Property immediately at end of garden, advice on improving view?

Hi all,

I have recently purchased my first property, and being a new build I have a blank slate as a back garden.

The garden itself is a decent size I think, especially for a new build at 13m x 7m. It's south facing, there's a thin layer of good top soil and then I believe its clay. The immediate problem is theres a side facing property immediately at the end of my garden, I think there's actually a 1m~ gap from my fence to their wall which is their rear garden access.



What could I do to improve the view a bit? I don't need to completely block it out but perhaps just breaking up the solid wall with some tall plants would do a lot. I need to be careful about the proximity to the house and the roots/ground moisture level from roots sucking all the moisture out of the clay etc, so perhaps choice of plants or techniques may be key. I'm a complete gardening novice so open to all and any ideas!

 

Thank you

It's in Buckinghamshire and it's a south facing garden. The property casts a triangular shadow that moves across the garden about 3/4 in length this time of year, so the end of the garden seems to be in shadow a lot.

 

Large blank wall, don't suppose they'd want a mural on there.
You could have summer barbecues and project a film onto that wall.

 

You have no windows facing directly towards you from that house so no privacy issues. Convention would suggest that the fences to the south and west are yours; can be checked from conveyance. This would permit you to install trellis to support climbers on these. As they seem not to be visible from a public area, height is limited only by viable support, probably total 2.4metres.You could seek consent from adjacent (eastern ) neighbours; or JFDI.

 

I think my first preference would be to keep the majority of the garden/lawn visible, but creating secluded areas is definitely an interesting thought and has opened up some new possibilities for me, perhaps I'll incorporate a bit of that too even if not part of the wall solution. I appreciate the suggestion!

Haha what a great idea!!

Ok another interesting option, I wasn't aware of the ability to put trellis higher than the existing fence - thanks for the suggestion.

 

I think in my complete gardening novice mind, my ideal solution would be to plant a line of conifers but obviously that would cause issues with the building, roots etc.

My next thought was perhaps building a large raised (and contained) planter along the end, and planting conifers (or similar) in those.. could something like that work?

 

That wall is a beautiful blank canvas. I hope Banksy isn't a member on the forum, he'll be round in the middle of the night with his paint tins!

Joking aside, the first thing I'd be doing with the bottom of that garden is preparing the foundations for a huge shed for a start. That alone will help partially block out that eyesore of a brick wall.

And if you're lucky the owners of that house might plant a lovely wisteria or Virginia creeper against that wall to give you something else to look at other than brick!

 

A pergola clothed in various climbers could look good and be a relatively quick solution. There is no way to completely hide the house but drawing the eye into something else should do the trick. Waiting for conifers or trees to grow even past the fence could take years, or be mightily expensive.

Depending on how the light moves and what you want, the pergola could host a seating area, a fire pit or anything really you want.

Your garden is a wonderful bit of a blank canvas @MatthewK , it would be great to get updates on how it transforms into your very own garden.

 

That was my first thought.....render and a mural....a mediterranean scene or jungle foliage If only....

 

Oups...forgetting my manners! Welcome to the forum, MatthewK
On a practical note, please think verrry carefully before planting conifers. There's usually a spate of distressed owners turn up on the forum a few years after having planted fast-growing hedging conifers. Unless they're meticulously trimmed (several times a year) they take up a lot of space and nothing much will grow under them or even near them.
Apart from cupressus which have a compact rootball, the roots will spread into the rest of your garden (they spread as far as the tree is high) making it almost impossible to maintain a lawn, veg plot or borders.
Trellis or a pergola and climbers would repay the construction with foliage and flowers, scent and even fruit if you want.
To soften the effect of that wall, I'd plant a couple of ivies...Gloire de Marengo and/or Sulphur Heart and perhaps a climbing Hydrangea petiolaris. They all tolerate shade and are self-clinging, but won't damage new brickwork in good condition.

 

If you attempt to hide the wall, you are likely to inadvertently create a focal point that emphasises the wall. If that happens, it'll totally do your nut in. You'll never be able to not notice it.

I think I'd be more inclined to put all your focus down the sides of your garden if you want to keep an open layout. Space permitting, maybe a nice smallish pretty tree in the far corner, to break up the edges, and for the far fence, just fairly modest planting. That way all the focus will be where the house isn't, rather than where it is.