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👉️Winter Interest in the Landscape: https://youtu.be/_Jtfxi_0H2o
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👉️Landscaping Mistakes Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXY-JJidTXYVCm2_fvOjI_bYMXXsaagAh
👉️Privacy & Trees Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWJA1onk8H0&list=PLXY-JJidTXYXIL5XepGXzk1AJBzFS6Aho
Landscape Privacy Mistakes
Privacy is an essential element in any outdoor space. Yet, overlooking key aspects when designing for privacy can prevent you from getting that peaceful sanctuary you’ve been dreaming of.
In this video, I’ll share some of the most common privacy mistakes I see… along with effective solutions to creating a private landscape that functions and looks beautiful.
Mistake 6: Not Planning for Privacy
Mistake 5: Incorrect Tree Placement
Mistake 4: Not Considering Winter Privacy
Mistake 3: Not Addressing Noise
Mistake 2: Poor Placement of Entertainment Areas
Mistake 1: Waiting Too Long to Address Privacy
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🌷Helping you create a vibrant, manageable 4-season landscape that is uniquely you.🌷
I’m Amy and I help home gardeners design landscapes that are uniquely you.
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creating privacy in your outdoor space is one of the top considerations that I personally make when I’m designing a landscape for someone so in this video I want to cover some of the common mistakes that I see homeowners making and how to actually fix those my name is Amy and over up pretty purple door I help home gardeners design Landscapes that are uniquely used so let’s get into these top privacy mistakes right away mistake number six is not actually planning for privacy and I’ve noticed this a lot that not having the privacy you want in your outdoor space can actually prevent you from using it as much as you’d like so it’s a really important thing to think about and there’s two different types of privacy that you may need one is from noise and one is just a visual privacy barrier so think about what you actually need the Privacy from if you’re trying to drown out the noise you can do that with multiple rows of shrubs that can kind of absorb that noise coming in uh water features are also really great for stopping the noise that you may be hearing and there’s also the visual privacy so you have to think a little bit about where you’re going to be sitting or where you’re going to need the Privacy so if you’re using your outdoor space for sunbathing or eating outside those areas are the primary areas where you should focus the Privacy it doesn’t necessarily have to be a big row of trees or shrubs like along the property line you may be able to get away with just blocking privacy from those certain seating areas and then your space will function well and you won’t have to take up a lot of the area with just building a fortress around your house mistake number five is the incorrect placement of your privacy trees so again like I was saying before you may not need privacy in your entire property but if you do that’s totally fine too you can block out your entire yard and just do a row of privacy trees but again also think about where you could position these trees to block the majority of the noise or the majority of the views that you’re trying to prevent and a lot of times those trees when they’re put a little bit closer to what you’re trying to block they don’t need to be as large or as obstructive to view use and other things on your property just make sure that once you choose the type of privacy tree or other structure that you need specifically with tree placement you need to know about how close you need to plant them in order to get that privacy that you need so that they’re going to grow and they’re not going to be too close where they’re not healthy and they’re not too far apart where they’re not going to give you the Privacy that you need and there’s a lot of trees that will grow at different speeds and rates so make sure you look that up too and if you’ve seen any of my other videos you’ll see that fast growing Tre trees aren’t necessarily always the best option sometimes growing something that’s fast growing while something slower growing grows in is a good option because the faster the tree grows the shorter typically the lifespan of the tree is so those fast growing trees may look great but in 20 years they may be at the end of their lifespan and you’re going to have to start all over with privacy at that point mistake number four is not considering winter privacy when you’re choosing your privacy options for your yard so this is a big thing especially in colder climates where deciduous trees will drop their leaves in the winter this can leave your entire landscape feeling really exposed so you may want to think about using evergreen shrubs or other pieces of structure that will remain in the winter it’s not necessarily a deal breaker it really depends on how you specifically want to use your landscape if you’re okay with it being open all winter it’s totally fine to not use evergreen shrubs I do love the way they look in the winter and it adds a lot of winter interest to your landscape but again it’s not necessarily a necessity it’s really up to the individual person another thing to consider is that if you do have evergreen trees or shrubs on your property in the winter there’s a lot less light so the Evergreens can actually block the