How to Create Privacy in a Small Urban Garden
If you’re feeling overlooked in your outside space, try these ideas for creating some garden privacy
Claudia De Yong
9 July 2016
Houzz UK contributor and award-winning landscape and garden designer. Claudia de Yong Designs offers a consultancy and design service for the private and corporate client. We are also able to source anything for the garden from plants to pots, paving and architectural features . Please visit my new online shop for garden products.
Houzz UK contributor and award-winning landscape and garden designer. Claudia de... More
Small urban gardens can be overlooked by other houses and there’s a real need for privacy, either to prevent neighbours being able to see into your garden or to hide an ugly view. Here are a few tips for how to achieve this – and without resorting to planting a huge conifer hedge!
Fence yourself in
Most urban gardens have some form of fencing along the boundaries. Existing fencing may be unsightly, but it can be revamped with paint or smothered in climbers. You can also make your own fencing with pressure-treated timber (which has been impregnated with preservative) and leave it to age naturally or perhaps choose to paint the panels to lighten up the space.
There are so many options available now for fencing, from hazel panels or solid hardwood, to various metal styles or composite plastic, which lasts for years without treating.
Climbers will add softness and much-needed greenery to a fence, encourage wildlife, and also, in many cases, as with the Trachelospermum jasminoides (jasmine) pictured here, provide fragrance and remain evergreen, which gives structure to the winter garden. Other climbers to try are Clematis armandii, which also remains semi-evergreen and, for a north-facing wall, Hydrangea petiolaris.
Most urban gardens have some form of fencing along the boundaries. Existing fencing may be unsightly, but it can be revamped with paint or smothered in climbers. You can also make your own fencing with pressure-treated timber (which has been impregnated with preservative) and leave it to age naturally or perhaps choose to paint the panels to lighten up the space.
There are so many options available now for fencing, from hazel panels or solid hardwood, to various metal styles or composite plastic, which lasts for years without treating.
Climbers will add softness and much-needed greenery to a fence, encourage wildlife, and also, in many cases, as with the Trachelospermum jasminoides (jasmine) pictured here, provide fragrance and remain evergreen, which gives structure to the winter garden. Other climbers to try are Clematis armandii, which also remains semi-evergreen and, for a north-facing wall, Hydrangea petiolaris.
Raise a roof
Creating a seating area that’s not overlooked by neighbouring properties can be hard in an urban plot. A corner of the garden can become a good place to build a structure with a solid roof – or an open roof decked in climbers.
A covered seating area not only adds a bit of height, it allows you to have a secluded hideaway in which to enjoy your garden well into the late summer evenings without feeling as if you’re on show. The addition of garden lighting and soft cushions will make this a go-to spot in the garden.
Clematis montana will smother a pergola in no time; for a good scented one, opt for ‘Mayleen’. For repeat-flowering scented roses (which can be vigorous), try ‘Wedding Day’ and ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’, which is suitable for shady areas.
Creating a seating area that’s not overlooked by neighbouring properties can be hard in an urban plot. A corner of the garden can become a good place to build a structure with a solid roof – or an open roof decked in climbers.
A covered seating area not only adds a bit of height, it allows you to have a secluded hideaway in which to enjoy your garden well into the late summer evenings without feeling as if you’re on show. The addition of garden lighting and soft cushions will make this a go-to spot in the garden.
Clematis montana will smother a pergola in no time; for a good scented one, opt for ‘Mayleen’. For repeat-flowering scented roses (which can be vigorous), try ‘Wedding Day’ and ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’, which is suitable for shady areas.
Grow an evergreen screen
There isn’t a vast selection of evergreen trees that can be used in the small urban garden to provide much-needed screening. In a larger space, you can position a tree away from the boundary, which does the job of hiding the neighbours’ viewpoint without the need for a row of screening trees.
For the smaller urban garden, however, a good way to block out next door is either to use standard trained single tall specimens or to have a row of pleached or trained trees, whose branches become dense over time.
Good trees to try for evergreen privacy are Quercus ilex, Magnolia grandiflora, Prunus lusitanica and Ligustrum lucidum. For pleaching deciduous varieties that hold their leaf for a while and have good autumn colour, Acer platanoides ‘Globosum’ and Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’, with its conical crown, have strong architectural interest, and the latter is one of the last trees to lose its leaves come winter.
Check out ideas for making your small garden look bigger
There isn’t a vast selection of evergreen trees that can be used in the small urban garden to provide much-needed screening. In a larger space, you can position a tree away from the boundary, which does the job of hiding the neighbours’ viewpoint without the need for a row of screening trees.
