- Do not underestimate the space required by privacy hedges
- Solid privacy screen variants made of different materials
- Provide privacy with a narrow screen made of plants
In a rather compact garden, it is often not easy to create the necessary privacy for a relaxing atmosphere. In order to find the right balance between isolation and openness in the design, different materials and plant species should be considered.
A wooden fence with plants offers a naturally beautiful privacy screen
Do not underestimate the space required by privacy hedges
Privacy hedges are usually planted as young plants as a natural privacy screen, which then only provide the desired privacy effect over the years. However, this procedure not only means that the respective garden owner has to be very patient. The space required by mature plants such as cherry laurel and spruce is often underestimated to such an extent that later space problems are unavoidable. Tree and shrub-like hedges are usually at least one meter wide, but can also claim a width of around two meters in old age. With the all-round edging of a garden with a side length of 10 x 10 meters, this results in a hedge length of 40 meters and thus a minimum space requirement of around 40 square meters. This area should generally be used more sensibly in a small garden.
Solid privacy screen variants made of different materials
There are different ways to optically delimit a garden plot with solid materials and at the same time to protect it against lateral gusts of wind:
- Wooden privacy screens
- Screen walls made of durable textile fabric and mesh materials
- Natural privacy screen variants made of branches
- Stone walls made of natural stones, concrete or bricks
- Composite privacy walls made of stone baskets (gabions)
But there are also reasons that speak against the listed privacy screen variants. High costs, local building regulations or an insufficiently stable subsoil can often be arguments against these quite massive types of privacy screens.
Provide privacy with a narrow screen made of plants
The widespread hedge plant Thuja occidentalis Smaragd grows upright in a columnar shape and rarely gets wider than about half a meter at the base without regular pruning. A living privacy screen can also be realized with an appropriate climbing option and attractive flowering climbing plants. With a rhizome barrier or in pots, various types of bamboo can not only provide privacy in a decorative way in the Japanese garden.
tips
The focus of the trend in “urban gardening” is on the horizontal cultivation of different types of fruit and vegetables, since only a small amount of space is required for this. Strongly climbing beans are suitable as a seasonal privacy screen and bring a delicious yield. If you prefer a more permanent variant, you can also have a climbing aid entwined with vines or hardy kiwi plants.