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How to make an overlooked garden private


13 Landscaping Ideas for Creating Privacy in Your Yard

In rural areas, privacy in your yard is often taken for granted. But residents of more densely populated areas might consider it a hard-to-attain luxury. Privacy solutions come in many forms to suit your needs. Follow these backyard privacy ideas from design experts to gain privacy and block unsightly views. 

24 ways to create privacy beautifully |

(Image credit: Annaick Guitteny)

Garden screening ideas perform a whole host of functions. They can stop neighbors and passersby seeing into the yard. But they might also be needed to hide a less than lovely view from the space.

Screening can also make different areas of the yard distinct when backyard landscaping ideas include creating different zones, leading to a richer design that slowly unfolds rather than becoming apparent in a single glance.

They offer design opportunity in themselves, too, using interesting materials, plants including climbers, trees and shrubs, and even garden buildings and, here, we’ve collected ideas to inspire.

Garden screening ideas 

In an ideal world we wouldn't need garden screening ideas – our yards would be private sanctuaries where we can spend time gardening, entertaining and relaxing away from prying eyes. 

But being overlooked is the reality for most people living in urban areas with houses on either side, or with yards immediately backing onto an outside space. 

You may also want to use screening as an important element of your garden design to create a sense of a journey through the space. 

1. Double up boundary planting

(Image credit: James Kerr/Charlotte Rowe)

Creating more privacy in a garden overlooked by the surrounding houses needs thinking through carefully. Sometimes ‘double wrapping’ the space is the most effective option. 

‘In this garden we dealt with the issue of being overlooked in two ways,’ says designer Charlotte Rowe . ‘We planted a row of pleached hornbeam trees and tall hornbeam hedging along the far end boundary. Then we planted a second small group of Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura) trees further inside the garden for additional screening.’

This arrangement achieved the objective of dealing with the garden being overlooked as well as creating an added sense of depth and enclosing a ‘secret garden’ sunk on a lower level to add a little mystery to the design.

Trees contribute height, structure and a focal point but it’s important to choose the best trees for privacy and screening. The elegant Cercidiphyllum japonicum used in this yard is a medium-sized tree with a lovely light, delicate canopy that’s perfect for smaller spaces. The heart-shaped leaves unfurl bronze in spring and gradually take on yellow and orange tones in fall, adding interest throughout the seasons.

2. Draw the eye into your own space

(Image credit: Catherine Clancy)

It’s worth upgrading fences to a high spec finish like cedar if yours are quite prominent but not up to scratch. Climbers will add softness and much-needed greenery to a fence, as well as year-round structure if you choose an evergreen variety. Another alternative is to attach modern trellis panels which plants will soon scramble over. Both ideas turn the focus inwards.

‘If your garden is overlooked the trick is to make it as cozy and inviting as possible, to focus attention on your own space rather than neighboring properties,’ says designer Catherine Clancy . ‘Clad the boundaries with greenery, using climbers like evergreen star jasmine (trachelospermum jasminoides).’ Plant shrubs generously to make the garden as lush as possible, which will help by adding a lovely distraction.  

Another clever idea is to position your seating area so that you are looking in towards your own house rather than out. If space is at a premium consider built-in seating like this and include lots of planting to further enhance a sense of privacy.

3. Layer the planting

(Image credit: Tomasz Zajda Alamy )

A combination of trees and shrubs can create an impressive layered look that also makes a space feel more private.  Here, the depth as well as the height of the planting makes the backyard a secluded location. 

A formal arrangement like this, which includes topiary, requires maintenance, so if you can’t dedicate sufficient time to clipping, opt for a more informal planting combination instead. 

4. Use living walls to screen boundary walls 

(Image credit: Leigh clapp)

The use of living wall ideas for garden screening ideas can have a two-fold benefit – hiding unsightly or plain boundary walls, as well as adding another planting dimension to your yard.

‘Using vertical garden ideas offers the opportunity to make the most of every space in your garden – there is a plethora of possibilities, and living walls are especially useful in small gardens, courtyards and balconies, to use every perspective,’ says gardening writer Leigh Clapp.

