It’s the season for getting outside and enjoying the very best of our gardens – and at the moment they’re bursting with life; roses are towering, delphiniums and foxgloves are adding height to garden beds, and star jasmine is giving our patios a heady aroma.
As we spend more time in the garden over the summer months, enjoying its bountiful offering and eating alfresco, it’s only natural to want a little more privacy.
Whether you get on with your neighbours or not, it’s never nice to feel overlooked. Thankfully, there are some easy ways to instantly make your garden feel more private – all through some genius planting choices.
Below experts share their suggestions for natural and effective ways to add privacy to your space, that are as pretty as they are practical.
Hedging plants
Hedging is one of the best, natural ways to create privacy in a garden, offering a living boundary that softens the space – while still providing structure and screening.
Stephanie Chambers, head of outdoors at B&Q, tells Country Living: “Unlike fencing, hedges evolve over time, creating a dense, green barrier that feels more integrated with the garden and can also provide year-round shelter, noise reduction and wildlife benefits.
"Evergreen varieties such as yew, laurel or hornbeam are often used for privacy because they maintain coverage throughout the year, making them particularly useful for overlooked gardens where consistent screening is important."
When choosing a hedge, it’s worth thinking about how quickly you need privacy versus how much maintenance you’re willing to do.
Stephanie explains: “Smaller ‘whip’ plants often establish more reliably and become denser over time, even if they take a little longer to fill out, while larger specimens give a faster effect – but can need more care to settle in. Plant in a staggered double row rather than a single line for a thicker, more immediate screen.
"It’s also important to consider pruning habits early on: regular trimming in the first few years encourages dense growth and helps prevent gaps, ensuring the hedge becomes an effective privacy barrier long term. It’s also worth keeping hedges well maintained so they don’t become a nuisance or block too much light for neighbouring properties."
Hedging for privacy edit
Euonymus fortunei 3 x Plant Mix
Cordless 3M Telescopic Pole Hedge Trimmer
Large planters
Bigger planters are a highly flexible way to create privacy in a garden (particularly when you can’t rely on fixed boundaries), especially when they're packed with tall plants.
They're also great for those awkward spaces where a hedge or fence won't fit.
Stephanie suggests large, well-proportioned planters: “These allow you to introduce height and structure instantly, helping to define zones such as seating or dining areas. Deeper and larger containers are especially effective because they support stronger root systems, which in turn produce denser, taller planting over time.
“The real advantage here is adaptability. Unlike permanent structures, planters can be repositioned as needed, making them ideal for changing layouts or shifting privacy depending on use.
“For best results, layering is key. Combine upright structural planting like ornamental grasses with softer trailing or climbing varieties to create a fuller, more natural screen compared to single-species planting.”
Climbers
Climbing plants add another layer of vertical privacy – especially when trained up trellis, pergolas or wire supports.
Stephanie says: “Evergreen varieties are particularly valuable for maintaining coverage year-round, while faster-growing options can quickly establish a screen in exposed areas.”
Choose jasmine for year-round scent , climbing hydrangea for shady corners and Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus) or Clematis Montana for the fastest coverage.
Best climbers for privacy
Gardeners Dream Lonicera 'Gold Flame' Honeysuckle
Hydrangea petiolaris
Clematis montana
Bamboo
For Mark Sage, lead horticultural buyer at B&Q, it’s all about bamboo. But before you panic – it’s not the invasive kind that can run wild in gardens (and be incredibly difficult to stop in its tracks), but fargesia rufa; a naturally clumping variety.
He explains: “Unlike running (monopodial) types, which can spread vigorously, fargesia rufa produces new shoots close to the parent plant, resulting in slower, more controlled growth.
"Fargesia rufa typically reaches around three metres in height, and its dense habit – combined with its tolerance for partial shade – makes it an excellent screening option without becoming unmanageably tall. Fargesia rufa belongs to the naturally clumping (sympodial) group of bamboos.
“There are several clumping bamboos available in the UK, but for me, Fargesia rufa really stands out as the most reliable and hardy option for our climate. It’s the one I’d confidently recommend to most gardeners. There are other types, such as Bambusa and Chusquea, but they tend to be less hardy in UK conditions or simply not as widely available.”
Mark adds that with growing awareness around the challenges of running bamboo, it’s not unrealistic to see clumping types like fargesia rufa becoming the go-to choice for hedging and screening in UK gardens.
He adds: "For most gardens – especially in more built-up areas – it offers a really practical solution: you still get that lush, evergreen privacy and structure, but without the worry of it taking over.”
Garden power tools
Telescopic Pole Hedge Trimmer
Bosch Bosch 1300W Corded Rotary Lawnmower
Cordless Brushless 33cm Lawn Mower
Kärcher K2 Pressure washer Corded
FURNITURE Leaf Blower with Vacuum & Mulcher
Lizzie is the multiplatform editor at Country Living, where you’ll find her writing about unique property market finds and dreamy UK staycation spots. Her specialisms include interiors, property, wildlife, travel, slow living and more. Previously, she’s written for Metro, Evening Standard, Ideal Home, Woman & Home and various other home and lifestyle titles. Lizzie studied English Literature at University of Liverpool, where she also was a writer and editor for her uni paper.
