. A vertical garden is another innovative technique to do this.
Not only are vertical gardens great for nurturing your green thumb, but they’re also beautiful to look at and can be styled in endless ways depending on your plant preferences. Be mindful of the amount of light your vertical garden will need in order to thrive and watch your backyard’s privacy addition grow.
5. Privacy Panels
Along with a wood fence, consider adding some privacy panels as well to create an extra layer of solitude.
Additional lattice panels not only add more privacy but they can be customized to suit your personal design taste. You can paint them, fill them with plants or vines, and position them however you want.
6. Enclosure
Another way to achieve privacy in your yard is by creating a “room” with three or four separate walls.
Unlike an indoor room, outdoor rooms can be designed with a variety of different walls–implied, real, or both. A wood enclosure surrounding a cozy seating area with a fire pit in the centre is a great way to give your guests a social area to gather, while also prioritizing privacy. To get even more coverage, add tall plants along the sides of the walls.
7. Focal Wall
Elevate a modern urban garden with a focal wall that’s architecturally pleasing and functional–without being obvious about its intended purpose.
A vertical wood wall can be customized with whichever features you desire, such as planters, integrated lights, and a clay fountain.
8. Intimate Deck
Bringing together the previously mentioned elements around a specific area in your backyard is an excellent way to create your own secluded space. An intimate deck can add unexpected luxury to an otherwise open-concept yard.
Privacy hedges placed along an elegant wooden fence or trellis on a raised deck, built-in seating, and hanging string lights adorning shrubbery and higher focal points are the perfect combination of elements to transform this simple concept into an ambient, cozy space.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you can incorporate one–or more–of these suggestions into your backyard in order to give your space some much-needed privacy. Your yard should be a place where you can relax, without the intrusion of nosy neighbours.
