Garden Screens
Whether they take the form of a hedge, fence, trellis with climbers or a strategically placed tree, screens are an essential part of our gardens. In this post we explore how different types of screens can be used for different purposes.
Garden screens are an essential element of any garden design, and can serve a range of different purposes. These include:
- Preventing neighbours or passers-by seeing into your garden
- Hiding a less than lovely view when looking out from your garden.
- Dividing the garden and creating ‘rooms’ within a larger design
- Adding interest to the garden through choice of materials, whether that be trees, shrubs, wood or metal.
Screening for Privacy
Being overlooked is the reality for most people living in urban areas with houses on either side, or gardens immediately backing onto a public space.
Trees and Shrubs
Well placed trees or shrubs can be used to create screening from neighbouring buildings or unwanted vistas. A single strategically placed tree can also screen from an unwanted sight line into the garden – such as a neighbouring window.
Hedging
Traditional hedging can be used for low level screening such as neighbouring gardens or public footpaths.
If you would like the privacy that traditional hedge screening gives but don’t want to encroach too much on your space, pleached trees can be a great alternative. Pleached trees are normally grown with 1.8/2m clear stem with a good framework of foliage and can be planted quite densely, giving you instant screening. There are many varieties available but evergreen is often preferred. This is a more expensive option but will give almost instant privacy.
Screening Within the Garden
Screening is often required within a garden to hide less sightly elements such as storage sheds, outbuildings or bins. Decorative trellis as a frame for growing climbers up gives a beautiful but practical solution. If the design is in a more contemporary style, venetian slatted screening has lovely clean look.
Using Screening as a Design Feature
The use of screens to loosely partition and create rooms within a design can really transform a space, whether it’s by blocking a view, creating a vista, or forcing the eye toward a focal point.
Screening around seating areas can give the space a more intimate private feel by blocking it from view of the rest of the garden.
Adding Interest through Choice of Materials
If made with a striking pattern or material, screens can become a feature of their own and will affect the look and feel of your garden.
Living screen materials such as shrubs and trees and non-living screen materials such as wood and metal can all be used to different effect.
Whatever the size of your garden there are a huge range of screening options to make your outdoor space a private tranquil oasis. If you are interested in adding screening to your garden we’d love to meet and discuss your project in detail – book your free no-obligation garden consultation today.