With the goal of as undisturbed peace and privacy as possible on their own garden plot, many hobby gardeners ask themselves which hedge offers the best protection from prying eyes and at the same time does not require more care than absolutely necessary. The answer to this question depends on various factors.
Which hedge is suitable as a privacy screen?
A good privacy hedge combines dense growth, low maintenance and an aesthetic appearance. Evergreen plants such as thuja, cherry laurel, privet, fir, spruce or yew provide permanent privacy protection. Alternatively, climbing plants or bamboo create attractive, space-saving solutions.
Advantages and disadvantages of natural privacy protection solutions
It doesn't just depend on legal regulations whether a property is bordered with relatively permanent structural measures such as a stone wall made of gabions, or whether the natural character of a garden designed for relaxation and nature experience is taken into account by planting a living fence will be carried. In many cases, a natural privacy screen does not provide total privacy protection in the sense of an opaque wall temporarily or permanently, but living privacy screen variants can score points with positive effects on the flora and fauna as well as with a very pleasant and attractive aesthetic. Which hedge ultimately surrounds your own garden and turns it into a haven of relaxation and seclusion is decided not least by the following parameters:
- the site conditions in the garden (temperature, soil, lighting conditions)
- the growth behavior of the selected hedge plants
- the price as well as the number and size of the hedge plants to be used
- the relationship with the neighbors
- the available space
Privacy hedges with evergreen foliage and needles
The absolute standard catalog of proven evergreen hedge plants includes some plant species that have shaped the visual aesthetics of suburban settlements for decades:
- Thuja occidentalis (in its various subspecies)
- Cherry Laurel
- Privet
- Fir tree
- Spruce
- Yew
There are also other hedge plants such as the beech, whose leaves remain on the branches after they die until new growth appears, thus ensuring a relatively opaque characteristic of corresponding privacy hedges. Before planting an evergreen privacy hedge, you should ask yourself certain questions when choosing a plant, not only with regard to the local conditions, but also with regard to the amount of care required. This also includes the growth of the selected hedge plants; after all, a relatively precisely cut thuja hedge may require labor-intensive pruning about two to three times a year. Spruces and firs should only be used for a deliberately high level of privacy protection, for which a sufficiently generous area is available in terms of plant width without the risk of root damage.
The alternative privacy hedge is creative and innovative
Which hedge should gardeners with a very small garden plot or plant lovers limited to their own balcony or terrace choose? Flowering climbing plants require very little floor space, usually grow very quickly and, as annual or perennial climbers, can be flexibly created and staged as a privacy hedge with the appropriate climbing aid. A natural privacy screen made of bamboo can also be considered if the appropriate root barriers are provided in the soil for heavily proliferating subspecies. A fence woven from willow branches also requires hardly any floor space and can be set up quickly and cheaply and used as an attractive, natural privacy screen for several years.
Tip
In many terraced house gardens, space is already limited and should be used sparingly for the various aspects of garden use. A flowering privacy wall made of climbing climbing plants not only offers isolation from traffic noise and curious onlookers, but also provides food and habitat for valuable beneficial insects such as beetles, wild bees and parasitic wasps.
