Screening With Structures

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Combination of fence styles for screening

Use a fence and gate, a trellis, an arbor, or a brick or stone wall to create interesting and beautiful structures to provide various screening effects.

FOR CENTURIES PEOPLE have put up wood fences, laid masonry walls, and created dry laid stone walls from the large rocks uncovered while plowing their farm fields. These structures have provided protection, containment, and privacy, and have also established the recognition of private property.

When we think about it, the largest structure on our properties that creates an immediate screen for the more private areas of our yards is the house. It also creates, by its very nature, the front, back, and side yards. And each of these areas have their own activities and their own functions, where additional screening may be desired. Depending on what those activities and functions may be, we can choose varying degrees of screening, to heighten our comfort level and to enhance the aesthetic quality of our outdoor living spaces.

There are many ways in which using structures in the yard, such as fences, walls, arbors, and trellises, can help us in achieving the screening needed, whether for privacy or for hiding objects from view. There are questions to ask yourself when considering these structures: Do I view this area as being private or semi-private? What height would be best? Three feet? Six feet?, Do I want an open pattern for filtered views or a solid structure? Or a combination of the two?

Putting up a structure can be a more expensive and less flexible solution than using plants for screening. But both plants and structures can provide effective screening and each possess their own intrinsic aesthetic attributes. It’s all a matter of the look you want, and what you have budgeted for.

The types and styles of structures that can be utilized are many and varied, and so are the reasons for needing them.

A post and rail fence can imply limited access to a yard or a specific area

Limited Access

It may not be readily apparent, but a fence or wall, that is only two or three feet in height can provide a sense of privacy by implying limited access to any area of your yard. These structures with a lower profile may not create a lot of screening, but they will reinforce the idea of private space.

Many times a combination of plant material (such as maintaining a low hedge) and a structure (such as a gate) is also very effective in implying limited access.

Entry drive gates, near the street, not only provide aesthetic value on a grand scale, but also can serve to restrict access onto private property, thereby adding to the feeling of privacy for the homeowner (remember to keep in mind the scale of the structure in relation to the scale of that area of the property).

Perimeter and Interior Screening

For some, a perimeter screen (a fence or other structure at the property line) may be thought of as a solid, six foot high fence or wall. For others it may be a fence with an open design, like lattice or spaced boards that allow for filtered views. And some may like a masonry wall, used in combination with wrought iron fencing for their screening solution. And adding plants to this type of screening can boost the degree of privacy. Perimeter screening can be solved in numerous ways.

As a word of caution, using a taller, solid structure in a small or limited area may start to feel confining or a bit ‘closed in’. Another concern for some may be that it would make you feel like you are cutting yourself off from the neighbors. Privacy screening need not feel like living inside a fort or a stockade. If you are not sure how you feel about such a structure in your yard, try to experience it at perhaps a friend’s home before selecting it for your yard. You may find that you prefer combining a lower structure and plant material with open branching that would give you some degree of screening while allowing for outward views.

The need to screen not only can occur at the perimeter, it may also be needed for interior areas of the yard. A structure, such as an arbor, at a side door can help to give privacy to the doorway and the room immediately inside the doorway. And adding a climbing plant or vine can lend even more screening.

You may feel the need to provide a separation between spaces with competing uses, such as an outdoor eating area and a nearby driveway. Or you may want to hide from view the garbage cans, or the air conditioning unit (always leave enough space for proper air intake). Whatever the situation, any number of good solutions can be arrived at to achieve the desired screening effect for any particular need. Just remember that all the spaces need to work together. Don’t solve one problem, by creating another problem (see “Masterminding a Plan For Your Yard” article for developing a master plan).

Espalier of ivy on wall

Limited Space

There are definitely those times when we realize we can’t really do what we’d like to do. Perhaps we may want to add a screen using plants, like a hedge, but after analyzing the situation, we discover that there just isn’t a whole lot of room to work with, such as along a property line. Quite possibly the answer may be to install a fence or wall (be sure to check for existing easements and setback requirements for your property for any proposed structure). If it is disappointing that the space is too limited for a hedge, one solution may be a fence with an open pattern combined with a plant that can be trained to grow along, and through, the openings. Another solution may be to use a climbing plant, such as ivy that can be trained to grow in a pattern on a masonry wall. This practice or technique is known as espalier.

The following website from North Carolina State University maybe helpful with selecting plants and getting an espalier started. NC State Horticulture Dept.

The solutions to our need for screening, whether for privacy or hiding things from view, can be abundant. Don’t be impulsive. Take time to study the particular need of the situation and try to come up with a couple of solutions, so that you can choose the best one.

Remember, if you feel all the issues of a project are becoming too complex, you can hire a registered landscape architect to design, research local building code, advise on any necessary permits, and create construction drawings and details for the needed structure.

Relax. Enjoy the process.

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