Oh, that ugly fence! Let me help you make it go away with these 5 great solutions.
You step out your door and gaze around taking in the view of your lovely backyard retreat. The retreat you spent countless hours working on, not to mention a ton of money, to make beautiful. And what does your eye behold? The neighbor’s six-foot wooden picket fence towering over the azaleas. At least four slats missing in every section. Broken pieces dangling. One whole section missing completely. Is that an old outboard engine laying there? They don’t even have a boat!
It’s very frustrating to put forth so much care and effort in your own backyard and then be thwarted by your neighbor’s complete lack of any care and effort. If the above scenario is what you experience every day, I have a list of awesome helpful ideas that allow your oasis to outshine their eyesore.
You can hide an ugly fence with strategic placement of:
- Plants
- Trellis
- Living Wall
- Vertical Garden
- Fencing
1. Plants
One great idea is tall potted plants. I absolutely love how they create such a dramatic, expensive look when done right. If you prefer you can choose a tall planter with a shorter plant, that works too.
There are many varieties of plants to choose from that will grow tall and thick creating a great privacy screen as well as camouflaging the neighbor’s fence.
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Bamboo is a beautiful plant that has many different varieties and is perfect for creating privacy. However it is a very invasive plant, the fastest-growing in the world, so in order to keep it controlled you really should plant it in a container. In fact, in many towns, it’s the law that it must be in a container. The growth is dependent on the size of the root ball, so a smaller container will allow for less growth.
The root system of such bamboo plant is entirely contained within an above-ground-level planter, barrier, or other vessel of such design, material, and location as to entirely prevent the spread/growth of the bamboo plant’s root system beyond the container in which it is planted.
Town Code Babylon New York
Morning Light Miscanthus grows 4 to 5 feet tall. Give this plant good drainage and full sun, and it will thrive, but be careful of the razor-sharp leaf edges they will cut you if you’re not. Flower plumes appear in late fall, ranging from red-bronze to cream tones with a fluffy texture.
Lemongrass has fragrant leaves and stalks and can grow up to 3 to 5 feet. When placed in a taller planter or raised bed it will create a dense aromatic screen. Sometimes dense foliage attracts mosquitoes but lemongrass has the added benefit of being a natural mosquito replant so you can relax in your yard with less worry about them feasting on you.
Dracaena are low-maintenance plants that can grow up to 10 feet tall in a container. They are not however a hardy plant. If you are just trying to hide a small area this may be a perfect choice. They require warmth which is why they are most commonly used as house plants and will need to be moved inside in most climates. If this is not an issue for you, their gorgeous green and white leaves will add drama to your yard.
Emerald Green Arborvitae never needs trimming and is one of the thickest evergreens you can plant. This semi-dwarf hedge tree grows 8 to 12 feet tall. It does need full sun but does great in cold weather Place them directly next to each other or alternate with another hedge to make your own unique look.
Boxwoods are versatile evergreen shrubs and are often used in topiary. Shaped into interesting forms like spirals, rectangles, and even elephants. The boxwood can grow 10 to 15 feet tall and will create a nice smooth hedge for a crisp, clean look.
Another fantastic and unique idea is to grow grapes. You”ll be able to hide the eye sore and your family will get to enjoy the grapes you’ve grown yourself. All you need is a trellis and some basic gardening know-how. You can receive an easy-to-use grape growing kit and video instructions by visiting MyGrapeVine.com.
Image Fastgrowingtrees.com
2. Trellis
A trellis is a framework designed to support fruit trees and climbing plants. It will make an excellent screen to block out the neighbors. Be careful with the plants you choose though, many such as Ivy will easily take over the yard.
I really love the idea of attaching the honeycomb trellis directly to the fence. It will be really beautiful when plants start to grow on it. It’s also perfect if you’re only covering a small section.
If you’re not the DIY type you can get some beautiful planter trellis combos online. Check out this lovely one on Amazon
3 and 4. Living Wall/ Vertical Garden
The terms living wall and vertical gardens are often used interchangeably. However, for a living wall, a frame is built in front of a pre-existing wall and attached at various points. The plants receive water and nutrients from within the vertical support instead of from the ground.
For vertical gardens, you just build a garden vertically. You can use any DIY material to plant in or buy a manufactured structure. You can mix different plants and planters to make a colorful floral garden or even a vegetable garden.
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5. Fencing
Placing a new fence in front of the ugly fence is not always the most economical option. But it is an option nonetheless. It’s almost a guarantee that the neighbor’s ugly fence is going to be 6 feet tall and nearly impossible to hide.
In this photo the neighbor’s fence is about 6 inches away from the existing chain link fence, making it hard to get at the weeds that find their way between the two fences.
The best thing to do here is to take down the chain-link fence before attempting to hide this 6-foot-tall fence. Place the new fence as close as you can to the neighbor’s fence to block out the light or it won’t be long before an Oak tree or a 10 feet tall Pokeweed is growing between them.
Placing a beautiful brand-new fence may encourage your neighbor to take down their ugly fence so they can enjoy your beautiful new fence at no cost.
If you decide to put up a very tall fence you will want to check with your local zoning board for height regulations. In my town, six feet is the highest a residential fence can be.
A fantastic way to cut costs and add some visual appeal is to stagger the fence height. Plan out a nice design that will utilize the more expensive taller sections of the fence where they are needed most.
Image: Instagram
Reed Fencing is a very pretty option that is also an economical choice. It really blends in with the landscaping and creates a more natural look than other fencing. If you can’t find it in your area click here to see it on Amazon
gardeners.com
Don’t give up and just live with it. Hiding that ugly fence should now be a piece of cake.
