Six ideas for garden screens

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Monday, 17 February 2020 at 8:36 am

Save

Do you need to create some privacy from neighbours in your garden, or are you looking for garden screening ideas to mask an ugly building or view? Or maybe you want to create a sense of enclosure around a seating area, balcony or roof terrace? You may also want to divide your garden into 'rooms'.

Screening plants are not the same as hedges - they usually take up less room, making them good for small spaces. They are also less dense, creating a hazy screen that allows glimpses through it. They are also less formal, and can change with the seasons, which means they give interest throughout the year.

From a grasses to a green wall, here are six ideas for garden screening.

Grasses

Grasses make an beautiful, gauzy and low maintenance screen. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' and 'Overdam' are excellent early season grasses, flowering in June. Or try miscanthus (pictured), which comes to its own in August.

Graceful, tall miscanthus fronds screening a window

Bamboo

Bamboo is a fast-growing, evergreen plant that is ideal for garden screening. Its roots can be invasive, so choose a clump-forming variety and plant in containers or troughs to tame them. Water regularly.

An attractive screen of bamboo

Green wall

There are now plenty of easy-to-install DIY systems that offer great value for money. Fixed to a garden wall or fence, it can transform a space, especially if it's close to a window, where plants will diffuse green light into the house. Find out how to create a living wall.

A living wall planted with green and bronze foliage and purple/blue flowers

Ivy divider

Pre-grown ivy screens are a cost-effective way to create an instant boundary. The ivy is grown on a wire frame, with the roots of the plants in a mesh and coir trough. The screen will be much narrower than a hedge, making it ideal for small spaces.

A narrow ivy screen grown on a wire frame, hiding the side of a wooden shed

Wildlife wall

A wildlife haven is easy to make using recycled materials such as pallets, waste wood, broken pots, old logs and straw. Place your haven in a shady spot to avoid drastic fluctuations in temperature - better for overwintering insects.

A decorative wildlife-haven wall made of old pallets, bricks and offcuts of branches and twigs

Fruit tree screen

An espalier trained fruit tree can make a beautiful and productive screen, giving blossom in spring and fruit in summer or autumn. Buy bareroot plants for planting in autumn and winter. Find out how to make a fruit tree screen.

An established espalier-trained fruit tree in bloom

Don't miss out this Winter

Enjoy expert advice on what to plant and grow this winter, and how to prepare your plot for the year ahead. Enjoy, 6 months for just £31.99

Subscribe now

Great gardening savings - straight to your inbox

Sign up to the BBC Gardeners’ World offers newsletter for exclusive deals, seasonal savings, and early access to special promotions.