Privacy-Enhancing Landscaping Ideas for Your Backyard

While sunbathing in your backyard or lounging by the pool, the last thing you want is to be completely visible to your neighbors. Backyard privacy is ideal for most homeowners as it can create an enclosed space, which perpetuates the feeling of a safe environment. When determining how you will achieve backyard privacy, consider a few things.

Barrette Outdoor Living says besides having privacy for yourself, building something like a lattice fence can help hide anything that might make your backyard seem messy. This could be trash cans, recycling bins, AC units, or anything else you may have stored underneath your deck. This Old House says there are plenty of ways to create privacy: hedges, stone walls connected to fencing, layered privacy planting, container gardens for privacy on your deck, and more. We’ve selected a variety of designs for you to peruse through and, hopefully, find what will work best for you.

1. Backyard getaway

backyard with fence and plants

scaliger/iStock

Have your backyard feel like an escape from outside responsibilities, with fencing borders and a mixture of your favorite plants. The swing seating is a comfortable spot to lounge, allowing you to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

2. Add more greenery

backyard privacy with trees

Kyryl Gorlov/iStock

Add more greenery to your lawn by framing it with hedges. Their simple design won’t attract much attention and will blend with the overall scenery. 

3. The original

white picket fence

Nastco/iStock

Take the traditional route and install a white picket fence with hedges boarding alongside it. It’s simple, beautiful, and goes along with most backyard designs.

4. Get creative

backyard pond with stone borders

scaliger/iStock

As you develop the design for the ultimate backyard privacy, try and add something new and unique. A large pond with large rocks bordering it is a fun way of obstructing an onlooker’s view of your backyard.

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5. Add flowers

backyard pool privacy with greenery

Lux Blue/iStock

Does your backyard fence have gaps large enough to see through? You have originally built a fence to keep certain critters out — except for ducks — but now you don’t have any privacy. Adding flowers along your fence can add privacy, as well as a beautiful design element. 

6. Trees and more trees

backyard with tree privacy

Dainis Zvingulis/iStock

Plant a variety of trees of different sizes to create a woodsy look in your backyard. This looks more natural when compared to hedges that are aligned in an orderly fashion.

7. Metal wall

metal wall for backyard privacy

Serjio74/iStock

Building a metal wall with stone pillars will create privacy that feels safe and secure. It completely blocks anyone’s view and is seemingly challenging to climb over.

8. Rustic

rustic green backyard fence

Tatiana Stepanishcheva/iStock

When building your own fence, you can choose the overall look and color. A green wood fence gives off a rustic vibe, and the door that is added is great for access in and out of the property.

9. A modern option

modern backyard fence

U. J. Alexander/iStock

Building privacy for your backyard does not have to diminish your design goals. You can easily create a modern fence to match your home by using certain styles, such as this metal fence.

10. Backyard on a hill

privacy for backyard on hill

alexnikit1981/iStock

For those who have a backyard on an angle, it may be difficult to have consistent privacy all the way down. But, you can build a staggered fence to accommodate various heights on your property. 

11. Privacy with a royal effect

backyard fountain with red wall

9Air/iStock

Build extravagant privacy like this brick wall fountain. Not only are you out of sight, but you have created the perfect view for yourself.

12. Solid white

white wall backyard privacy

ThreeDiCube/iStock

For a minimalistic or contemporary look, a solid white wall will give you the aesthetic you’re going for, as well as the privacy you desire. 

13. Green thumb

garden privacy border for backyard

cmspic/iStock

Put your gardening skills to use and create a border with flowers, vegetables, and fruits. It also helps to add trees for additional cover.

14. Combination of materials

backyard privacy fence

yevtony/iStock

Combine greenery, wood, and metal for the ultimate defense against outsiders. This creates a look unique to your home while also maintaining your privacy. The metal that shoots through the top can also play as a security measure.

15. Add designs

metal and lattice fence

Vladimir Kokorin/iStock

Your metal fence doesn’t have to be bland. Adding a lattice design on top can add additional privacy and complete the desired look of your backyard.

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16. Affordability

wooden wall privacy for backyard

andreusK/iStock

Need something simple but not boring? Building a standard wooden fence can be more affordable compared to other options, so creating a staggered look can add the slight interest you may be looking for.

17. Enclosed structure

stone structure for backyard privacy

Paradise Restored – Backyard Design Guide/YouTube

Create an enclosed space in your backyard for friends and family to hang out without peering eyes. This can also be a perfect time to add a bar or grill to your backyard.

18. Large wooden hangout

wooden structure for backyard

Paradise Restored – Backyard Design Guide/YouTube

Building a structure like this can create privacy for a specific area in your backyard, especially where you tend to hang out the most.

19. Combine fence with nature

fence with wood and leaves

Your House Needs This/iStock

If you don’t want your fence to take away from the nature around you, combining wood with greenery is an option to create a Biophilic design.

20. Whimsical design

curvy wooden fence design

Your House Needs This/YouTube

Your wooden fence doesn’t just have to be a straight line across your lawn. For a more eclectic design, change the shapes and make them wavy or whatever else you’d like to see.

21. Bamboo

bamboo privacy for backyard

PlantDo Home & Garden/YouTube

Add a feeling of tranquility to your backyard by using bamboo as cover for your daily activities. Housing says bamboo can bring a sense of peace to your home.

22. A clean look

boxwood privacy for backyard

PlantDo Home & Garden/YouTube

For a unified, straight, and green design, boxwood is a plant that can provide it all. It can be made into this streamlined design, but it also comes in other varieties.

23. Make it colorful

colorful flowers for backyard

Garden Ideas/YouTube

Choose a plant with a bright and fun color to let your personality shine through. This vibrant pink is beautiful to look at and will distract those walking by — preventing them from peering inside.

24. Hang your plants

privacy plants for backyard

Garden Ideas/YouTube

Your privacy fence can also be a functional tool for hanging outdoor plants that are sensitive to sunlight.

25. Weeping willow effect

weeping willow for backyard privacy

Garden Ideas/YouTube

Create a weeping willow effect by draping vines over your fence for additional coverage while also creating an elegant design. 

Authors at GlobalIdeas
Authors at GlobalIdeas

We exist to help communities in the Asia-Pacific make practical improvements to their own health. We believe there is immense potential to join the dots across disciplines to think differently, and we are united by a desire to see better health for all.

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