Don’t feel like prying eyes? These 15 plants not only look beautiful, but are also perfect as privacy screens for your garden.
For many, the garden is a place of retreat where you can relax. But when the end of work is disturbed by curious glances, the dream of a green paradise becomes a long way off. Garden owners often use privacy screens and fences to give their garden back a bit of privacy. The problem with this is that the fences protect against unintentional glimpses, but they often look ugly and destroy the natural atmosphere that we love so much in the place.
Instead, rely on plants as privacy screens – they not only block out nosy neighbors, but can even form a decorative highlight in the garden. You can find out here which plants are particularly suitable for a privacy screen.
- Privet
The privet (Ligustrum vulgare) has always been a popular hedge plant. No wonder: after all, it is considered extremely robust and easy to care for. In addition, the privet is mainly known for its rapid growth, so that you will soon no longer be sitting on the presentation plate when you are replanting. A privet hedge is also ideal as a privacy screen, because it shines with its densely branched growth and can reach a considerable height of three meters. The privet remains reliably green even in winter and thus ensures undisturbed relaxation in the garden.
- Horsetail
Horsetail (Equisetum japonicum) is particularly widespread as a pond plant. With its minimalist appearance and straight growth, it is also a great addition to modern architecture. Here it is not only a stylish eye-catcher, but with a height of one and a half meters is also suitable as a privacy screen. However, the horsetail should best be planted in a pot, because similar to the field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), which is known to many as a weed, the horsetail also spreads quickly and happily.
- Rhododendron
The rhododendron (rhododendron) is an absolute highlight in many gardens and the pride of their owners. Its large, beautiful flowers in particular make it a real feast for the eyes, but the evergreen leaves also have a high ornamental value. But the sensitive rhododendrons are not only impressive as solitaires: many varieties, especially those of the large-flowered hybrids, can also be planted as hedge, which not only offers optimal privacy, but also attracts everyone’s attention.
- Tree of Life
The tree of life (thuja) is a real long-running favorite as a privacy screen, even if many gardeners disparagingly refer to it as a “cemetery plant”. The tree of life has a lot to offer: With its dense, evergreen foliage, it is not only absolutely opaque, it also looks good. In addition, the plant is very adaptable and easy to care for. The tree of life also tolerates shaped pruning very well, but pruning is not absolutely necessary – the tree of life is a great addition to almost every garden.
- Ivy
Ivy (Hedera helix) is a true classic when it comes to greening walls and facades. But the climbing plant is also almost unbeatable as a privacy screen: Not only can it be used to transform unsightly privacy screens and walls, it is also suitable for blocking out curious neighbors’ glances. For this, the ivy only needs a climbing aid, on which it can climb up, and the plant forms a green wall within a very short time.
- Hornbeam
The hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is a real sham because, despite its name, the plant does not belong to the beech trees, but to the birch family. But you can’t be angry with the plant for long, as it is ideal as a privacy screen. In particular, its robustness and ability to regenerate make the plant so popular as a hedge. At the same time, the hornbeam offers a reliably opaque hedge for the whole year: the summer green leaves first turn yellow and then brown in autumn, but remain on the plant until the next spring.
- Yew tree
The yew (Taxus baccata) is also a real classic among the hedge plants. With its soft, dark green needles, it is not only a pretty eye-catcher, but also absolutely opaque. At the same time, the yew tree is considered to be very robust and insensitive and can easily reach an age of several hundred years. But a hedge made of yew is not only welcomed by gardeners: Many birds prefer the dense growth of the yew as a hiding place and retreat.
- Hydrangea
For many, hydrangeas and gardens go together like pitch and sulfur. So what could be better than using the pretty hydrangea not only as an eye-catcher but also as a privacy screen? In fact, hydrangeas can be grown quite well in high and opaque hedges if you are careful when choosing the right hydrangea variety: Farmer’s hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) are not as suitable as panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata), as they become taller and not yours when pruned Lose abundance of flowers.
- Elephant grass
Grass as a privacy screen? What sounds unbelievable at first is not magic. With a height of up to three meters, the elephant grass (Miscanthus x giganteus) is a real giant among the grasses and can be used wonderfully as protection against unwanted looks. At the same time, the giant Chinese reed, as the plant is also called, is absolutely easy to care for and is characterized by good winter hardiness, whereby it also scores with a pretty yellow color in autumn. Elephant grass is a great privacy screen, especially for gardens with ponds, because it loves moisture and can therefore also be planted on the edge of garden ponds.
- Wisteria
Anyone who believes that a privacy screen only has to be boring green has never seen the wisteria (Wisteria sinensis): From May to June, the plant impresses with a sea of purple-blue flowers that rightly attracts everyone’s attention. But even after flowering, the wisteria with its deciduous, pretty feathery foliage is a real ornament. However, since wisteria is a climbing plant, it needs a little help: a stable climbing aid is the be-all and end-all so that the plant can thrive as a blooming privacy screen.
- Cherry laurel
Evergreen glossy foliage and robust growth – anyone who sees the cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) for the first time knows immediately why the plant is so popular. With its pretty leaves and delicate flower panicles, the cherry laurel is a real gem in the garden and, due to its dense growth, is perfect as a privacy screen. At the same time, the cherry laurel is considered to be absolutely uncomplicated, easy to care for and easy to grow. It presents itself with a large variety of varieties, with the right variant for almost every garden and taste.
- Hibiscus
Are you tired of evergreen hedge plants but prefer something with a little more color? Then the hibiscus (hibiscus) is just right for your garden. Because although the garden marshmallow, as the plant is also called, is kept by many as a solitary, it is also perfect as a hedge. This not only serves as an optimal privacy screen, but is also a real feast for the eyes: From June to September, the hibiscus bears large flowers in the colors white to red to purple. However, you should pay attention to the choice of the right variety for hibiscus: Some varieties are extremely frost-hardy, so that the hibiscus can be overwintered outdoors. Unfortunately, other varieties are not suitable for the winter.
- Umbrella bamboo
The umbrella bamboo (Fargesia murielae) has long been a must in Asian-inspired gardens, but the plant is also finding a place in more and more German gardens. Hardly surprising, after all, umbrella bamboo has a number of advantages: Robust and hardy, the plant shows its fresh green foliage all year round and provides a Far Eastern flair. The majestic plant forms dense shoots and reaches a height of up to three meters – ideal for a privacy screen. Another advantage is that umbrella bamboo is extremely vigorous: within a very short time it forms dense foliage that not only blocks out unwanted views, but also dampens unwanted noises.
- Lilac
If you don’t just want a screen that flatters your eyes, but also your nose, you should definitely use the lilac (Syringa vulgaris). Especially the beautiful flowers that it wears from May to June make it a real eye-catcher. In addition, the lilac enchants with a wonderful fragrance that beguiles the senses. As a hedge, it is relatively undemanding and can reach a height of up to four meters. However, so that really no glances can find their way into the garden, the lilacs must be placed relatively close – the hedge only becomes really dense when there are four plants per meter.
- Ilex
Finding a privacy screen that should be beautiful, robust, uncomplicated and, best of all, versatile is not that easy. Fortunately, there is the Ilex (Ilex), also known as the holly: The uncomplicated plant grows by itself and also looks beautiful. The Ilex impresses all year round with its shiny, toothed leaves and its dense growth. In spring it also enchants with its white flowers that elegantly stand out from the dark foliage. The Ilex is particularly beautiful in winter – because then it bears fiery red berries, which bring a colored contrast to the otherwise white winter world.