Living walls are planted more densely than a garden bed and can provide a tapestry of color and form. 'Use reliable, long-living, disease resistant plants that are light with shallow roots, as they will have restricted root space. For a year-round effect select mostly evergreens, then highlight with seasonal color,' adds Leigh.

(Image credit: Annaick Guitteny)

The use of screens to loosely partition and create ‘open’ rooms, artfully divided, is a design trick employed by garden designer by Anthea Harrison in this beautiful country garden. 

Decorative laser-cut and solid Corten steel screens gently restrain the garden’s more formal elements, while funnelling the view towards specific focal points or garden vistas, and also act as features in themselves.

6. Divide and screen areas with arbors and arches

(Image credit: Clive Nichols)

Arbors, arches and tunnels can become lovely focal points adorned in profusely flowering vines or flowering climbers. They also act as garden screening, dividing different areas of the garden, and indicating an entry point to a separate garden room which can have its own discrete feel and planting palette.

An arbor nestled among dense, colorful planting creates an illusion of space, which can be particularly effective in small garden ideas.  

7. Create a garden journey with screening planting

(Image credit: Clive nichols)

If there is enough room, divide areas with planted barriers for a feeling of a journey through the garden to hidden places. 

You can create an illusion of space with planting. Curving pathways running between a profusion of flowers and plants can be more interesting and create mystery, generating a surprise around every turn. 

8. Disguise unsightly areas

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

The most practical use of garden screening is to hide out of view the less sightly elements of your garden, such as storage or composting areas.

‘Most small gardens in particular have to be practical as well as visually appealing. They often serve as a room outside as well as a garden. 

'Creating attractive storage outside can contribute hugely towards making your garden a truly unique space and one that lends itself to use all year round,’ explains garden designer Kate Gould .

There is a wide choice of garden screening ideas to disguise a less attractive corner or element of the garden, depending on where it is located and the surrounding area. A decorative trellis panel smothered in evergreen climbers, or edibles can serve both a beautiful and practical purpose.

9. Use architectural salvage 

(Image credit: Clive Nichols)

Architectural salvage opens up a wealth of possibilities, and reclaimed sections of stone walls or follies can be reused as screens to create divisions between garden rooms.

This folly stone wall includes a quatrefoil window through which you can glimpse a further seating area of the garden.

10. Create a garden screening structure

(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)

‘Creating a sense of enclosure, cosiness and privacy is a big contribution which an overhead structure, such as a pergola can make,’ explains garden designer Barry Chambers . 

‘Added to this, it could be concealing you from neighboring windows, or with plant cover and panels or trellises, a screen can also provide shelter from the breeze,’ he adds.

'If the best spot in your backyard for a seating area is overlooked, a smart structure is the quickest and lowest maintenance way to create garden screening,' says Homes & Gardens Editor in Chief Lucy Searle. 

'The smart pergola roof idea above is in the spirit of the garden screening idea I have in my own city garden, the sunniest part of which is overlooked by my neighbors. By using angled louvers, you can keep out prying eyes and create dappled shade, which is perfect for a seating or dining area. It's also a wonderful way to create a focal point in a large space.'

11. Add color and privacy with a pretty awning

(Image credit: Future / Dan Duchars)

If you are looking for patio cover ideas that offer color, shade and screening, the solution may not be planting, but a garden awning. Those that extend outwards above your head by more than a 6ft can offer some privacy, but you can also find awnings that extend down to the ground on either side that will provide garden privacy and screening from the weather, too.

12. Choose trellis for subtle screening

(Image credit: Future / Polly Wreford)

'Adding trellis to the top of a fence will of course offer extra screening and privacy in a backyard, but there are other ways to use trellis ideas cleverly,' says H&G's garden expert Rachel Crow. 

'One of those ways is perfectly illustrated above, where the trellis provides screening that isn't entirely opaque. The benefit of this is that you can either simply divide a backyard by zone, for example, a kids' play area from an adults' seating area, while still being able to see into the other area. Or, you can make the most of a "borrowed view", perhaps a beautiful woodland to the back of your yard, which can help to make a small garden look bigger.

