In order to feel really comfortable in your own garden and on the terrace, you have to think of suitable privacy protection solutions. This doesn't necessarily have to be a wooden privacy fence - a lively green wall made of flowering bushes and dense trees can also create privacy and be a real eye-catcher. Which plants as privacy screens are best suited to your garden? Today we present you a short list of plants that could help you choose the right privacy plants.
Evergreen or flowering plants as privacy screens?
At theChoosing your privacy screenYou should familiarize yourself with the different characteristics of the plants beforehand in order to choose a hedge that suits you and your needs. Are you looking for a particularly fast-growing hedge plant that stays green even in winter? Or is it important to you that the hedge grows narrow and doesn't take up much space? Are you interested in classic hedge plants that don't lose their leaves even in winter, or fragrant hedges that pamper you with colorful flowers in the warm seasons? If you love variety, you can also combine evergreen and flowering trees, for example hibiscus andPrivets.
Classic hedge plants
Privet, hornbeam, yew, cherry laurel, thuja and boxwood are among the classic hedge plants that are very popular among garden owners. All varieties are evergreen, robust and hardy, but some have different needs and characteristics. The big disadvantage of yew hedges, for example, is their slow growth and the fact thatYew fruit seeds and needles are poisonousare. For this reason, planting yew trees in a garden with children and pets is not recommended.
When selecting hedge plants, the length of the planned hedge must also be taken into account because there are various recommendations as to how many plants are needed per meter of hedge. If fast-growing plants are planted too densely, the dimensions of the garden will soon be exceeded. What preparations need to be made and how you can plant your privacy screen yourself step by step,read here.
Narrow hedge plants
Even with a small garden, it is possible to have a beautiful natural privacy screen. Tight, upright growing, columnar coniferous trees are perfect for creating a narrow hedge. The following varieties are ideal for this:
- Säuleneibe Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata Robusta'
- Tree of Life Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald'
- Columnar cypress Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Columnaris Glauca'
- Blue rocket juniper Juniperus scopulorum 'Blue Arrow'
climbing plants
Climbing plants on a trellis or on the patio roof also provide good privacy protection. The classics include ivy and clematis, but there are a variety of hardy climbing plants that can shield your home and garden from view. The real hop (Humulus lupulus), for example, is relatively undemanding, fast-growing and canaccording to “Family Home and Garden”live up to 50 years. Unfortunately it is not wintergreen, meaning it can only serve as a privacy screen from May to September.
fast-growing ornamental grasses
If you want to bring a piece of Asia into your garden, you can choose bamboo as a privacy plant. As a hedge, they are robust, hardy, fast-growing and can easily be cut into the desired shape and height. Bamboo plants are green even in winter and therefore offer the ideal privacy protection all year round. Basically, a distinction is made between bamboo with and without runners. The Fargesia bamboo varieties develop compact clumps, while the Phyllostachys species form underground root runners and can therefore spread quickly throughout the garden. This is usually prevented with a rhizome barrier. The grove-forming Phyllostachys are particularly suitable for tall hedges because they grow to around 3 to 5 meters high. One of the most popular plants is bambooFargesia Rufa, but due to its overhanging growth habit it takes up a lot of space. The slimmer bamboos are for narrower hedgesFargesia robusta Campbell,Fargesia jiuzhaigouandFargesia nitidaideal.
Miscanthus (elephant grass) is a good alternative to the bamboo hedge. The densely growing giant grass grows to a fascinating height in a short time and is one of the tallest grasses ever. Please note, however, that the ornamental grass also spreads like clumps via rhizomes and therefore needs a root barrier. Alternatively, you can use mortar buckets without a bottom in the bed. The variety is well suited for a hedgeMicanthus sinensis Silberfeder, which grows up to 2 meters high.
Mobile privacy screen with plants in a pot
Plants in pots are also suitable as protection from prying eyes because they can be easily moved back and forth on the terrace. If you are a fan of DIY projects, then you can try building such a mobile flower box with a trellis yourself. A combination of climbing and flowering plants is recommended for planting. The climbing plant should grow up the trellis while the ground cover shades its base.
When choosing the right plant varieties, it is important to pay attention to the needs of the respective plants. How much sun and what soil does the plant need? If the privacy screen is needed on the north side in a shady location, then the following types are particularly suitable:Holly Ilex maservae, yew Taxus baccata, cherry laurel Prunus laurocerausus Rotundifolia, evergreen viburnum Viburnum rhytidophyllum, black-green privet Logustrum vulgare Atrovierens and hornbeam Carpinus betulus.
Privacy protection plants that can tolerate full sun are suitable for the south side. The following varieties are good to choose from for such locations:Liguster Vulgare Altrovierens, Berberitze Berberis thunbergii, Feuerdorn Pyracantha coccineaandLeyland-Zypresse X Cupressocyparis leylandii.
To avoid any trouble with your neighbors about the boundary distance between trees and hedges that are too close, you must find out in advance about the regulations in your federal state. Neighborhood law regulates border planting and determines which types of shrubs and trees are allowed to stand how close to the fence and how far plants of a certain height must be planted from the property line. In most federal states, a hedge height of 2 meters is permitted with a planting distance of 50 centimeters.
