Looking for Ideas - Backyard Privacy Screen
parehm
8 years ago
We have a new construction home in zone 8 that desperately needs some privacy along a 6ft privacy fence. Our neighbors behind me are up on a hill, so they look down in to our yard and home. Unfortunately our yard is small, so we couldn't just plant a big row of evergreens. I have tried a couple of ideas but haven't liked any of them so far (most recent is in the pictures below). Ideally it would be a mix of deciduous and evergreens. Privacy in the winter wouldn't be a huge concern, so evergreens aren't a necessity.
Also, the fence runs north-south. In the pictures below, there is a river birch in the far left, followed by a dogwood, then crape myrtle, then another dogwood in the far right corner. I am open to moving these and/or getting rid of them, along with the evergreens. The evergreens are carolina sapphire cypresses, spartan junipers, a blue point juniper, and a camellia. Again, I don't need to keep any of them.
I'm really looking for any ideas and/or possibly a draft design of something that may work. I have a hard time envisioning things, but once I have a good design I will have no problems implementing it. Thank you for any help you can provide!
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parehm
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Pics/ideas of privacy screens with trees backyards?
Comments (14)It's obvious you are a very loving & responsible doggie owner and that's wonderful! I have 2 dogs that play in the yard everyday and only recently learned that my aloe vera, Azaleas, Hostas & cyclamin, Chrysanthemums & Ivy are toxic to dogs, yet I've had them in the garden for quite some time. My next door neighbor has an avocado tree that hangs over into my yard and it has never been an issue. My biggest worry mushrooms! But as far as a screen~ I'll chime in with my suggestion~ Dodonaea viscosa cv. purpurea (Purple Dodonaea). You can almost plant it and forget about it. They are evergreen, very drought tolerant and fast growers and do well in our zone. They can get really tall & wide but not invasive at all. They need to be kept pruned (about once a year or every other year)for desired size & shape and to look their best when they get older, but are super easy to prune since the branches are spread out. A few cuts and your done. I think it would be nice for a cottage style as well because they are very informal looking. Just make sure you don't plant them in an area where you have other plants that require a lot of water because over watering will kill it. I have one in a long deep planter that's built in to my deck (approx. 3'deep x 8' long x 12" depth) and give it about 2-3 feet around the roots where I don't water as frequently as I do for plants at the other end of the planter. If you dont like the purple, there is also the green variety. Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreBackyard deck or patio? Need ideas for privacy and entertaining.
Comments (1)Most patios are set on a concrete slab or a sand and pebble base. Since patios are built at or around ground level, they don't require safety railings. While decks are primarily made of wood or a composite wood material or vinyl and often need railing. You have space in your backyard, you can make either deck or patio as per your choice....See MoreBackyard privacy screening options that blend into nature?
Comments (4)Thuga,(it's fast growing, 3-5 ft. per year) or some other tall thin arborvaete type. Nothing wrong with being a respectfull neighbor. Maybe have a conversation with the neighbors and see what they can JOINTLY plant to keep everyone happy. now is a great time to get started....See MorePrivacy Design Ideas for Awkward Backyard
Comments (21)You have some tough decisions to make about your deck or patio first. Start with your space needs (table size, firepit, grill, etc) and how you want to circulate from the house to it. Then design the softscape holistically with the hardscape (e.g. not only so they work in plan layout, but in addition to plantings at the easement line, maybe you want a partial screen or pergola built on a wood deck, or a planter box with some smaller sitting-height plantings with a patio). It looks like there is plenty of height to your first floor. A deck performs ok if it is at 16"-18" or so above grade, which should allow around 8" of air circulation underneath (which when lacking is the downfall of wood decks at grade). It would be good to take advantage of not needing guardrails (verify your AHJ max deck height) because with the basement stair guardrails and fall protection over the stair that would be a lot of visual clutter. The decisions involve where you access it, from the Family Rm only, wrapped around the corner for access only/also from the Mudroom in the same elevation, where it steps down to grade next to the sidewalk/garage, etc. A paver patio looks to have some tricky decisions as well. You never want to raise a patio more than a couple inches above grade anyway (the higher you go, the more expensive and probability of settling), and you have the fireplace bumpout which would hamper that anyway. You would have steps down from the Family Room, so if you don't want railings beyond 2 risers you have to have large landings in this small space. It also does not look like it can be at sidewalk elevation, so you will have a "3-tiered" space - porch, patio, and sidewalk - so plan for more steps and/or retaining walls. Also, the tree specimen looks like it would be problematic long-term that close to a patio. For a privacy plant screen, use your site plan to plot dimensions of mature-sized plantings. It seems like you will want good height if you have a deck and from cars approaching from the higher street. But from the pics (which might be deceiving), it doesn't look like you can fit much between the swale and driveway or swale and basement stair (and any roots would need be kept far enough away from the swale to not be sitting in wetness)....See More
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8 years agoparehm
8 years agoparehm
8 years ago- PRO
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8 years ago parehm
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8 years ago parehm
8 years ago
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