13. Plant lush shrubs for privacy

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Whether you are starting a planting scheme from scratch or want to add garden screening ideas to an existing garden, choosing the best shrubs for privacy is one of the best ways to please both garden users and wildlife.

These include laurel, as above, holly, rhododendron, privet, laurel, photinia, honeysuckle and forsythia, some of which have made our best fast-growing shrubs list, too – a bonus if you want garden privacy ideas fast.

14. Hide a structure with planting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A tall wall, whether brick or rendered blocks, is a great way to increase garden screening and security at the same time, but it can look stark and uninviting, which may not be the effect you want to create. The best way to disguise this type of garden privacy device is to match it with evergreen climbers, which will soften the structure, provide shelter for wildlife and – if you plant flowering climbers – color and scent, too.

15. Plant ornamental grasses 

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton)

While some people like to spend as much time as possible in their gardens year round, others tend to see their outdoor space as a spring/summer attraction.

If you are in the latter camp then tall, airy ‘see-through’ plants like bamboos or ornamental grasses around a seating or sunbathing area will provide sufficient screening, and still allow light to filter through without the need for more heavy duty garden fence ideas.

Likewise, a medium-sized feature tree planted in the sightline of a bedroom will provide privacy for your house. Just don’t plant it too close to the building itself. An upright ornamental cherry would make an attractive and effective shield, as would an ornamental pear such as Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’.

16. Create garden screening with trees

(Image credit: James Kerr/Charlotte Rowe)

Planting trees is the best way to create a hidden spot. But if you are worried that having trees will mean sacrificing light, worry not – there are two techniques that will help. 

By cutting a few of the bigger branches right back to the trunk, you will allow more light through and prevent vigorous regrowth, which is also important to preserve space in small gardens.

You can also try something called ‘lifting your tree’s skirt’, which simply involves removing lower foliage, as in the garden above. 

17. Create tall boundaries with hedges

(Image credit: Future / Alicia Taylor)

Finding effective garden screening ideas can seem daunting, but that doesn’t mean you have to give in and accept that your every move will be observed forever. There are plenty of ways to improve privacy without resorting to tall fences or towering garden wall ideas.   

A good place to start is with your boundaries. Some backyards are defined by low walls or ‘see-through’ fences that offer very little cover. The ideal solution is to establish the best privacy hedges, using fast-growing species. 

Deciduous hedges are best planted from late fall to early spring using bare-rooted plants. Evergreen hedges, using container grown plants, should be planted from mid to late spring.

18. Build a sheltered structure on an exterior wall

(Image credit: Future / Mark Luscombe Whyte)

A dining or lounge space close to the house can take inspiration from these porch ideas with the addition of a covering structure attached to an exterior wall.  

‘Every garden has those places you automatically drift to, as well as natural areas of shade, light and privacy,’ explains award-winning landscape and garden designer Sarah Eberle .  

‘Climbing plants for pergolas and walkways might seem like a romantic option that also offers an element of privacy, but the truth is that many quickly grow out of control, damaging supporting structures, so it’s important to choose non-vigorous species. Pillar roses work well and so does clematis, but this needs to be paired with something evergreen, such as Akebia quinata.’

19. Go underground

(Image credit: Future / Darren Chung)

Sunken gardens make great retreats and are especially useful garden privacy ideas when designing urban plots or looking for long garden ideas, where boundary fences may cast unwanted shade. 

Lowering a terrace by just 18 to 20in (46 to 51cm) makes it easier to create a sense of privacy with garden screening ideas, such as planting or awnings; if you want to go lower, ask a landscape architect to check the water table level and advise on drainage. 

In a sloping garden, carve out terraces and create an outdoor room on the lowest level.

20. Enforce border controls

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Lining paths or patios with perennials, grasses and bamboos is a good way to hide seating areas from view. 

