Landscaping for Privacy Using Screens, Lattices, Fences, and Block Walls
If, in your search for landscaping for privacy, you seek something a bit more substantial, there are many excellent options for installing hardscape solutions to achieve backyard privacy.
1. Screens
The least expensive and permanent way to provide privacy for a deck or yard is the screen. This is an easy weekend “DIY” project. Screens are accessible through many different retail stores from hardware stores to places like Pier One and Cost Plus World Market. They vary in size, color, design, type, and material.
Gardens that are designed to evoke the calming state of a Zen garden benefit from the use of a screen for privacy. They can be beautiful and authentic. Our one suggestion is that when choosing a screen for privacy, you pay close attention to the kind of material of which it is made and keep in mind the way the weather will affect it.
For example, a landscape that faces the western sun or that is particularly wet will age your screen faster than a shady dry area. Always make sure that the screen material you purchase is meant for outdoors. In most cases, the manufacturer will note this on the box or in the store.
2. Lattices and Fences
Boundry Wood Fence with Climbing Roses
Lattices can also be “DIY” projects, if purchased at hardware stores. A lattice is any ornamental framework made of a crisscross shape out of an arrangement of crossing “laths” or slight strips of material. They come in prefabricated sizes and thickness and are usually ready to be painted. Be sure to treat the material with a sealant and primer before painting.
In our landscapes, we prefer to use lattices as part of fencing structures for privacy. We build our own lattices, and we like to combine them for a custom look that will remain beautiful for many more years then the prefabricated versions.
We often use them near hot tubs or in areas where a screen is more preferable than the closed look of a fence. They can be particularly effective in “secret garden” type landscapes. They tease the senses with a peek at the opposite side while still providing shelter from the elements. They are also great options for sweet scented vines like climbing roses, sweet peas, and pink jasmine.
