Low fence, countryside views

jw89

I’m sitting here doing house viewings and trying to stay out the way so thinking about our new cottage garden and how I could design it. We have low fencing between us and our neighbours on both sides and lovely views over the countryside. Any ideas how to create a lovey sense of privacy yet maintain the views? And it’s quite an exposed site so tips on that? I take it everything tall just needs to be staked? I love growing tall flowers such as hollyhocks and foxgloves and sweet peas so I hope I can still do that on such an exposed site. So looking forward to having a new garden to get my teeth into. 

raisingirl

Consider making a 'window' so taller shrubs at the sides, where there are trees and the neighbour's greenhouse, in front of which you can plant your taller flowers, where they'll have some shelter. Then have lower plants in the centre where the view is clear, with some lower growing shrubs and perennials

jw89

Thanks @raisingirl. I was thinking some birch trees would be pretty as they still let through lots of light but act as a kind of screen too. We planted a lovely cherry blossom tree the day we moved into our current house so I would love to do the same here. As long as I can grow my flowers lol I will be happy. I was thinking in a few years (when we have saved again lol) a lovely stone wall would be so pretty as the boundary instead of the fence. Would need to persuade my neighbours too obviously ☺️

Redwing

Confused.  Are you the buyer or the seller?

Loxley

Calamagrostis "Karl Foerster' is worth considering for height; it's about 1.8m in flower (between late June and March), creates an airy semi transparent screen. Remains upright in the wind!

jw89

@Redwing currently selling our own house, but talking about the garden in our new house we are buying 

jw89

@Loxley thank you! I will pin that to my garden ideas board. Hoping the wind and battering Scottish rain doesn’t cause me too many issues re what flowers I can grow in the new garden. 

Fairygirl

You'll need a shelter belt of some kind @jw89, and then you can add views with windows as @raisingirl describes.  
Take a bit of time to look at various points in the garden which offer those to best advantage, just by placing canes or similar to see what works well. Remember that the views from the main house windows are really important over winter, so have plenty of interest nearer the house too.  
Don't plant loads of flimsy perennials until you have enough shelter in place. Grasses are fine, up to a point, but they get battered into submission by December here, so they need something else for protection, and to add to the mix  

jw89

Hi everyone. Thanks for the suggestions. We have survived our first winter here… it was brutal. Lol. So so so windy. We are 60m above sea level, very exposed. I isn’t giving me much hope on growing to be honest. I was thinking maybe planting some trees would help break the wind a little. I would love at least 1 cherry tree as I have always had a cherry in my gardens and it would be nice to keep that up, any suggestions on other small/medium sized trees that would look good and sustain the wind? 

I’m no expert but I was thinking I should start with hard landscaping and planning out trees and shrubs and then move onto under planting maybe the year after. Feeling in over my head right now lol. 

Fairygirl

60 metres isn't a lot - are you coastal? In the north?
It was a very mild winter here, so whereabouts are you - roughly?

You'd need to give more info on aspect etc so that suggestions are suitable.  Trees and shrubs, or hedging are what you need as a shelter belt, but you need to accept that there will be casualties in the wind. A good hedge is the best solution,  then go from there, and you can create viewpoints in that by cutting out sections along it 

TheGreenMan

We’re in a very windy spot. I inherited the hedge but I’m glad of it when the gusts come. We’re 55m above sea level and not much around to buffer the winds. 

Have you considered a hedge?