Plants that die down in winter offer privacy during summer when you are relaxing outside, but will not block out light during the rest of the year. 

By placing seats strategically, you may find flowers and foliage do not need to be very tall to make an effective screen.

21. Opt for a cover up

(Image credit: Future / Polly Wreford)

Garden shade ideas and garden screening ideas can be synonymous. A sail shade suspended over a seating area will not only block direct views from upper storey windows, but will also give protection from sunlight and showers. 

The frame can be adorned with climbers, to enhance the enclosed feel. Check that they will grow tall enough to cover the structure, and fix wires to the uprights for the stems to cling to. 

22. Build a summerhouse or pavilion

(Image credit: Future / Jody Stewart)

Position a summerhouse or pavilion so that it backs onto the backyard boundary where it is most overlooked; the building's roof and walls will create a visual barrier and a private space in front.   

Concealing the structure behind trees or large shrubs can increase the sense of seclusion, especially if it is reached by a journey through the garden via charming garden path.

Where there is no space for a building, alternative privacy ideas such as an arbor seat next to a boundary will have a similar effect.

23. Install a water feature for noise screening

(Image credit: Annaick Guitteny)

Although water feature ideas may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of garden screening, screening noise in a garden is crucial for a tranquil ambience. 

Water spouts and fountains help to drown out the sound of traffic and noisy neighbors, and ensure your conversations are not easily overheard.   

The most effective water features produce just the right level of sound – soothing rather than irritating – and form an integral part of the garden design. 

24. Step into the woods 

(Image credit: Future / Jan Baldwin)

Trees offer unlimited scope for providing privacy. A small copse planted at the end of a garden will form a quiet refuge. In a large, open space, use ornamental trees to screen off a sheltered area with a dramatic view – and edge it with hedges or low walls.   

In smaller gardens, three or four trees with slim trunks, such as Himalayan birches, are the best trees for a small garden because they create a snug wooded retreat.

How can I get privacy in my garden?

Garden zoning is one of the most effective garden screening ideas.

Consider the sightline – where are you trying to get privacy from? Then block these areas off to create private spots. 

To do this, play with planting – layers of tall grasses help to softly zone a private area in your garden. Screening helps, too. Choose a material which sits in your garden style, perhaps bamboo, metal or wood. 

If you're trying to block off sight from above, then adding a pergola is a great way to achieve privacy. Rush matting at the top, or growing climbers such as ivy or clematis, will allow light to filter in but not wandering eyes.

How can I stop neighbors overlooking my garden?

Tempting though it may be to block yourself off from the world, high panel fencing often isn’t the answer. For starters, erecting a fence more than 6ft (2m) high will not only annoy your neighbors but may require planning permission. Secondly, doing so will likely shade out some of your garden, and reduce your planting options.

So instead of reaching for the fencing, try and make the best use of what you already have. Take a stroll around your garden to identify where any privacy issues might lie. Is there any part of your plot where you cannot be seen at all? If so, ask yourself whether you are currently making the best use of this precious space. It’s also worth considering exactly when privacy is most important to you.

Ultimately, with a bit of thought, a few simple techniques and clever use of garden privacy ideas, you can enjoy your time in the garden without an audience – and will not have to sacrifice light to do so.

What plants make the best privacy screens?

Use these raised garden bed ideas around the perimeter of your space. Filled with tall plants like bamboo, ornamental grasses and Carex pendula they will naturally create privacy. Like net curtains, they’ll provide a screen between you and the outside world without casting too much shade. 

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.

How to clean up an abandoned summer cottage - where to start restoring the site

This problem has two solutions. First: cut down everything, uproot, make drainage, bring soil and start country life from scratch. Second: to tame wild nature gradually, but persistently, in accordance with a predetermined plan and schedule. We figure out how to put in order an abandoned or heavily neglected summer cottage.

Bureau of Akimov and Toporov

All launched sections are different. But those who tidy up an abandoned house in the countryside, a gardening grandmother’s dacha, or develop a spacious plot in a new array often step on the same rake: an exhausting weekend with digging up the earth and a broken back can turn you away from country life for a long time. . Therefore, if the joy of meeting with the dacha is replaced by a headache from the sight of weeds overgrown with weeds, it's time to outline an action plan. nine0003

Where to start?

