Green privacy screens are popular with creative homeowners as a way to frame the garden with a natural and decorative enclosure. Opaque garden plants are more durable than a wooden fence and cheaper than a massive garden wall. Immerse yourself here in a multi-faceted selection of floral guardians of your privacy in the garden.
Which plants are suitable for a green privacy screen?
Privacy plants can be evergreen, flowering or shade tolerant. Popular options include firethorn, large-leaved barberry, grand spar, noble lilac, butterfly bush, panicle hydrangea and blackthorn. Conifers such as arborvitae or rocket juniper provide year-round privacy protection.
Important preliminary considerations – How to make the right purchase decision
Garden plants only develop in all their splendor when the conditions are right. A sun worshiper in a shady location does not fulfill horticultural expectations any more than a shade flowerer does in the blazing sun. By answering the following questions in advance, you can effectively prevent disappointment:
- What light and wind conditions prevail at the location?
- Is there a problematic soil quality to consider in which only undemanding garden plants thrive?
- Should privacy protection be guaranteed all year round or should garden plants shed their leaves in autumn?
- Can it be a slow-growing green privacy screen or is a hedge with growth rockets desirable?
The trend is a step-like structured enclosure that provides hospitable views in the front garden with a hedge of low garden plants. A green privacy screen is first installed around the terrace, which shields the seating area from view.
Dream team for garden privacy screens with a defensive character
The first guard of privacy plants for your garden includes two ornamental trees that have all the important attributes for this demanding task. Evergreen foliage, lavish flowers, decorative fruit decorations and sharp thorns to protect against uninvited guests characterize the following two all-rounders:
- Firethorn 'Red Column' (Pyracantha coccinea) grows to a height of 200 to 300 cm and a width of 150 to 250 cm
- Large-leaved barberry (Berberis julianae) stretches 200 to 300 cm towards the sky and is just as wide
Both garden plants thrive in normal soil in a sunny to partially shaded location. It is therefore little wonder that the easy-care, pruning-friendly ornamental shrubs are often used as a front garden hedge. Anyone who adequately prepares for the strong thorns will have no problem with the annual shape and maintenance pruning.
Flowering privacy plants for sunny locations
For the garden facing south, a green privacy screen with colorful flowers and dense foliage is a popular option. Highly popular are tall-growing ornamental shrubs with a long flowering period that only shed their leaves late in winter. The following garden plants delight with a symphony of colors and shield the garden from prying eyes:
| Green privacy screen with flowers | botanical name | Flowering time | Growth height | Growth width | special feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnificent Piers | Spiraea vanhouttei | May to June | 200 to 300 cm | 100 to 200 cm | also blooms in partial shade |
| Noble Lilac | Syringa vulgaris | May to June | 250 to 350 cm | 150 to 200 cm | intense scent |
| Butterfly Bush | Buddleja davidii | July to September | 200 to 250 cm | 150 to 200 cm | fragrant butterfly willow |
| panicle hydrangea | Hydrangea paniculata | July to September | 150 to 250 cm | 100 to 150 cm | some varieties bloom in two colors |
| Blackthorn, hedge thorn | Prunus spinosa | March to April | 200 to 400 cm | 200 to 400 cm | ideal for the natural garden |
Shadow bloomers with a high privacy factor
To protect the garden from onlookers in a semi-shady to shady location, you don't have to forego the picturesque flowers. The following ornamental shrubs produce their colorful flowers even in low-light locations:
| Green privacy screen with flowers | botanical name | Flowering time | Growth height | Growth width | special feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver candlebush | Clethra alnifolia | July to October | 200 to 300 cm | 170 to 200 cm | profusely blooming with upright clusters |
| Purple Dogwood | Cornus alba sibirica | May and June | 200 to 300 cm | 150 to 250 cm | red shoots as winter decorations |
| Red Honeysuckle | Lonicera xylosteum | May and June | 200 to 300 cm | 200 to 300 cm | valuable bird food wood |
Green privacy protection at any time of the year – you can do it with conifers
Green privacy screens are not limited to woody garden plants with leaves. Traditionally, conifers serve as evergreen fencing in the garden. The 'Brabant' tree of life (Thuja occidentalis) is one of the public's favorites because it grows rapidly with up to 40 cm annual growth for a conifer.
The tree of life 'Smaragd' (Thuja occidentalis) proves with its golden yellow needles that conifers can certainly set colorful accents. Rocket juniper 'Blue Arrow' (Juniperus scopulorum) stands out with an elegant blue shimmer. Over the years, the slender garden plants reach a considerable height of up to 5 meters. Thanks to its gentle pruning tolerance, growth can be easily regulated.
Tip
Green privacy screen for the cottage garden pays respect to the historical concept by choosing authentic hedge plants. Tall berry bushes are a good choice here, such as the majestic bloodcurrant 'King Edward' (Ribes sanguineum). The pink-red spring flowers are followed by blue-frosted berries in late summer, accompanied by a dense robe of three to five-lobed leaves.