By Marilyn Steffen
If you want to create privacy to save yourself from prying eyes, Use plants! Plants also improve the curb appeal and provide naturalness. Check out these 6 Tips & Ideas!
“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my soul, to challenge my elements, or to challenge my patience, for novelty, or for nostalgia but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.” –David Hobson
Gardening plants have been used for a variety of reasons, but are generally and mostly used to enhance curb appeal, make the home or front yard look more elegant and welcoming and serve as natural fillers in your backyard when it is looking a tad bit too bare. Plants can also be used to creatively save your home from prying eyes. Some may use high gates or walls, but plants would also do the trick of adding privacy into your home. Additionally, if there are particular eyesores you do not want to see such as the dilapidated house next door or the overturned trash cans of the house right across you, these plants will help conceal them from view. Here are the 6 tips and ideas to do that:
1.) Do your research first & make a plan
Before planting any plants in your backyard, it would probably be wise if you research properly and know about your options first. Select every plant wisely that suits the growing conditions you have for them. To commence your homework, search for plants that you think would work best in your garden and consider characteristics such as height, width, and even aesthetics. Additionally, you should consider the climate of where you are residing and see if your chosen plant would be able to sustain the type of temperature you have. Also, be careful about the plants’ requirements.
2.) Invest in bigger plants
Sure, you can always opt to buy those gallon container shrubs but you might be waiting a tad bit too long in order for these little plants to grow and potentially give you the security and privacy you crave. You might find a great deal on them, or perhaps they are considerably cheaper, but it would not give you your desired results immediately. Instead, buy fewer plants that are already big. Bigger and larger plants make an immediate and dramatic impact. And really, it would be more practical to install a 5-6 feet tall plant than to install dozens of one-gallon container shrubs that will probably take years before they provide screening and privacy.
3.) Opt for local and native plants first
Don’t run for exotic plants first before searching for the native and local plants that grow best in your area! The reason is simple– Local plants adjust well to growing conditions you have and thrive better.
4.) Match the plant to the scale
It’s a common mistake, but people do not usually consider how big a plant will grow in a few years or so. This is important if you do not want to spend the next few years or so living in a house that practically looks like a jungle. Consider how tall and big the plant will be in a few years and use the right plant in the right space.
5.) Layer your plants
Do not deck an area entirely with a single kind of plant or you will run the risk of losing the entire layer due to pests or a disease attack. Achieve a natural effect by having small groupings and creating thickets. From there, you can plant deciduous shrubs, some evergreens and grasses along the line. Layering gives your lawn an interesting and creative aspect as it adds color, textures, and depth.
6.) Be realistic about maintenance
Last but certainly not the least is to be realistic about the maintenance your plant needs. Having a decked out garden filled with plants requires a commitment from you as you would be spending a considerable amount of time caring for your plants and keeping weeds from them (unless you can hire a gardener). Just think about the time you truly want to spend trimming your plants before thinking about having them in your garden.
Marilyn has been a real estate consultant for over five years. Putting Philippine properties for sale up in the market and closing each and every transaction she makes has always been her gift. She’s single and currently living in one of the finest condos in the country.
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