“Before” photo

LLC "SK Vash Dom"

New plot: specify the boundaries
. Otherwise, it may turn out that you are cultivating someone else's land. This often happens. And not always by design - sometimes this is a consequence of technical errors.

To determine the real boundaries of the territory, it is enough to invite the surveyors who formed the land survey. They will put boundary marks corresponding to the previously produced cadastral survey. If you were told that the pegs are "somewhere out there, lost in the grass," this is no reason to lose vigilance. It is always useful to double-check whether you have “donated” the land to your neighbors, or vice versa. nine0003

READ ABOUT THIS...
So, you bought a dacha... What to do next?

Michelle Fries

Old site: renew the gate
Just as the theater begins with a hanger, so does the summer cottage start with the entrance gate. Gates play a special role in the perception of the dacha economy. If they are rusty and skewed, the territory will give the impression of being abandoned, even if a parterre lawn is visible behind the gate. Therefore, the first step to updating is to fix and paint the gate. nine0003

Garden Beet Pty Ltd

Organize a convenient access to the site
An important point in our modernization of the summer cottage is the organization of arrival and unloading area. It is relevant for both old and new sites. You will have to import soil, sand, gravel. And the closer you deliver these materials to the place of work, the faster things will go.

In new massifs, when laying driveways and drainage ditches, the soil excavated from the ditch by an excavator is dumped into the base of the road. As a result of such work, good high roads often appear, but at the same time - swampy areas that require backfilling. Accordingly, the development of a site in a new array should begin with the organization of a drive through a drainage ditch and backfilling of the site behind it. nine0003

How to prepare the site for a dump truck
If serious landscape work is planned, the entrance to the site must be able to withstand not only a passenger car, but also a loaded dump truck. First make the entrance, then call the technician.

So, a concrete pipe or rigid two-layer corrugated PVC pipes are laid on a sand cushion at the bottom of the ditch. In all cases, the soil with which the ditch and the platform behind it are covered in layers must be carefully tamped - layer by layer.

If this is an old lot with a house close to the fence, you can't drive into it. In order not to block the street with heaps of sand and rubble for a long time, to the displeasure of the neighbors, a compromise will have to be found. For example, to expand a three-meter-wide race (which is what was usually done in horticulture) to six meters - also due to a piece of PVC drainage pipe with backfill.

If the fence is an old picket fence or chain-link mesh, moreover, overgrown with bushes, part with it without regret, and for the period of active work, turn the area formed in front of the house into a "transit point". Such a beginning will greatly facilitate further landscape and construction work, loading and unloading of materials. nine0003

Interested in landscape design?
Let's find a contractor according to your criteria

Tumbleweed Gardening

How to dispose of waste

Organic compost. Household garbage cannot be burned or buried on the site - only taken out. But for organic, natural origin, organize a compost pit (more precisely, a wooden fence) and a place for burning on the site. You need to take care of both the compost and the place of burning before starting work, and not in their midst. Otherwise, when clearing, you will constantly have to transfer heaps of waste from place to place. nine0003

Important: Do not burn dry grass, dry raspberries, needles and last year's leaves. Humus is an irreplaceable natural resource, it is not environmentally friendly to destroy it. Therefore, we collect all of the above in heaps and send them to compost. If the site is spacious and quickly overgrown, consider purchasing a garden waste shredder.

READ ABOUT THIS...
Good question: How to make compost in the country

Sarah Greenman

26 "On approval of the Procedure for the use of open fire and making fires on agricultural lands and reserve lands"). In general terms, it says the following: burning on an open fire (that is, in a fire) is possible only on a site cleared of grass with a protective embankment of sand, at a distance of at least 30 meters from buildings, in a pit - 20 meters. nine0003

Needless to say, these conditions are unattainable in a holiday village?

