Outdoor Screening

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Screen views for privacy or hiding an object from view. Use structures like a fence, or plants to create a screening effect in the yard.

WHILE A GOOD NEIGHBOR is cherished, and a friendly chat over the back yard fence is a time honored tradition, now and then we all find a need for the solitude that our homes provide us, and that would include our yards.

Screening Effects

We may view our front yards as having a semiprivate nature. If we sit on the front porch with our morning cup of coffee or tea, or for a relaxing moment after dinner in the evening, we more than likely anticipate the friendly exchanges that we may have with our neighbors who are doing yard work or out for a stroll. But as we move further from the street, our yard takes on a more private feel in our minds. We have a sense that our outdoor privacy should begin at the front corners of our house, more or less. We enjoy the privacy that our back yard (and sometimes the side yard) provides for us as much as we enjoy the privacy that our house gives us. And that is why we use these areas for our more private activities such as family cookouts, outdoor entertaining, or even sunbathing.

Even animals in nature practice the art of privacy (by instinct, of course) by building nests, dens, or hamlets with ‘walls’ of some sort, not only to keep themselves warm and dry, but also to hide themselves from view.

As for us humans, we too, practice the art of privacy. We would venture to say that most people do not own a home surrounded by acres and acres of land, where those acres of land offer the home an abundance of privacy. Most people live in subdivisions, or on streets where even a good size yard doesn’t offer all the privacy that may be desired. And the closer the houses are in proximity, the more of a buffer we may feel we need. How do we achieve this privacy? It can be accomplished through the design technique of screening, or limiting views by using plant material or structures.

There are other reasons one may have for the need for screening beyond privacy. There may be the desire to hide from view such outdoor elements as the garbage cans or the air conditioning unit. There may be an objectionable view (similar to the disaster area inside your home affectionately known as your teenager’s room) on an adjacent property that you feel must be screened to preserve or enhance the aesthetic quality of your yard.

Unexpected situations arise frequently, that may require you to consider some kind of screening as a solution.

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