Tips for Hiding the Ugly Yard Next Door
Does your neighbor have an ugly backyard? Mine does and it totally
drives me nuts every time I step into my own my yard to feed the
animals, hang up laundry, or putter around in the yard. One way to hide a
neighbor's ugly backyard is with a wooden fence which can easily cost
several thousand dollars or more. There are also less expensive, more
creative ways to screen a neighbors yard as well. Here are a few of the
strategies I've used over the years to create a visual privacy screen
between our two yards.
Virginia creeper
This fast
growing perennial vine can grow 20 feet a season and is a fantastic
solution for anyone who needs quick privacy screening. Virginia creeper
is green in the summer, turns a vivid red in the fall, and will provide
dense screening from May to late October. I've planted several starts on
the boundary fence line and over the years have trained it to go up the
fence and over into his yard to block the view.
Temporary bamboo fencing
I love the look of Bamboo privacy fencing which is another great way
to provide screening while also giving me a place to hang metal yard
art, fishing nets, and other decor. Six-foot high bamboo fencing can be
purchased at most home improvement stores or through online garden
stores and runs approximately $100 for a 20 foot section.
Plant hanger
If you have a collection of shepherd crook" styled plant hangers like I
do, these too can be used to create screening. I set mine about 2 feet
apart and load them up with overflowing baskets of Ivy geranium which
blocks the view from eye level.
Set up an outbuilding
When I had a greenhouse built a few summers ago, I had it plopped down
5 feet off the side yard property line where it does a dandy job of
screening well over half of the neighbor's yard. If you have a garden
shed, metal tool shed, or even a child's playhouse, consider moving it
so that it can provide a visual barrier between you and your neighbor's
ugly yard.
Quick growing plants
Shrubs and
evergreen trees will also provide excellent screening from a neighbors
back yard but does take years to grow. I've taken to planting some quick
growing Pampas grasses on our boundary fence line which grows to
heights of 8-10 feet in a single year. Even though Pampas grass does die
back in the winter, the dead foliage will also provide privacy through
next spring. Other quick growing plants include bamboo and butterfly
bushes which grow so rapidly that many gardeners consider them invasive.
Screening your neighbor's ugly backyard is easier than you might
think. A combination of garden structures and quick growing plants is
all it takes to block an ugly view in no time at all.