Fires according to the law. It is possible to burn garbage in a metal container or stove already at a distance of 10 meters from buildings. Proven by many generations of summer residents, the “gadget” for burning garbage is a metal barrel with holes for air flow. True, the performance of such a device leaves much to be desired. It is suitable for the disposal of branches and sawn roots, but not uprooted stumps. They can really be burned only in a buried fire bowl (hearth). nine0003

Erin Lang Norris

LLC "SIVTRADE-Avtopoliv"

Geoplastics: we eliminate holes and failures
For geoplastics - relief formation - today a wide range of materials of natural origin is used: crushed stone of various fractions, screenings, sand, ASG, fertile soil .

Quite often, organizations specializing in the demolition of buildings are ready to give away broken bricks for free, on a pick-up basis. But it makes sense to use it only for very large volumes of work (tens and hundreds of cubic meters), and in really problem areas - with dips and ravines. In addition, what is given away for free is not a broken brick, but construction waste that requires sorting and partial recycling. Therefore, if you have six acres and all without a ravine, forget about the fight. nine0003

How to optimize work? First of all, use what is at hand, or rather, under your feet. For example, soil excavated from a pond or during the construction of a well - for filling low areas (it is clear that for such an organization of work you must have a ready-made plan for its development).

Landscape Studio LuxGarden

Advice: Starting to make a pond on the site, you will solve several problems at once: you will get a decorative reservoir, an important element of the drainage system (it will collect excess moisture), as well as a dozen cubic meters of natural materials for landscape work - fertile soil for the garden and beds, clay and sand, soil for backfilling, stones for landscape compositions. nine0003

Important: Russian home and dacha owners sometimes approach the preparation of territories too thoroughly. They concrete the surfaces of bridges, parking areas and terraces, surround the property with capital fences on monolithic strip foundations. Construction organizations that are ready to master the customer's funds are willing to take on such work. The main disadvantage of monolithic concrete structures is their complete non-repairability.

Monolithic concrete is good in the city, but not in the drained swamp in the SNT. Therefore, on soils with insufficient bearing capacity, such bridges and fences often “ride”. nine0003

If your site is a former field or forest, minimize the use of reinforced concrete structures. The best material for backfilling paths and platforms is crushed granite screenings.

Rebecca Smith Garden Design

In the photo - perhaps the most practical and quite aesthetic version of the garden path. Make it simple. We take out the turf fragments, make a sand cushion, fill in small concrete tiles, with light strokes on the surface we imitate the uneven texture of the stone. Formwork for pouring is not needed, its role here is played by the boundaries of the excavation in the ground. nine0003

ABOUT THIS…
Good question: How do you build garden paths?

Ponizovkin Architectural Studio

Forest on the site: cut down or leave?
Depends on many factors: the degree of its neglect, the level of groundwater, the nature of vegetation.

A novice summer resident usually seeks to get rid of shrubs, small trees, deadwood, perennial layers of dry plant debris, stumps and stumps, while maintaining mature slender trees. But half measures are the worst option. There are two options. nine0003

CJ S Tree Service of Omaha

If there is a picturesque island of forest on the site, it can be reduced in size, cleaned, thinned, cut tufts of shrubs, removed snags sticking out of the ground and filled gaps. Cut dry branches and shrubs with secateurs, cut thin trees with a long-handled lopper, cut those that are thicker at the root.

The second way is to consistently go to the end: cut down and burn everything clean, uproot stumps, bring in sand, make drainage, form a new soil layer and break up the lawn. There is no third. In an attempt to “improve” an organically rich deciduous forest, you will disrupt the ecosystem that has developed over many years, and most likely turn it into a thicket of weeds, a swamp, a breeding ground for midges and mosquitoes. nine0003

Four Seasons Tree Care

What to do with big trees
A dacha surrounded by young birch trees looks spectacular from the outside. But old deciduous trees create excessive shading and dampness. In addition, having been freed from “competitors” due to cutting down, they grow rapidly. Today it is a birch that can be cut with pruning shears, in five years it will have to be sawn, in ten years it will be a mature tree leaning menacingly over the wires.