light from getting into your home which could uh kind of affect the heating cost of your home and things like that so if you’re okay with having it open in the winter it’s totally fine to use deciduous shrubs deciduous trees or grasses or things like that and then just have it open in the winter or if you want that beautiful winter interest and the Privacy so that you can use your space into the colder months you’ll want to go with Evergreens if you’re enjoying this video I invite you to check out my three garden design Secrets masterclass it’s a free video it’s about an hour long where I cover the top three mistakes that I see homeowners making and how to actually Remedy those and there’s lots of really cool examples and beautiful garden photos along the way so I’ll leave a link to that in the description below so you can check it out after this video mistake number three is not addressing noise on your property so I know it’s pretty easy to think about privacy and just automatically go to visual and who can see in and what you can see out but it’s really important to also think about noise when you’re creating your privacy plan this would be things like road noise or nosy noisy neighbors or different other sounds that may be kind of annoying for you to hear while you’re outside so definitely consider noise when you’re creating privacy and like I said a dense row of multiple shrubs can absorb quite a bit of noise and water features especially next to those areas where you want that privacy can really block out a lot of noise and make your backyard space a really peaceful Retreat where you’re not having to hear all of the noise and the construction and what the neighbors are doing so don’t forget about planning for noise privacy mistake number two is poor placement of entertainment areas so while you’re creating privacy in your space You should also be kind of planning your space around the most private areas that you have and that’s not just for privacy but also for Shades so think about that when you’re creating entertainment spaces for your property where do you have the best options for shade in the time of day where you plan to entertain uh where are people going to feel comfortable and not like they’re on display on your property so definitely plan out those entertainment areas based on the most private areas of your space I have an article that I’ll link to you in the description below about Garden rooms and how to create garden rooms and basically Bally it just talks about how rooms even if they’re outdoor have floors they have walls and they have ceilings so you could use these different features especially the walls and the ceilings to create that privacy that you need it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to have very large walls this is just a rule of thumb but there is the law of significant enclosure that says that people feel enclosed in an area when the height of the wall space is about 1/3 of the floor space of the property so if you have a patio that’s a 12x 12T space you really only need a wall that’s about 4 ft High which is 1/3 of that 12 ft in order for people to feel really comfortable and like they’re in an enclosed area so you don’t really need those huge privacy trees all the time to create that feeling of enclosure especially if you don’t have a huge privacy issue where you have people looking in from an upstairs window or something like that and mistake number one is waiting too long to address privacy issues in your property and I know that privacy can be expensive so it’s a thing that kind of goes to the Wayside but if you really need a fence you should really consider putting up a fence or I like to tell people that you can do privacy in phases so if you want to plant some fast growing trees or some temporary fencing for a while while you wait for slower growing trees or while you’re saving up for that better fencing that’s always an option to get that privacy right away and then in the next few months or a few years you can add to that privacy take those faster growing trees out when the other ones grow in or when you save up the budget to put in that larger fencing but privacy makes such a big difference in your property especially if you want to use it to its fullest potential so it’s definitely important to make that privacy happen as soon as you possibly can if you enjoyed this video I have lots of other mistakes videos on this channel along with several other videos that address privacy in different ways so I hope that you’ll keep watching I’ll put a couple options right here for you and I’ll see you over in that next [Music] video
20 Comments
Great info -Thanks – For small gardens, it is always a bit of a challenge and also with sloping sites that overlook your garden. The new aluminium pergolas can be helpful 4m x 4m and they have side curtains – great for instant privacy while the taller shrubs /trees fill in the natural look the borders over the following years.
Very timely video for me! My neighbor has 6 cameras with 4 overlooking my deck and backyard. I need privacy ASAP!
Good information! thank you. I just need some sound barrier in front of our bedroom window until my wife decides she needs hearing aids. She has to blast the TV volume. Our house and the neighbor's house aren't more than 20 feet apart.
Thanks really need help with my area. Will definitely book a consultation. Lots of front yard. Narrow driveway neighbors with 2 story house direct view into backyard.
