Garden Screening Ideas

There are lots of different options to choose from when planning garden screening. Here are a few of our favourites.

Pleached Screening is an extremely attractive option with seasonal interest. You can grow it to extend, it lets in and filters light, dissipates and screens wind, if treated properly they can last far longer than fencing - several lifetimes!! We love it and think it’s definitely worth the investment. Pre-pleached plants can be expensive so if you have the time then pleaching your own is much more cost effective and can be very rewarding.

The pleached Hornbeams (Carpinus betulus), against the white wall around the swimming pool in the photos, were pre-pleached, bought in as large root balls - quite costly but fast and effective.

We pleached the crab-apples (Malus 'John Downie') ourselves. You can see them pictured above the Hornbeam hedge with beautiful views in the background. They were an excellent windbreak around a tennis court. It took about 5 years to train them and they are now really easy to maintain and we simply hedge-cut to maintain the shape of the screen.

With Hazel hurdles the visual effect is stunning and traditional and it’s also extremely practical. Because it allows wind to pass through it is’t really strong. Provided you treat it regularly it will last much longer than fencing. Organic, sustainable and traditionally british craft it’s a beautiful thing to include in any traditional garden project. It’s flexible in that you make it into any shape / size.

The example along the top of the wall running towards the garden office is continually woven meaning it’s even stronger and more durable.

The shorter hazle example is screening for an oil tank and gas cylinders. The oil and gas suppliers need to gain access so the panel at the left hand end is an access gate. As this is on the main driveway it’s much nicer to look at than the previous bare tanks.

You can also see a nice example of both hedging and hazel hurdles used together. With a yew hedge below and Malus 'John Downie' crab apples planted within. We removed a dying conifer hedge and replaced with oak posts, hazel hurdles treated with creosote and then planted small yew trees interspersed with the crab apples to create more height and interest. Once grown in the trees will provide full height screen to whatever size and which will be relatively low maintenance - pruning once a year.

Fencing

The narrow slatted fencing we built in situ. Made from cedar it has natural resins which protect against weather and rot making it durable and low maintenance. We built two taller panels which were mounted as screening and to provide a modern focal point with seating and planting to be added in front. We built the shorter panels which were mounted on top of the wall to provide screening from the college behind but also included a gate on the right hand side to allow access.

Another more cost effective example in soft wood can be seen with the hedge on the left and the house on the right. These were to be painted in a dark colour to provide an attractive modern screen to this small decked courtyard area.

A more standard option is Closedboard or feather edge fencing with concrete posts and boards. Strong, flexible and quick to instal the use of concrete posts or wooden posts with concrete spurs means they can practically last forever.