Important: Old trees that threaten buildings must be disposed of without waiting for problems. Remember that felling and sanitary pruning of trees is a costly and dangerous undertaking.

Bureau of Akimov and Toporov

How to make technical lawns
It is not worth putting off setting up technical lawns on the cultivated area. Because the soil, freed from mulch from dry grass and leaves, needles and raspberries, will give a rich harvest of weeds.

Two options are also possible here. They depend on the nature of the vegetation and the condition of the soil on the site. The first is to mow regularly, and not with a lawn mower, but with a productive lawn mower. The second is, armed with manuals on "lawn construction", to master all the subtleties of preparing the territory for sowing lawn grass. Let's say right away: there are a lot of nuances on how to arrange a lawn on a neglected overgrown area (they are beyond the scope of this publication), but it is better to study them not experimentally, but by asking experienced neighbors and specialists for advice. nine0003

GeoGraffiti Ltd.

How to make life easier for a beginner "gas builder"? Only the correct organization of labor. After all, no one says that you must turn all six / ten / twenty acres of the site into a parterre lawn in one season. This is not necessary - you are tormented to mow.

First of all, with the help of a technical lawn, it is necessary to get rid of the overgrowth of buildings (houses, gazebos, bathhouses, a barn . ..), providing a two-three-meter strip of grass resistant to trampling along the blind area and paths, to close up the roadsides and edges of ditches. nineThe Shed Builder R work without a plan and schedule
Such work is extremely unproductive. They forced the workers to cut the forest, and then plant a new one. Dismantled one corner - filled up the other.

What's right?
You probably have a zoning plan. But this is not enough. Plan for yourself also a schedule with a breakdown of work by deadlines and queues. When scheduling, alternate heavy and light work. nine0003

By the way, the military approach “from fence to lunch” in country planning is quite rational. Instead of killing yourself, but digging a ditch by night, limit yourself to a time frame. For example, for dinner, regardless of the result, tie with a ditch. Afternoon can be devoted to pruning trees, burning garbage and studying theory. Get back to hard work the next morning with fresh energy and a sharpened tool and get it done quickly.

READ MORE…
How to: Plan a summer cottage 10 acres

Olga Shangina | Photography

Error #2. Reassessment of forces
Of course, a novice summer resident is knee-deep in the sea. But do you know how a trip to the dacha with charcoal for barbecue and a chainsaw will end? Most likely, you won’t rest and won’t work: if there is little experience, then it will take a whole day to stick out the skeleton of a tree sticking out of the ground.

What's right?
Hire handymen for hard work, do not torture yourself, guests and neighbors, free your hands and head for other things. nine0003

By the way, there is a point here. The owner and the hired worker see the front of dacha work in different ways. The worker - in the given volumes, square or running meters. It is always more difficult for the owner to concentrate: he began to clear a clearing - he dreamed, he saw that there was also a mess nearby - he switched, or decided to process two instead of a hundred . .. Quality and pace do not benefit from this.

Error #3. Demolish everything and start over
The local leshoz will gladly tell you the amount for which local hard workers will “smooth out” the site with a bulldozer and take out mountains of stumps, stones and other debris in an unknown direction. After such a rough operation, your site will turn into a quagmire, and you will have to dismantle the rubble, bring in sand and fertile soil. nine0003

What's right?
Plan your project to keep removal to a minimum. The soil taken out of the pond can be used to fill the territories, the stones can be used for landscape compositions, and the stumps and wood remains can be burned: the ash will come in handy in the garden. It is necessary to take out only old rubbish, household and construction waste to the landfill.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Error #4. Working with poor quality or unsuitable tools
This reduces productivity and eats up your time. For example, blunt axes and shovels, a weak motor cultivator and a low-power lawn mower will not allow even a few square meters to be processed.

What's right?
Purchase or rent suitable garden equipment, contract those who have it, organize an exchange fund with neighbors (you give them a concrete mixer, they give you a grinder).

