The two best privacy plants to keep nosy neighbours from spying on you – and it’ll save you a fortune on a fence too
THEY’RE a convenient way to offer a bit of privacy from nosy neighbours.
But paying out for a privacy fence can be very expensive.
So garden designer Melanie Hick has revealed the ways you can create your own ‘fence’ just by putting the right plants in the right places – and it will save you a fortune.
“Privacy and shade are two of the most requested features in any garden design,” Melanie said.
“If you’re overlooked, consider breaking up the sight-line in two stages.”
The first stage, she continued, is to plant “a Eucalyptus gunnii close to the boundary where you are overlooked”.
These can cost you anywhere from £13.49 to £29.99 each
And for the second, “plant an ‘umbrella-form tree’ espalier, close to where you want privacy”.
You can expect to pay between £85 and £320 for one of these.
“Then you will be nicely embraced by two levels of privacy planting,” Melanie added to Express.co.uk.
Despite the fact you’ll still have to shell out on the trees to get the privacy fence look, it will still undoubtedly be cheaper than getting an actual fence.
According to Checkatrade, a fence panel will set you back on average £45 a panel.
Then, to have a 4ft fence installed, you can expect to pay around £1,450, or for a 6ft fence, it’s more like £1,850.
The cost varies depending on the type of fence panel you go for as well.
And once you’ve had a fence installed, you have to think about the costs of maintaining it too.
“Properly maintaining your garden fence is key to increasing its longevity,” the pros at Checkatrade said.
May gardening jobs
The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May.
GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there’s so much more to do and grow.
Plant out dahlia tubers
It’s a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get – and space accordingly – anything up to half a metre apart.
It’s a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them.
And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July.
Final feed to Spring flowers
You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils.
Although the majority of bulbs aren’t guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you’ve left them to die back naturally there’s a good chance they’ll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine.
Tie up climbers
Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now – try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don’t sprout off in crazy directions.
Feed the lawn
It’s not too late to give your lawn a good feed.
Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months.
While mowing, don’t go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height.
Get creative
It’s also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots.
Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets.
And pots can be planted with spring bulbs.
Don’t forget the greenhouse!
Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out.
The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul.
You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution – or even neat if you’re feeling spendy – which gives a really good shine.
“In this way, it can help you avoid more costly fence replacement costs for longer.
“How much maintenance your fence needs will depend on the material.
“For example, a plastic fence may need nothing more than a wipe-down.
“A wooden fence, on the other hand, needs regular painting or staining to protect it from the elements.”