Creative Ways to Add Privacy to Your Yard

Discretion is not always a given in the modern world – especially if you have a large open garden and a handful of nosy neighbors with a special weakness for spying, snooping and rumor-mongering. Still, there are some simple ways to remedy this common contemporary problem and protect the privacy of your home and backyard without having to move house, file lawsuits or endure lengthy neighbor-to-neighbor arguments.

Time to drop the curtain: Outdoor drapes

If you can’t fight the feeling that your neighbors are often minding your business instead of their own or that the passers-by are glancing over the fence straight into your backyard just a tad too frequently, maybe it’s time to put up some curtains in your garden. Although commonly associated with interior design and indoor areas, drapes can be used out in the open as well – just choose the right suspension points like porches, cabanas, gazebos, balconies or heavy-duty non-rust rods, pick the materials that are both durable and pleasing to the eye and get some long outdoor curtains to frame your garden and ensure maximum sun protection and privacy all year round. When selecting the outdoor drapes, it’s best to go with weather-resistant flowy materials and natural colors that filter light – and nosy looks – without appearing too tacky or distracting.

The inner artist: Panels and walls

Always felt you had a flair for painting but never got to work on it? Now you can use your talents and skills to design a creative and original panel or wall and divide your backyard dominion from your neighbor’s garden empire. In addition to protecting your secrecy, decorative panels and fences also offer an interesting focal point in your outdoor area and embellish the garden with your personal artistic touch. Use wood, concrete, bricks or stones and build the barrier, then grab some cans of permanent paint and let your inner artist out to play – or, if you don’t really feel like getting all covered in multicolored stains and blots, check out home improvement stores and purchase some ready-made decorative panels to keep your yard stylish, pretty and free from nosy looks.

The bird’s eye perspective: Tents and shade sails

Sometimes privacy pests don’t lurk on ground levels only – for example, your neighbor snoop may be dwelling on one of the upper floors of the multi-storey building next door and there are no panels or drapes high enough to ward them off. If you want to do away with unwanted garden onlookers from above, you can try and set up a portable tent, pavilion, arched trellis or some shade sails in your yard. Apart from protecting your privacy, these pieces of outdoor furniture will also provide optimum sun protection and create a pleasant shade in your garden on hot summer days. In case you opt for pergolas with waterproof roofs, you will also get a secluded dry spot for outdoor fun and joy even on rainy days – now that’s a neat way to kill more than two birds with one stone, wouldn’t you say? And if you’re looking for even more out of your garden kicks, go with tents with zippable mesh windows and removable side panels to create a genuine indoor feel and a cozy secluded room in your backyard.

The big screen: Shrubs and hedges

In case you’re not a big fan of garden decorations and outdoor furniture, you can always go with the gifts of nature: instead of putting up various visual barriers in your garden, you can get some seeds to plant along the edge of your plot of land and create a leafy screen to keep your backyard business solely to yourself. Or, if you don’t want to wait for a year or two for your thick hedge to grow, you can purchase various potted plants, creeping vines or climbing shrubbery and place them along the perimeter of your yard to build a natural green screen. In case you’re not so confident when it comes to your spatial planning skills, you can hire a professional landscape artist to carry out a comprehensive garden overhaul, plant some trees, decorate the perennials with unique flower additions, install some natural overhead waddle or put up a vertical garden in your backyard. Custom garden designs will probably give your neighbors a good reason to show some awe, envy or even competitive spirit - before you know it, you neighborhood may turn into a small landscape oasis of a kind.

We all love our neighbors, for as long as they know the limits of our courtesy, patience and temper. Nevertheless, privacy is sometimes a privilege of a kind in big cities and in case arguments with your fellow citizens who are a bit too curious about your outs and abouts don’t produce the desired results, you can always pull out some outdoor drapes, decorative screens, natural foliage, potted plans or weatherproof pavilions to keep your backyard safe, pretty and out of nosy looks’ way. You can experiment with garden furniture and props, have some landscaping fun, use your green thumbs, or even hire pros to revamp your yard – just whatever you do, make sure you don’t shoot your neighbors.