Create privacy in your compound

Plants will not only keep your home private, they will also provide the much needed fresh air. To make it interesting, plant trees that can also provide edible fruits. File photo

What you need to know:

  • If your house is a place that makes it easy for passersby to see whatever is happening in your compound, there are options you can explore to create some privacy in your compound.
  • In contrast to north-facing walls, south and west-facing walls are warm and bright. A south-facing wall will absorb the heat of the sun throughout the day and retain it through the night making these ideal locations for less hardy plants such as Ceanothus

Sometimes people think that for gardens, privacy is not needed because it is in the open but there are those moments that you need to hide away from the prying eyes in the neighbourhood.

Take an example of houses built on unproportionate landscape which puts some houses on the lower landscape as the others are on the high landscape thus making houses on the lower landscape lack privacy.

For this reason, Borniface Wanja, a landscaper at Bonre Consultancy Parlor, Bweyogerere gives tips on how you can not only create privacy ,but also make your garden look beautiful.

Use container gardens
In this case, use containers that can cover up the space for example, if your house is on a low landscape, you need larger containers that can cover up the space. Additionally, the plants you choose can help create a beautiful view and cover up the place.
He however says even small containers can do though you will need a number of them which makes it expensive.

Ornamental iron work walls
These are beautiful features to use in your garden, they are efficient in covering the upper part of your wall fence and for more privacy. Wanja advises that you use either hanging containers or creeping plants that have to be cared for well so as to avoid harbouring dangerous animals.

Fountains
Though they might be expensive and require lots of maintenance, fountains also give privacy to the garden because they may turn into the centre of attention and people will not pay attention to other parts of the garden. They also cover up spaces that give the garden a lot of exposure.

Fences or walls
This is what we all think of when it comes to privacy and these can be built out of cement, wood, bamboo or wire but for privacy, you can plant creeping plants to cover up the constructed surface or you can choose to leave it as it is and concentrate on the beauty of the garden. They are effective because they cover up all the open places of the house.

Privacy planting
For privacy, you can choose to have plants that create a living privacy and for this, you have to invest in big plants instead of small plants that may take forever to grow and cover up the place.
The trees that spread widely are good both for shade and to cover up the compound. Also trees that grow tall are good for the compound.

Build cottages
Wanja says a cottage may be an exaggerated option but you can build some in your garden because it not only covers the garden but also works as an extension of your house.

Choosing climbing plants
When choosing a climber or wall shrub it is important to consider several factors:
• Sun-loving plants will not thrive against a shady wall
• Match the vigour of the plant to the allotted space
• Do not plant tender plants in an exposed situation
• Some climbers (such as Campsis) are self-clinging, but other climbers and all wall shrubs require supports and tying in

Climbing plants for different walls

Cold walls
North-facing walls are sunless and cold places creating less-than-ideal growing conditions. However, there are a number of plants able to cope with these conditions well. East-facing walls can also be quite cold as they only receive morning sunlight; however, this extra sunlight allows you to grow a wider choice of plants. Take care when choosing plants for east-facing walls as the early morning sunlight can damage buds and leaves. Rapid warming of the buds and leaves can cause cell damage resulting in browning or withering. Evergreen climbing plants and shrubs such as Camellias are particularly susceptible to this.
Hot walls

In contrast to north-facing walls, south and west-facing walls are warm and bright. A south-facing wall will absorb the heat of the sun throughout the day and retain it through the night making these ideal locations for less hardy plants such as Ceanothus (Californian Lilac), Abutilon and Passion flower. Winter-flowering climbing plants, and wall shrubs such as Silk-tassel bush (Garrya) and Wintersweet (Chimonanthus), will also benefit from the warmth early in the year and will flower more freely against a south or west-facing wall. Why not try growing fruit against a sunny wall for a spectacular show of spring blossom and fresh home-grown produce straight from your garden! Fruit trees can be trained as cordons, fans or espaliers to save space.

As the soil is prone to drying out in these hot locations ensure you dig in plenty of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or compost before planting. Mulching with organic matter or pebbles will also help to conserve moisture during the summer.