The power tool seems to be the most convenient and easy to use for a gardener. This is partly true, but it is categorically not suitable for neglected areas and large amounts of work. Petrol tools are much more productive. First, it is more powerful. Secondly, you do not need to pull the wires and get tangled in them. But it is difficult for some summer residents to overcome the fear of gasoline engines, although in reality there is nothing complicated and terrible. nine0003

Green Wood Family

Tip: Be safe and keep all manufacturer-recommended fluids (gasoline, saw chain oils, two-stroke oils, etc. ) fresh and readily available.

Don't skimp on quality line and trimmer heads for your lawn mower. About which ones are better, ask not sales assistants, but more experienced neighbors. Get accessories for sharpening all your cutting tools and learn how to sharpen saw chains yourself. In this case, you do not have to stop work and go to a service center for sharpening. nine0015
YOUR TURN…
If you know how to clean up an abandoned lot (like you did it yourself not too long ago), share your experience in the comments section. Tell us about the problems you had in trying to improve or restore an abandoned garden plot.

What to do with an abandoned garden so that it becomes a summer cottage decoration: 3 ideas

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05/29/2020

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We tell you what three scenarios you can follow if you got an overgrown unkempt plot.

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1 Resolutely redone

Not every garden can be left the way it is. Here are a few signs that should tell you that it's easier to cut down everything on the site, uproot and start from scratch. nine0003

Signs of a garden that needs to be redone

If ​​you want to update your garden, follow the steps

  1. Get rid of the garbage. If you are not sure about its safety and environmental friendliness, and also if there are insect hives on the site, contact the professionals.
  2. Dispose of dead plants. If there are few of them and they are not too firmly rooted in the ground, you can try to uproot them yourself: with a winch, an ax and a crowbar. Otherwise, you will have to look for people who will bring a stump grinder or an excavator. nine0267
  3. Drain the soil. It is needed so that it does not become waterlogged and does not dry out. To do this, dig several ditches along the garden 40-50 cm wide and 50-70 cm deep in problem areas.
  4. Bring fertile soil and distribute throughout the site.
  5. After that, you can start sowing the lawn, planting flowers and seedlings of trees or shrubs.

Instagram: @roughgreen_tuinarchitect

Instagram: @roughgreen_tuinarchitect

Instagram: @roughgreen_tuinarchitect

2 Save and gradually update

If there are no serious problems with the garden, and it is just overgrown, it can be gradually updated.

Clean

In any case, start by cleaning. Surely somewhere in the grass there was rubbish, unnecessary boulders. Stock up on construction gloves, a pruner, a hoe and remove weeds and dead plants. Gradually, you will notice the features of the soil, the advantages and disadvantages of the site, so this cleaning is a good way to plan for future changes. nine0003

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Make it more convenient

Evaluate how comfortable it is for you to move around the garden, including to its borders. Most likely, you will want to lay out several tracks. They can be cleaned and covered with pebbles or sand, laid out with tiles or wood.

Also plan a seating area. Perhaps you decide to move the dining area to fresh air or arrange a small space for sun loungers or garden chairs. These sites will also need to be cleaned and leveled. nine0003

Instagram: @martynbullard

Instagram: @martynbullard

Plant new plants

Once the area has become cleaner, tidy and more comfortable, you can start new plantings. You may decide to plant a hedge along the borders or plant a flower garden. In any case, remember that it is important to save space and not turn the garden into an impenetrable jungle. nine0003

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3 Leave as is

A garden full of wild plants and fruit trees can be intimidating at first, especially if you like minimalism and perfect lawns. But try to take a closer look at what you already have: such densely overgrown gardens have their own charm.

If the area is clean and not dangerous, there are no forbidden plants such as hogweed, there is no debris sticking out of the ground and no snakes crawling, you can try to move the wildlife quite a bit by laying paths and arranging stylish furniture. Use an unusual decor, use it to play with thickets of plants. It will be very interesting if a brass statue of a deer peeps out of the plants somewhere or from the thickets of grass - flowers in vintage pots.

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