Everyone enjoys privacy in a garden; it’s so important to be able to relax in your sanctuary of a space however large or small, without being overlooked or even feeling like you are overlooked.
Sometimes it’s impossible to screen out absolutely everything in terms of unwanted views and neighbouring windows but much can be achieved with planting and /or trellis.
Below are a few before and after examples of my work over the years:
Here a mix of evergreen and non evergreen trees achieved the coverage required to screen the neighbouring house. My client had already planted some Italian cypress trees and Amelanchier but it wasn’t quite enough. We added in evergreen standard Ligustrum japonicums and Olives to fill in the gaps. This was before:
This small garden in Chertsey looked like this before we set to work:
Espalier Hornbeam trees now provide a gorgeous green screen. It is space saving too.
This garden in Reigate was calling out for effective screening:
The solution was 3 multi-stemmed Prunus serrula trees which have beautiful copper bark in winter. They grew incredibly fast! The photo below was taken 8 years after planting.
Here’s another unwanted view:
Now it’s a pretty mix of Sorbus aria, Lilac, Viburnum opulus and Amelanchier:
Sometimes only evergreen trees will do! That was the case here:
Again, for space saving, espalier trees were chosen, this time evergreen Photinia ‘Red Robin’ trees. The beauty of espaliers is that they give almost instant screening. The trees below were newly planted in this photo but filled out quickly.
New build houses often have very stark views:
Here we chose grey/green leaved evergreen Quercus ilex standards and Olives, kept regularly pruned to contain the size. They give a lovely feeling of enclosure to the garden.
Trellis can also be an effective screen, if not needed too high:
Once the trellis is covered, as here with the climber Trachelospermum jasminoides, it will be a solid screen and act as a hedge:
Trellis can be pretty in itself, here with a close knit diamond pattern:
The same trellis was used for the narrow side alley, clothed with evergreen Clematis armandii planted in aged lead colour troughs:
Screening can be achieved in many different ways. Get in touch if your garden is calling out for any, I’m sure we can find a solution!