They are kind of out of the way, so I wouldn't worry about them. But you could plant a circle of arborvitae a few feet away to hid them from view. Or install a lattice fence with a gate for access.

The pictures were taken from my patio, so it looks right at them! They drive me nuts, so I need some way to at least make them less noticeable.

You'll need to be able to get back to the utilities but they certainly don't need to be open all the time.

You'll also need to be wary of digging anywhere near them.

One possible solution that could prove useful in other ways:

You might consider building (with treated lumber) a pair of 6' tall (or taller) outdoor closets deep enough to be stable to not want to be tipping over and those closets could serve as your corner posts rather than digging into the ground.

Set a back corner of each of these about 4' from the house and build a fence (one as a gate) on each side connected to the corner and the house. Then build a fence between the two closets to block the view from the back yard looking toward the house.

Make sure the closets are sized/shaped to be sturdy and to meet your needs as to how you plan to use them. Also consider how they will be used as you decide in which direction they'd "face" or open (inside the fenced area or outside the fence toward the yard).

Such closets could be useful for trash cans and/or yard tools and/or toy cabinet and/or BBQ grill and/or outdoor furniture and furnishings and/or as a potting shed) depending upon how they are shaped and sized.

Alternately, you might be to create an extended overhang from which to hold a screen or "fence" or trellis that hangs from above to hold it in place rather than is attached to something set in the ground.

Lattice might work well for your fence rather than a solid one; however, a more solid fence facing the back yard held in place with the strength of a pair of closets (with the closet openings facing into the enclosure) and with a top and center ... or pair of center -- horizontal boards could be used to hang brackets for hanging baskets of flowers or bird houses or bird feeders or wind chimes, etc. There are a wide variety of brackets and planter holders available. Instead of the utility wall being an eyesore, the "fence" between the two closets hiding the utility wall could be the solid decorated wall of your new patio.

Love the idea, I'll see if I can find pictures for outdoor closets!

You might use something like this, perhaps square -- 4'x4' or 6'x6' .

https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/garden-closet-storage-project/

Ooh, I really like that... I'm still reading your last suggestion, are the doors opening out toward each other for two closets?

The doors of the closet would open outward but whether you face that door opening to the side or front or even back (toward the house) would depend upon how you plan to use it.

If you set the two closets back to back with space in between and faced the two closet doors to the side -- one toward the side yard and the other toward the porch -- they would be easier to access than having them opening into the fenced area. That would also give you a "parking place" between the backs of the two closets behind the fence for a BBQ grill or bicycle or other items you wouldn't put in the closet. That would be my preference.

Something like this could be built about six feet or so from the exterior wall of the house in the width you need to cover that section of exterior wall you want to hide -- setting four posts atop patio blocks rather than inset into the ground ... and you cold still add side gates to create a fenced in area behind it to block the view of the utility items from the side as well.

This might be a good space for a bench or swing for a conversation area apart from the patio farther away from the house.

https://www.thebackyardshowcase.com/blog/outdoor-design/privacy-pergola

Before you hide these in a closet you might check with utility companies that have to read your meters.

Google "hiding outdoor utilities" for lots of inspiration photos.

The idea is to have the free standing closets placed away from the house and usable as "posts" for a fence -- not against the house to hide the utilities INSIDE of a closet, lizziesma.

Your point is still a good one: it is always good to know precisely where any utilities are buried in your back yard before doing anything, even planting shrubs that require some digging. My objective was to avoid the necessity of any digging and keep the project easily removable.

The fence would be built connected to the closets and to the exterior wall of the house but safely to the side away from the utilities. You could walk behind the free standing closets between the meters and fence. The free standing closets would be set atop patio blocks -- perhaps removing just a few inches of turf to have the tops of the patio blocks level with the top of the ground -- no deep digging where utilities are buried necessary.

If the closets ever needed to be removed for a utility company to dig into the ground by the meter/utility access point, the digging could be done one each side of and beneath the fence, the bottom horizontal board of which would be hovering several inches off the ground ... not touching wet grass.

If the fence needed to be removed, it could be knocked off the sides of the closets with a hammer or, if attached with screws, simply removed w/a screwdriver/drill. Even the small closets themselves could be moved if truly necessary.

If you use closets purchased -- or if you build them -- you'd want "feet" on the corners to hold it a few inches off the patio block on which it could rest.. You could even build the feet/"post" on which each closet rests as porch posts are built.

https://www.amazon.com/Myard-3-5x3-5-Handrail-Railing-Support/dp/B01N0RTX30

First check with theutility companies since those meters need to be able to be read easily and honestly are part of everyones house be happy they are on the back side . I would be spending my money orn extending that deck and making it 2 levels with a much less need for a long set of steps.

Paint them all the siding color then plant trees. They will be gone in a season.

The picture must look misleading, at it's highest it is about 6' off the ground with only 7 steps off the deck. I took it from back on my patio with a wide angle, so maybe it's skewing it.

I do like the idea of trying plants first. My husband is gifted with carpentry skills and a garden closet would sure work, but it would be easier and more natural if I could find something that would grow in a damp, shady spot. Our lot is full of towering pine trees in the back and on that side, so it's hard for anything to grow. I'm not sure if I would want to add more trees, I only have 18' of grass between the house and the tree line.

Tree means lots of things. You need something that grows 10’ - 15’ tall so a large shrub would work. There are always varieties that grow in your region. Go to a good garden store (not big box) armed with more photos showing the area and they will have suggestions. I often use things like viburnum and trim them up into small trees (versus trimming the tops constantly into a ball) so I can underplant with ferns or annuals. Also don’t forget mulch- all plants love a nice layer of mulch

I'd do a fence that matches the horizontal wood beneath your porch.

Start by painting it all the same colour as your house. That is easy to do, and may be enough.

But if you need more, I am sure there are shrubs that would grow there. They would look nice from your patio too. Pick a spot 5-6 feet from the house, which is the middle of where you would plant a decent size shrub. How many hours of sun does that spot get? What time of day does it get sun? I see that your grass grows nicely there, and if you have enough sun for grass then you have enough sun for a lot of shrubs. Remember that you won't be planting it right against the house, and you'll be widening that bed to accommodate a large shrub.

Is the ground wet? Does water drain towards the house? Does that downspout empty in that area? Or is it just mossy because of the shade?

We could recommend plants/shrubs if we knew your area. Closest big city is the most useful info. I'm thinking a big hedge of 4-5 shrubs across the back of your house - the tall panicle hydrangeas, a big lilac, a mock orange.

Or just hydrangeas. Some great real-life photos in this thread. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5353737/just-another-limelight-hydrangea-hedge