Hiding the shed

gardenman91

Good evening everyone, so I have kind of asked about planting ideas for the garden before but would like to focus entirely on the shed. So I’m looking for ways to hide my shed, potential with a climber, though I worry having a climber on the shed would mean I cannot access it to maintain it, painting etc. Repainting the shed is not an option either. Many thanks

gardenman91

Apologies for the delayed photo I wasn’t able to upload it to begin with for some reason.

Obelixx

Erect a trellis panel or 2 wooden posts with wires tensioned between them.   Leave a wide enough gap between that and the shed to get in and paint or mend as and when you need access.

gardenman91

Thanks for the idea @Obelixx the only downside is actual ground space. At the moment, although you can’t see them are 3 small paving slabs that I use to get across so I don’t have to step on the soil. I did think of having planters with trailers coming down but worried they may just fall off!

Obelixx

If space is an issue just paint the shed dark green so it disappears in all the foliage and shows up any flowers you have in front of it.

Hard to imagine how 3 slabs would prevent a trellis so maybe post a photo to help fuel ideas from other posters?

gardenman91

Sorry @Obelixx I didn’t mean to put down your ideas, apologies. Here’s a photo from last year. I mean obviously I could take the slabs up or maybe just the middle one. One point I should make is that the soil below the slabs is poor.

Could another option be to put a large planter on the slabs and connect a trellis to that?

Dovefromabove

I agree ... simply paint the shed a dark forest green ... it will virtually disappear. 😊 

Fairygirl

My shed is black. The other planting at the side is tall enough to hide it quite well, but I also have a new clematis planted there. It doesn't bother me that I can't access it to paint it again, because the framework will disguise it anyway, and I can give it a quick lick of paint in late winter/spring if I decide to cut the clem right back.
You could always use a stain rather than paint for the shed. They last better than paint and they tend to be quite waterproof. 

Cambridgerose12

If staining really isn't an option--which would be my way to go too, and especially in black which will make it very stylish--then the other thing you could consider is a shrub which would conceal the walls and could be clipped hard back and into shape around doors and windows. My immediate thought is then something like Pyracantha, which also has berries, good for the birds. It would eventually get to the roofline but could always be kept controllably low. You could also use Chaenomeles. Either of these would need training, which would mean spanning wires horizontally around the outside of the shed.

Or you could aim for a lower-growing shrub that would merely soften the base of it but could still be clipped to form, or would naturally form, a layer around 15cm deep. Cotoneaster franchetii and Cotoneaster horizontalis would do this.

As @Fairygirl says, a clematis is also possible, and you could choose a Group 3 which could be cut back annually in February, thus giving access to the shed for repainting and repairs. But that would need netting or vertical wires to climb up.

Obelixx

I'm afraid the positioning of the shed with a low planted bed right in front does rather draw attention to it so the best advice still is to make it disappear and become a backdrop rather than an eyesore.

Another option would be to paint it gaily like a seaside shed so it becomes a feature in its own right.

Climbers in pots need constant watering, feeding and care and you run the risk of their roots freezing in cold winters and baking dry in hot summers.  If you prefer plants to paint then take up the slabs, improve the soil and plant something hat will break up the shed's shape and dominance but not swamp the planting in front.

koyukano

I would put up a trellis covering the side aspect of the shed leaving a foot or 2 gap for maintenance. Wouldn't put anything to cover the windowed aspect of the shed, I would have thought looking out into the garden from your shed would be lovely and I wouldn't want to stick a trellis in the way of that obscuring your view of your garden.

Edit: I also think planting some plants which grow 1 to 2 foot in height at the base of your shed would really help to soften the shed and help the shed to blend into the space better.