Natural Barriers

Everything is ready. Your new patio is shady and inviting. The table is set for dinner; the kids are splashing around in the pool, and you're about to throw some burgers on the grill. It is an idyllic and enviable scenario, and you are patting yourself on the back for the way you've turned your back yard into a private getaway. Aaaah. This is the good life, you think.

Then your neighbor (the gabby one) pops his head over the fence. As your mood breaks, you realize there's a gap in your landscaping plan. You send more privacy to the top of your priority list.

There are two basic ways to add outdoor walls to your yard: living green screens, and decorative structures. Each requires consideration and planning. Before you begin your project, take a look at these recommendations from the California Landscape Contractors Association.

If your plans call for a living, green screen, ask your landscaper for plant suggestions and visit local nurseries to see to start your research into the types of hedge plants available and the ones that are suited for your climate. Thereis a big difference between selecting a plant that will thrive and one that will simply survive. You want the varieties that will grow quickly, but wonit wear you out with pruning chores.

If you plan to add fences, arbors, gates, trellises, decorative frames or partitions, you should take advantage of the experience and expertise a professional landscaper can provide. Do you know for example, that many local landscape contractors have expert carpenters and stonemasons on staff? They'll be able to design and install a screen made especially for you out of the material you want.

What if you don't know exactly what you want? First consider if you must screen the entire perimeter of your yard or just certain areas, such as the patio and pool, and perhaps the view through the sliding glass doors. Second, as long as youire thinking about what you don't want people to see when they're looking in, note the things you don't want to see when you're looking out. This is the time to screen your view of the neighboris garage or his bedraggled collection of rose bushes.

Although it is not likely you will be able to complete a green screen by the end of this outdoor season, but there are some plants and shrubs that will begin to give you cover in two to three seasons.

— Joan Waters