As houses get bigger, the size of gardens and backyards inevitably decreases. As a result, we’re living closer to our neighbours than ever before. Add to this the fact that many people choose to extend their houses upwards instead of outwards – which increases the chances of your garden being overlooked by an upstairs window – and it’s easy to see why garden/backyard privacy is now more sought after than ever.
Here are a few ways to boost your garden privacy through smart landscaping:
1. Plant for privacy
Planting along your perimeter is one of the best ways to boost your backyard privacy. However, you need to be cautious what you plant.
For example, most hedges need at least 800mm of garden bed to thrive, so that could see a modest-sized garden made even smaller going forward. Also, big, dense trees have large root systems, which could end up damaging nearby structures as they expand.
Bamboo is a nice solution as it grows vertically and takes up little space.
2. Put up natural-looking screens
Privacy screens do exactly as their name implies, but they aren’t all aesthetically pleasing. Look for ones that are made from natural materials, like bamboo. They are dense enough to block out the view and the natural appearance doesn’t look out of the place in a garden.
3. Raise your fences
As obvious as it might sound, raising your existing fences is a great way to boost your backyard privacy. Some of your existing fences may have seen better days anyway, so you could kill two birds with one stone by replacing them with higher ones.
4. Add a water feature
Privacy doesn’t just relate to being seen by/seeing your neighbours. Hearing them is also a factor.
A great way to mask the sound of noisy neighbours and traffic is with a water feature. The sound of flowing water is excellent for screening out unwanted sounds and it’s relaxing to boot.
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