Advice on privacy

Luckystarz3

Hello!

I'm new here and would love some advice as I'm a bit of a novice.
I have an area to the rear of my garden which is currently fenced off and backs onto a neighbour's driveway. It's approximately 3-4m wide.
The problem is that it's pretty open even with the fencing in place and I feel we have no privacy at all, in addition, anyone could climb over this fence so that's another worry! I want to install a play area for my children so privacy/safety is even more important now.

What could I possibly plant in this area to create a privacy screen that is fast growing and doesn't attract wasps (like my laurel hedge on the other side of the garden!)

In the meantime is there anything I could put there for instant privacy?

Thank you in advance for any advice!

pansyface

Nollie

Hello and welcome!

The easiest solution is to attach some sturdy trellis on top of the fence to increase the height, which you could then grow climbers against, such as evergreen ivy, clematis or honeysuckle. I guess you don’t want anything prickly if it’s a children’s play area, otherwise pyracantha or vigorous, thorny, climbing roses would act as a deterrent for would-be intruders. Most hedges that are fast-growing tend to be thugs that need a lot of trimming, bearing in mind also there are height restrictions for hedges in gardens.

A pergola arrangement such as Pansyface’s illustration is also a good solution, as it could provide extra height, privacy, security and some sun shade for the kids play area.

Luckystarz3

Thank you so much for your suggestions! Isn't honeysuckle toxic to people though? I do worry as my children are quite young.

philippasmith2

Both the above suggestions would provide you with privacy and something of a deterrent for would be intruders - at least of the human sort.
Difficult to say categorically whether wasps will be attracted to your garden. 

As for honeysuckle being toxic,  like many plants, you would need to ingest quite a bit before it had any real effect.

If you like the idea of trellis to heighten the fence but you want instant coverage whilst your chosen climbers mature, then just fix shading/wind membrane to the trellis as a temporary solution.

Luckystarz3

Thanks all - I think I'm going to get some trellis up to begin with, then have a look at some lovely climbers

pansyface

Don’t start to fret about what might poison you or you’ll never sleep at night.🙂

Here’s a little list, compiled by the RHS, which is only for starters:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=524

Luckystarz3

Thanks so much! Will have a look at that