Some living privacy fences are composed of trees, shrubs, or plants like bamboo, while others use sturdy fencing underneath plants to keep pets and children inside the yard’s border. Loose structures can easily be made in most yards by using plants to create privacy fences with living walls.
What Is a Living Privacy Fence?
A living privacy fence is not always built with actual fencing, but rather, these fences serve as borders of lush, living plants. A variety of options can be utilized to create this type of fence in your space: Arranging tall plants, adding trailing plants to lattice, and even covering an existing fence with climbing greenery are all popular landscaping ideas for living privacy fences. Most commonly, gardeners and landscapers choose softscape options—meaning their living screen is composed purely of plants rather than including fencing materials. Softscape fences can include options like bamboo hedges, tall shrubs, or even planting a line of evergreen trees that maintain their look year-round. You’ll have more options if the area is sunny, as many shrubs and flowering bushes require at least six hours of sun per day. Choosing plants for privacy screens, however, doesn’t necessarily entail growing a hedge—or sticking exclusively with shrubs, for that matter. The “loose border” is an alternative to hedges. While hedges are usually homogeneous, a loose border can be composed of different kinds of evergreen and deciduous shrubs. If you have plenty of space, a loose border of shrubs may be a better option. In planning for a loose border, select shrubs that will attain your desired height and width. Living privacy fences formed with loose borders should be layered for maximum effect: That is, put your tallest plant selections (like tall shrubs) in the back row, shorter shrubs and tall perennials in the middle row, and your shortest plants in the front.
Pros and Cons
A living privacy screen does not have to be a hardscape fence, although hardscape options do hold an advantage over their softscape counterparts for two reasons: However, planting living privacy fences is often preferable to hardscape fencing thanks to their lower costs, attractive look, and customization options. Depending on the plants you choose to incorporate into your design, your living screen may have seasonal variations from spring flowers to autumn foliage. When it comes to options like hedges, your living fence can even be pruned into any shape of your choice. An added bonus: Zoning restrictions don’t apply to living screens as frequently as to hardscape walls, so these options can be much easier in jurisdictions with strict fencing laws.
Design Factors
It’s important to consider the height, width, and type of fencing you need. The care requirements for your plants will also play an essential role: If your yard is mostly shaded, plants that need partial sun are best. Likewise, a sunny backyard might cause the plants to become scorched if they are not suitable for growing in direct light. When it comes to designing your fence, you can choose between hardscape, softscape, or a combination of both options.
Hardscape and Combination Fences
In choosing living privacy screens, remember that hardscape and softscape don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Combination fences offer an actual fencing border under or behind the plants to keep pets and children safely inside the yard without exposing the fence underneath. Hardscape fences like chain-link or masonry walls that are already installed can be landscaped with vines for a more attractive look. Climbing roses, like vines, can also be used for this purpose.
Softscape Fences
Shrubs make great candidates for living privacy fences, and there are many options for landscapers to choose from. Some shrubs can be shaped like hedges, while others can be left alone to assume their own form in a low-maintenance loose border. Consider the form of the shrub and any color varieties in its flowers and foliage. To choose the right plants for your loose border fence, it’s helpful to use similar principles to designing a flower bed:
Place plants of the same type in odd-numbered groups. Even-numbered groups suggest an attempt at symmetrical landscape design, which doesn’t suit a loose border.Use repetition to tie different areas of the border together. For instance, if you planted a group of three delphiniums in one portion of your middle row, repeat (with the same color delphinium) somewhere else in that row.
Hedges are another popular choice for privacy screens in small-yard landscaping where space is limited. When trimmed consistently, a hedge can serve as a true “living wall” without taking up much horizontal space. The trade-off, of course, is in the added maintenance. This is also true for shrubs with dense growth habits. We’ve gathered a variety of living privacy fence options to help you decide what’s best for your outdoor space.