For the smaller urban garden, however, a good way to block out next door is either to use standard trained single tall specimens or to have a row of pleached or trained trees, whose branches become dense over time.
Good trees to try for evergreen privacy are Quercus ilex, Magnolia grandiflora, Prunus lusitanica and Ligustrum lucidum. For pleaching deciduous varieties that hold their leaf for a while and have good autumn colour, Acer platanoides ‘Globosum’ and Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’, with its conical crown, have strong architectural interest, and the latter is one of the last trees to lose its leaves come winter.
Check out ideas for making your small garden look bigger
Hedge your bets
Hedges provide shelter, dampen sound and give privacy. Some gardens will have had well-established hedges for many years. These may be so big they become very difficult to maintain, or start to look scrappy in places if they haven’t been looked after.
If you want to introduce a hedge into your garden and are looking for alternatives to Leylandii or privet, you could opt for Osmanthus delavayi, Ligustrum ovalifolium ‘Aureum’, Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ or Viburnum tinus, or, for the bright red foliage, Photinia ‘Red Robin’.
For another idea, try a living wall, with different species of herbaceous plants, including edibles, grown in pockets fixed to a wall. This is great for adding more interest to stark brick and you can cover any unsightly bumps and cracks.
Hedges provide shelter, dampen sound and give privacy. Some gardens will have had well-established hedges for many years. These may be so big they become very difficult to maintain, or start to look scrappy in places if they haven’t been looked after.
If you want to introduce a hedge into your garden and are looking for alternatives to Leylandii or privet, you could opt for Osmanthus delavayi, Ligustrum ovalifolium ‘Aureum’, Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ or Viburnum tinus, or, for the bright red foliage, Photinia ‘Red Robin’.
For another idea, try a living wall, with different species of herbaceous plants, including edibles, grown in pockets fixed to a wall. This is great for adding more interest to stark brick and you can cover any unsightly bumps and cracks.
Draw a living curtain
If you prefer a softer look for privacy and don’t fancy a solid hedge, try planting grasses, which will help you feel enclosed, but will add light and texture. Mix your grasses; try varieties such as Carex pendula, a tall weeping fountain grass with flowers, and the elegant, tall, purple-headed Verbena Bonariensis, a magnet for bees.
Many ornamental grasses have wonderful flower plumes and there’s a wide range of foliage colour to choose from. They look wonderful if left in the winter garden and add huge architectural interest to any outside space.
If you prefer a softer look for privacy and don’t fancy a solid hedge, try planting grasses, which will help you feel enclosed, but will add light and texture. Mix your grasses; try varieties such as Carex pendula, a tall weeping fountain grass with flowers, and the elegant, tall, purple-headed Verbena Bonariensis, a magnet for bees.
Many ornamental grasses have wonderful flower plumes and there’s a wide range of foliage colour to choose from. They look wonderful if left in the winter garden and add huge architectural interest to any outside space.
Relax in a sunken retreat
Sunken gardens were a great favourite of the Edwardians and will help to create more privacy. You can use the spoil from digging out the sunken area to create raised beds. However, only create a sunken garden if you have well-drained soil with a high water table, or you’ll end up with a large pond!
Sunken gardens trap the scent of flowers, so plant roses and other scented blooms to take full advantage of the space on a summer’s evening.
Further privacy can be created with a double hedge, as seen in the garden here. A solid evergreen hedge sits behind large, square-shaped trees on bare stems, which extends the evergreen boundary and encloses the sunken area below. If you choose to pave your sunken area, make sure you install adequate drainage.
Sunken gardens were a great favourite of the Edwardians and will help to create more privacy. You can use the spoil from digging out the sunken area to create raised beds. However, only create a sunken garden if you have well-drained soil with a high water table, or you’ll end up with a large pond!
Sunken gardens trap the scent of flowers, so plant roses and other scented blooms to take full advantage of the space on a summer’s evening.
Further privacy can be created with a double hedge, as seen in the garden here. A solid evergreen hedge sits behind large, square-shaped trees on bare stems, which extends the evergreen boundary and encloses the sunken area below. If you choose to pave your sunken area, make sure you install adequate drainage.
Create a private seating area
The patio area of any garden is typically where you need the most privacy. By building a small pergola off the back of the house, or a freestanding one covered in climbing plants, you’ll soon have a secluded area in which you can entertain – or just sit – without feeling as if you’re in a goldfish bowl!
Arrange potted plants around the patio for extra privacy and to enclose the area. The idea is to feel nestled, much as you might sitting outdoors in a restaurant where containers are placed on the pavement to distance you from the traffic and pedestrians.
