Privacy is important to many people when they want to relax and enjoy the peacefulness of their backyard or patio. But suburban living can often mean you’ve got neighbors overlooking your property or other buildings overshadowing your retreat, making it hard to truly relax. Walls might be one solution for privacy, but for beauty and economy, nothing beats the strategic use of trees.
Planting a privacy screen of trees is a good idea for much more than just blocking the view of a nosy neighbor. Some other reasons you might want to plant a privacy screen include:
- Blocking something ugly or a bad view near your property
- Creating a separation within your own property between work, play and relaxation zones
- Blocking high winds or long-term sun exposure
- Creating sheltered conditions for frequent outdoor parties, cookouts, etc.
- Blocking noise pollution from nearby busy streets
- Second-story windows that are exposed to neighbor’s views or nearby facing homes
Planting a living fence is a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to a hardscaped privacy fence, and that’s not the only positive. Once establishes, trees are low maintenance, shield your property from sun, wind and harsh weather, block noise, and complement the rest of your landscaping.
For properties here in the Visalia area, we recommend the following five trees as the best for creating privacy screens and we carry them all at Luis’ Nursery:
- Red Tip Photinia Tree
- Bay Laurel Saratoga Tree
- Japanese Blueberry Tree
- Little Gem Magnolia
- Oklahoma RedBud Tree
If you’re planning on creating a privacy screen, be sure you are planting on your own property and within restrictions set by your local zoning ordinances. For example, there are often guidelines for planting trees along driveways, corner lots or regarding setbacks on property lines. It’s a good idea to consult with experienced local landscape professionals, like Luis’ Nursery, to understand the scope of your plan and ensure it will not cause any problems with neighbors or city zoning enforcement.
