With homes being built closer and closer together, it’s easy to feel like you’re living in a fish bowl. Houses are being built much larger, but the opposite is true for the lots! This can sometimes feel like you don’t have your own space. Fortunately, there are a lot of clever and attractive ways to create privacy in your yard, or on your deck. Whether you have a small or large budget, you can get creative with these yard privacy tips and potentially create your very own personal retreat!
Outdoor Privacy Screens
The biggest benefit of a privacy screen is that it’s less permanent than a fence and can be moved around the yard as you please. They are great for adding privacy to a small area without having to fence in the entire backyard. They are available to buy in just about every material, but you can also make your own!
Source: Pinterest
Source: Apartment Therapy
Tiered Hanging Pots & Vines
Add privacy and shade to a covered porch by layering hanging pots. Trailing plants like Ivy are excellent fillers, but just about any full plant or flower will work to suit the season. You can also plant fast growing vines in pots, attach rows of fishing line from the flower pots up to the porch cover, and guide the vines to grow up the wire. Flowering vines, like morning glory, can reach 20 feet in a matter of just a few months.
Source: Martha Stewart
Source: Garden Cams
Make A Garden Wall
Get crafty and make your very own garden wall! This not only serves the purpose of creating privacy, but also gives you more room to grow an herb garden by using vertical space, and could potentially mask an unattractive wall or neighboring home.
Source: Dirt Simple
Instructions: Kate Was Here
Outdoor Privacy Curtains
Just like in your windows at home, privacy curtains made out of outdoor fabric are an attractive way to create a little private retreat. They create privacy and shade just when you need it.
Source: Farmington Homebuilder
Source: HGTV
Lattice Panels
Lattice is really easy to work with and can be cut to fit just about any space. It is also ideal for growing trailing vines; an easy way to grow a wall of greenery.
Source: Brighton
Source: Houzz
Faux Ivy
Want or need privacy now? You can purchase faux ivy and place it along an iron fence or trellis. I love this idea for those iron fences that are sometimes a homeowner associate’s mandate where a wood fence is not an option.
Source: Improvements Catalog
Walls Of Plants
Although this can take some time to leave room for growth, a living wall of plants is the most beautiful way to create a quite retreat in your backyard. Tall and bushy plants are best for maximum privacy. Some good plants for this are Evergreen trees, Italian Cypress, Oleander, Skyrocket, Gold Cone, and Emerald. Check your area to see which plants will last all year round.
Source: HGTV
Source: Wayside Gardens
Tall Garden Pots
Garden pots can instantly add several feet of height to your plants, shrubs, flowers and trees. Place them close together to create a charming wall wherever privacy is needed.
Source: Houzz
Source: Apartment Therapy
Source: Houzz
Sound Barrier
Keep in mind, your privacy extends beyond sight. If you live in a close-knit community with your neighbors practically sharing the same yard, consider adding a water feature. This is especially nice if you live next to a loud and busy road with lots of traffic noise
