A little bit of privacy

Morning David'

"Ideally we'd like something to help break up the open space so we don't feel so watched as people glance in as they walk past (and they all do!). Being a Victorian house we like the traditional looking gardens and are quite happy for it to be filled with bushy colourful plants/flowers/shrubs. Something pretty fast growing that doesn't spent winter as bare stick or that dies right back would be great. Or something that we could easily buy in quite a large form."

I think that all the shrubs mentioned can be kept easily within bounds by pruning and trimming. The suggestions are to show the possibilities and only some would be selected. They will provide year round colour and not a wall of green.

 

Hi Behaviour,


You're right, this is a tricky job, hence the different opinions.


As you say, you are the flavour of the month with the passers by. So perhaps by giving them something else to focus on as they pass by is the key.


Perhaps a lilac to the each far corner, two or three roses then spaced in between them to give a light hedge, and window box or two across the sill would distract their eyes from looking inside your home. With a clear glass or crystal vase on the inside full of seasonal flowers and a silk or voile panel covering the top third of the window this would, I think, do the trick, without blocking the light, and yet still giving you something attractive to see outside your window.

If you don't want to wait for the lilac to mature then you can buy standard topiary bushes that would do the trick-you just have to learn the art topiary to keep them in good shape lol.


The only place I would put a trellis is on the wall and throw a good evergreen climber up there.

At the moment, you and your wife are "framed", so you are the focal point. All the things you place outside will attract the eye, and hopefully pull their attention from inside your home to the outside of it.

 

Wow, so many response! Thanks so much everyone! :gnthb:

The blinds/curtains is a good idea, but we love the feature of the large window and don't want to lose out because of the nosey locals strolling past! With regards to cats, we have 3 and they're also disciplined with a water bottle. It works wonders. Although with our old cat, he used to just close his eyes and flatten his ears until you stopped, then he just carried on misbehaving :lollol:

A trellis was our first thought, we just weren't sure of suitable plants to grow up one. It's still an option but I'm a little concerned that it may be a red-rag to the local yobs as they stroll past. Maybe a small one or some obelisk types.

The garden wall. Three words. Listed Building. Council. It would have been more words, but I left out the bad language. I'm hoping anything we grow may help hide the top of the wall and how awful it looks. The picture was from before we bought the house over 12months ago. It looks a little better than that now. We've spent the last year renovating the inside of the house so this Spring it's time to tackle the outside!

My wife really likes the look of the Bamboo, whereas I'm keen on the shrubs, etc as I like the idea of a traditional Victorian garden. We're both very keen on the Lilac too. Very pretty. We'll probably get the sketch pad out later and plan a few different ideas based on all the suggestions so far.

Thanks again to you all. Keep the suggestions coming (if we haven't already exhausted your creative juices). Now to post about my turf.........

 

A big showy bamboo in a decorative pot would have the wow factor as Claire suggests. You might have to splash out a bit to get one of a decent size and quality, plus going to a good supplier, rather than your local B&Q.

Just a thought, but you could go for a zen like Japanese inspired garden, with decorative stonework instead of grass/flower bed, interesting spiky plants and a couple of bamboos in pots. Would certainly give passersby something to look at other than your and the wife! I've seen this idea done in similar spaces and it works well with Victorian architecture. It doesn't have to be pure Japanese, more "inspired". Go to your local bookshop/library to get some suggestions for designs...then add your own ideas

 

If going for the thrubs option in limited space, what about a Japanese Maple. The nice deep red ones would complement a bamboo nicely I reckon.

 

I prefer shrubs myself:lollol::lollol:

Good idea about the Japanese maple - they look great and do well in pots.

 

Nope. I meant thrubs. Thrubs are like shrubs but fit in tubs. Tub Shrubs = Thrubs

Ok, I confess, I just made that up to justify my typo

 

Sounds plausible though:thumb: