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Using Living Screens to Create Privacy

Northern Virginia Living Screens & Privacy

Looking to add a natural source of privacy to your backyard? Living screens may be your answer. Living screens serve double duty - they provide a sense of privacy and add natural beauty to your landscape. Living screens can consist of plants, hedges, trees, or vines strategically placed to section off your backyard from that of your neighbors.

Northern Virginia Living Screen Design

When selecting components for your living screen, first make sure they're appropriate for your property in terms of size, upkeep, hardiness, and sun and moisture requirements. If you need privacy quickly, opt for larger, mature plantings - but expect to spend more for them. A more budget-friendly route is to select younger plants, which are cheaper and easier to plant. For more immediate privacy, consider installing a trellis or pergola accented with climbing vines. Many vines can fill in beautifully in as little as a week to a full growing season.

Trees As Living Screens

Trees provide a great amount of privacy. When considering using trees as living screens, remember that deciduous trees drop their leaves in the winter, so most of your screen will disappear during that time. For year-round privacy, opt for evergreens. Be aware that evergreens, which include pine, spruce, and hemlock trees, tend to shed their lower branches with age, which can leave you with a screen more than ten feet off the ground, leaving the bottom ten feet open to your neighbors' view. Small trees such as magnolias, dogwoods, and palms are also popular choices for privacy landscaping.

Shrubs As Living Screens

Hedges and bushes are a great way to create a sense of privacy, as hedges can be as tall or short as you like. When planting hedges, leave extra space for full growth. Leave some spaces between hedges to create privacy but still allow for an inviting atmosphere. Large grasses and bamboo are wonderful privacy providers, but when planting bamboo, allow for enough space to accommodate bamboo's aggressive root system. Don't be afraid to mix and match - incorporating a number of different trees, hedges, or vines creates a sense of drama and dimension in your landscape.

Northern Virginia Living Screen Experts

Interested in learning more about living screens? Contact landscape design and construction specialist Second Nature, Inc. Located in Linden, Virginia, Second Nature provides a full suite of landscaping services, patio installation, deck and sunroom construction, and more to the entire Washington DC and Northern Virginia area.