I know it's an old joke but, when is the best time to plant a tree? Answer 10 years ago
Your points about considering how fast a trees grows and how close together trees should be planted are important ones to consider. Before we bought our house, someone planted four pine trees much too close together in the common area directly behind our back fence. In the 20 years we lived in the house, these pine trees grew from about 7 feet tall to taller than our three story house. The trees are so tall and thick, they block our view of the sky even from our top story. To top it off, the limbs cover over half of and the roots extend across our postage stamp size back yard. Because the trees had to be limbed up to allow garbage trucks through, we have no privacy. We can see directly into our neighbor's front porch and house, and she into our house. Over the years we've tried repeatedly to get the other property owners in our five-unit planned unit development to agree with removing the trees and replacing them with trees that suit the area. We've offered to cover the whole cost, still to no avail…. Moving seems to be the solution, unless the two neighbors move first.
I too have a neighbor who is hard of hearing. Even with the windows closed and the fan on, i can hear her television.
How do I find a landscaper designer in my area.
What if the noise that I'm trying to block is my neighbor's very loud water feature? It's not a peaceful sound for me at all. It just sounds like someone turned on the faucet and left it running. It's actually irritating to hear and I'm miserable! (Honestly, it makes me feel like I have to pee!) I just want peace and quiet and to hear the birds and the wind in the trees, not an artificial water fountain.
plants will not stop construction, leaf blower, or road noise. truly need a solid fence, or better yet, a stone wall! we really can't avoid all visual and audio noise, especially in cities and suburbs.
when i moved i was just so delighted to HAVE a yard that i wasnt thinking about privacy during my first planning.
i have found that one thing i drastically mis planned was how much the distance from the sidewalk/other windwo, and my window affected placement especially if the property slopes. the 5 to 6 foot tall shrub placed correctly blocks the view from my neighbors without blocking my window..
a suggestion for people like me… i dont use my yard as much in winter. the privacy on my windows from layers of bare branches is plenty- even if it doesnt allow for privacy out i the yard. so i really dont NEED evergreens.
if i did need winter privacy it would really only be for my windows, not the yard, so i could plan for strategic evergreens only.
but once warmer weather comes in? between all the people out and about on the sidewalks (more eyeballs) and me wanting to use my yard? thats when i need the most privacy, and so my currant bushes, roses, and vines are dandy.
oh, if you are planning on a firepit/BBQ etc? a "roof" over it also deflects the heat. a neighbor found out the hard way that even if the fire didnt reach their tree overhang, the heat was causing issues. (leaves and branches dying and scorching)
so be aware that if you use a tree for shade OVER a fire pit or cooking area, you need to either prune it for a lot of height, or be really aware of hos much heat you are putting out
When considering ‘noise’ privacy you should not only consider blocking out noise but also containing noise. Will neighbours be able to overhear private conversations taking place on your deck or patio?
Found this! Impressed! Great topic! I create private gardens for myself and family and friends who ask, but I don’t care to go beyond that … at all. I appreciate true professionals who do it, and from what I see with this first video from you, you’re the real deal. Thank you!
I grew up in a climate that was quite hot in the summer and very very cold in the winter with a couple of weeks of -40 C which is also -40 F. So you wanted sun in the winter but shade in the summer and placement of tree types was important. You wanted to shelter your house from the northerly winds in the winter months and allow southerly breezes in the summer. East/West orientation for sun was also important. Deciduous trees and evergreens are both useful for shade and wind shelter and considering your position of your house on the land and wind direction is important.
I planted one 5' cedar to see if it survives, then planned to buy ten more the next year. The cedar died, so I bought a different type of cedar, and now it's the third spring, cedar is still 5' and browning, and I still have no privacy barrier between my and my neighbour's front yards. I was recommended to put up more privacy fencing because my neighbour's front yard is only getting more unsightly as time goes on. Can't wait another three years for a hedge! Thinking of juniper instead of cedar, but what if I buy 15 of those and they die too! More 8' fencing might offend the neighbour, but at least I can put it up this summer. Hmmm… Wish there was a landscaper to hire around here.
Can you show us some fencing style options? Our yard is downhill from the neighbor and they can stand in their yard and see right over our 6’ fence down into our entire yard. I’m getting a green fence going but it’s expensive.
This is a perfect topic for my household right now. Thank you thank you!
Very nice ❤️