Back garden privacy

San_Jose · 9 September 2021 at 10:32AM

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone could give me some advise regarding making my back garden more private. We recently bought a new build with a decent size garden however the fence at the back and to the left of the garden backs onto a communal car park and a neighbours house - they can see directly into the garden as we are on the lower park of a slope. Each part of the fence is approx 5m (with standard height fence panels). Looking for some tips on making the area more private so its not so overlooked. I was thinking of planting some hedges/ trees but have no idea where to start in terms of what types of greenery to look at which grows fast/ high. Any tips or anything else to consider from experience would be much appreciated.

TELLIT01 · 9 September 2021 at 10:56AM

For more specific gardening advice I would suggest joining the Gardening Forum on Gardenersworld dot com. (Hope I'm not breaking any rules by doing this.

Bendy_House · 9 September 2021 at 10:56AM

If you don't want it to look like a dense hedge, then Portuguese Laurels but planted, say, at least a metre, possibly more, apart might be a good solution. This should provide a gentler screen, more like a series of tress/bushes rather than an impenetrable green barrier.

Fast growing, evergreen, attractive from both sides! It shouldn't frighten people like a Leylandii hedge could.

How tall would your screening need to grow?

There's also various bamboos, but I understand these can be invasive if not handled properly. But again these should provide a gentler screening, far more attractive than a dense green wall, and also plays nicely in a breeze.

Doozergirl · 9 September 2021 at 10:58AM

The easiest way to creat privacy for you directly is to have something like a 6ft screen directly next to where you sit.

Section62 · 9 September 2021 at 11:04AM

San_Jose said:

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone could give me some advise regarding making my back garden more private. We recently bought a new build with a decent size garden however the fence at the back and to the left of the garden backs onto a communal car park and a neighbours house - they can see directly into the garden as we are on the lower park of a slope. Each part of the fence is approx 5m (with standard height fence panels). Looking for some tips on making the area more private so its not so overlooked. I was thinking of planting some hedges/ trees but have no idea where to start in terms of what types of greenery to look at which grows fast/ high. Any tips or anything else to consider from experience would be much appreciated.

I'd start by checking the contract, deeds and planning records to see if there is anything which prevents you changing the existing boundaries and/or planting trees and hedges.

If the existing fences are around 1.8m high already then you won't be able to do much without definitely needing planning consent.

So plants - subject to any conditions and restrictions - may be your only option and it will take a while for anything to get established to that height without posing an ongoing and frequent maintenance liability.

ka7e · 9 September 2021 at 11:21AM

Consider that any tree or hedge will also have depth/spread as well as height, so you may end up losing useable garden space. It can also be difficult to maintain a tall, fast-growing hedge. Deciduous trees will drop their leaves in autumn, so messy and you lose privacy (though you may not be using the garden so much at that time of year). There are some nice columnar trees available - varieties of blossoming cherry, Acer and Liquidamber varieties "Silhouette" . Lots of evergreens like Cypress and Thuja are tall and narrow.

If you just want to shield certain sightlines, then a garden structure (arch or gazebo) with climbing plants (roses, passiflora, clematis) might work.

grumbler · 9 September 2021 at 11:48AM

Section62 said:

San_Jose said:

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone could give me some advise regarding making my back garden more private. We recently bought a new build with a decent size garden however the fence at the back and to the left of the garden backs onto a communal car park and a neighbours house - they can see directly into the garden as we are on the lower park of a slope. Each part of the fence is approx 5m (with standard height fence panels). Looking for some tips on making the area more private so its not so overlooked. I was thinking of planting some hedges/ trees but have no idea where to start in terms of what types of greenery to look at which grows fast/ high. Any tips or anything else to consider from experience would be much appreciated.

If the existing fences are around 1.8m high already then you won't be able to do much without definitely needing planning consent.

You can add 20cm to make it 2m.

San_Jose · 9 September 2021 at 11:52AM

Thanks for all your replies. Really appreciate your comments will look into some of the options suggested. I will also check the deeds of the house to check where I stand.

Bendy_House Maybe around 2.5m (the fence would be 1.8m of that already) so just tall enough that offers that bit more privacy and stops people potentially peering over.

San_Jose · 9 September 2021 at 11:55AM

ka7e said:

Consider that any tree or hedge will also have depth/spread as well as height, so you may end up losing useable garden space. It can also be difficult to maintain a tall, fast-growing hedge. Deciduous trees will drop their leaves in autumn, so messy and you lose privacy (though you may not be using the garden so much at that time of year). There are some nice columnar trees available - varieties of blossoming cherry, Acer and Liquidamber varieties "Silhouette" . Lots of evergreens like Cypress and Thuja are tall and narrow.
If you just want to shield certain sightlines, then a garden structure (arch or gazebo) with climbing plants (roses, passiflora, clematis) might work.

Many thanks for the useful information. Loving the look of the Cyprus trees, I think a row of these could well be just what we need.