The patio area of any garden is typically where you need the most privacy. By building a small pergola off the back of the house, or a freestanding one covered in climbing plants, you’ll soon have a secluded area in which you can entertain – or just sit – without feeling as if you’re in a goldfish bowl!
Arrange potted plants around the patio for extra privacy and to enclose the area. The idea is to feel nestled, much as you might sitting outdoors in a restaurant where containers are placed on the pavement to distance you from the traffic and pedestrians.
If you don’t fancy a heavy pergola to sit under, you could create a planted-style pergola made by using umbrella-style trees, as seen here. These plum trees have been trained and positioned to form a large square over a dining table.
Read expert advice on what to do in the garden in July
Read expert advice on what to do in the garden in July
Erect an arbour
A long arbour, smothered in jasmine, wisteria, roses or evergreen climbers, is not only lovely to look at, it can help to lead the eye away from any unsightly buildings or views. The same effect can be achieved with pleached trees either side of a path.
If you choose an arbour, position it on one side of the garden, creating a larger border on the other. Alternatively, place it straight down the middle leading to a statue, bench or water feature. Anything that will allow you to grow climbers vertically, especially if you have no room for trees, will undoubtably create a sense of privacy.
Arbours and sectional trellis can also be used as screening for garden workspaces, such as potting benches or barbecues, and for hiding unsightly clutter.
A long arbour, smothered in jasmine, wisteria, roses or evergreen climbers, is not only lovely to look at, it can help to lead the eye away from any unsightly buildings or views. The same effect can be achieved with pleached trees either side of a path.
If you choose an arbour, position it on one side of the garden, creating a larger border on the other. Alternatively, place it straight down the middle leading to a statue, bench or water feature. Anything that will allow you to grow climbers vertically, especially if you have no room for trees, will undoubtably create a sense of privacy.
Arbours and sectional trellis can also be used as screening for garden workspaces, such as potting benches or barbecues, and for hiding unsightly clutter.
Mask sounds
Privacy in gardens extends beyond sight. Installing a water feature, with the gentle sound it produces, will help to muffle any bothersome sounds, such as road traffic or people talking next door or on the pavement.
If you place a water feature in the centre of a patio, it will also draw the eye in and discourage you from gazing outwards towards the boundary.
A wall of water can also work as a good sound barrier and give visual impact in a small space. A mirror positioned on a back wall will further enhance the space and reflect the garden back, therefore giving the illusion that you’re in the middle of a larger garden, and away from neighbours.
Privacy in gardens extends beyond sight. Installing a water feature, with the gentle sound it produces, will help to muffle any bothersome sounds, such as road traffic or people talking next door or on the pavement.
If you place a water feature in the centre of a patio, it will also draw the eye in and discourage you from gazing outwards towards the boundary.
A wall of water can also work as a good sound barrier and give visual impact in a small space. A mirror positioned on a back wall will further enhance the space and reflect the garden back, therefore giving the illusion that you’re in the middle of a larger garden, and away from neighbours.
Nurture your own lush hideaway
By creating the right microclimate, with a choice of semi and hardy tropical evergreen plants, you can have a lush secret hideaway in an small urban space. Bamboos are ideal for privacy, and a good one for hedging is Fargesia robusta, which also does well in the shade and doesn’t require a root barrier, making it ideal if you’re concerned about the bamboo spreading too much. For containers and taller specimens, try Fargesia nitida, and for a more compact bushy plant, consider Fargesia rufa.
To add height and for a sunnier spot, opt for Phyllostachys aurea, but remember to keep it well watered in the summer months and to repot it as it outgrows its container. For large leaf coverage, use Fatsia japonica, and for scented dense evergreen foliage, go for the winter box plant, Sarcococca.
Discover more tips for growing a lush, jungle-style haven
TELL US…
How have you created privacy in your garden? Share your tips in the Comments below.
By creating the right microclimate, with a choice of semi and hardy tropical evergreen plants, you can have a lush secret hideaway in an small urban space. Bamboos are ideal for privacy, and a good one for hedging is Fargesia robusta, which also does well in the shade and doesn’t require a root barrier, making it ideal if you’re concerned about the bamboo spreading too much. For containers and taller specimens, try Fargesia nitida, and for a more compact bushy plant, consider Fargesia rufa.
To add height and for a sunnier spot, opt for Phyllostachys aurea, but remember to keep it well watered in the summer months and to repot it as it outgrows its container. For large leaf coverage, use Fatsia japonica, and for scented dense evergreen foliage, go for the winter box plant, Sarcococca.
Discover more tips for growing a lush, jungle-style haven
TELL US…
How have you created privacy in your garden? Share your tips in the Comments below.
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I like!!!!!!!!!!!!
:really nice and good e
the water feature idea is great..well done