Create the view you want with privacy landscaping
I had done a lot of research into privacy landscaping before we even moved into our newly constructed corner house.
Our lot and backyard is angled out so that it is in full view of the street.
We needed a fence right away to keep our then puppy and small kids from wandering into the street but didn’t like the look of the 5 or 6 foot privacy fences.
We decided to put up a 4 foot shadowbox fence for containment and put a fast growing line of shrubs in front of that to soften the look and give us the additional height for privacy.
To be able to afford the 12 bushes we needed for this living fence, we ordered from a catalog.
They were less than a foot high but they have grown to over 9 feet high in just 7 years.
If you want more immediate privacy, you can put up a trellis and cover it with morning glories or any other annual vine. This idea works better for a smaller area you are trying to hide rather than for an entire side of a house.
Classy Groundcovers is a great online source for vines and comes with first rate customer service.
A deciduous bush is one that drops its leaves in the fall and therefore, offers only seasonal landscaping for privacy.
An evergreen shrub typically grows slower but gives you that privacy all year round.
Privacy landscaping can also function as a wind break that can shelter your house and yard from severe winter winds.
If it happens that you might have a pergola or arbor of some kind, a wisteria or grape vine will climb up the side and drape over the top of the pergola and block the view from up top. This can be a very dramatic look. Wisteria grows thick and heavy though, make sure your structure can withstand it.
If you are intimidated with the cost of a pergola kit and would like to see how to build a pergola yourself, we have information for you on how to do that.
If you don't want a structure where you want to block an overhead view, try a horizontally spreading tree. Mimosa,pagoda dogwood or a Chinese pistache can accomplish this.
Maybe you want privacy landscaping to hide a section of your yard like a pool area or utility box.
Some waist high shrubs can accomplish that without totally separating your yard or there are many ornamental grasses that grow to a full height of 4-5 feet within a season or two. Maiden grass is one of my favorites. They are dark green with seed heads that develop in late summer and remain there through the winter.
They divide well after a couple of years so you can spread them throughout your landscaping.
Here are some faster growing, taller deciduous shrubs that when planted in a row creates a screen.
Not all will grow in your planting zone. Check your zone here.- Euonymus alatus (burning bush)
- Acer campestre (hedge maple)
- Berberis (barberry)
- Forsythia
- Cotoneaster acutifilius (hedge cotoneaster)
- Viburnum (many varieties)
- Spiraea vanhouttei (bridal wreath)
- Lonicera (honeysuckle)
- Syringa (lilac)
- Phyllostachys (bamboo many varieties)
- Ligustrum (privet)
And some evergreen varieties…
- Thuja (arborvitae)
- Buxus semipervirens
- Juniperus (juniper)
- Cupressus (cypress)
- Ilex (holly)
- Taxus (yew)
- Pyracantha coccinea (scarlet firethorn)
- Elaeagnus pungens (silverberry)
You can plant shrubs in either the spring or the fall.
Spring gives them an entire growing season and fall can often reward you with bargain priced plants as the greenhouses want to clear their inventory before winter.
Planting in the summer can put too much stress on the plant, don’t do it then unless you must.
Grass is a fierce competitor for water and soil nutrients.
Especially if you have very small plants, make sure you dig out any grass in the planting area giving the bushes a nice bed to grow in. Surround them with wood or straw mulch at least for the first year or two while keeping the grass out. This will give the roots a chance to establish without having to compete for water and soil nutrients.
Once the bush grows to its full height, chances are it will throw enough shade to keep the grass from being able to grow under it.
When you plant for privacy landscaping, you’ll want to keep the shrubs in a line.
Lay a rope or hose down to keep the line straight and guide you as you dig the holes.
To create the privacy landscaping plants should be 6 to 12 inches closer than the tag recommends.
Make sure you give them ample room in front of any fence or structure you may have behind them.
Dig each hole as deep as the pot and maybe twice as wide. It certainly doesn’t hurt to add some compost or top soil to the area you’re planting in but it usually isn’t necessary.
If your plants are quite dry in the pot, give them a light watering just so you don’t break off too many roots when you take them out of the pot.
Give the pot a squeeze to loosen the dirt a bit then turn the pot sideways or completely over if you can do that with one hand. Catch or very gently tug the bush out of the pot.
If it just won't come out, slice down the pot with a box cutter or knife and slip the root ball out through the side.
The roots will probably be somewhat compacted.
You can gently tease them loose or if it’s a good sized plant, sometimes cutting the root ball a bit with the edge of your trowel helps them realize they are no longer in the pot and can begin growing.
As you backfill the dirt into the hole, let the hose trickle water in to get all the air pockets out. A root caught in an air pocket will quickly dry out and will not recover. Too many of these will kill the plant.
After you have the whole row planted for the privacy landscaping effect, put your soaker hose on them or give them a nice slow watering for about an hour.
A layer of wood mulch or leaves will keep the roots from drying out and will help keep the weeds and grass from growing back in.
Newly planted bushes need a little extra water the first year in the ground until their roots are better established. A long weekly watering is always better than a daily drink.
