Landscape Design Ideas to Add More Privacy to Your Rochester Hills, MI, Home

It’s not uncommon to love your home but wish for more privacy when you grill or just want to relax outside on a nice evening. There are multiple ways to add more privacy to your Rochester Hill, MI, home to create an intimate, special spot to enjoy. Here are some landscape design ideas to get you started.

Plants for Privacy

If a fence is not your idea of how you want your yard to look, then consider one of the many hedge bushes that can be planted to create a visual boundary and privacy. Trees that are attractive in their own right can form the backbone of a living privacy wall. Complemented with midsize shrubs or ornamental grasses, the trees bring the height while the midsize shrubbery serves as a lush, green fence. 

A living fence can be added to just one side of your yard to add intimacy without making you feel like you are cut off from the rest of the neighborhood. And any living fence benefits from uplighting for the trees and low level lights for the shrubs. You might even want to add string lights to your trees to add a fairy glow for the evening when you relax outdoors with your favorite drink. Choose shrubs that stay green year-round and you have a fence that adds both beauty and privacy to your landscape.

Related: Incorporating Functionality in Your Shelby Township, MI, Landscape Design

Fencing 

Fencing can be used in many ways to add privacy. If you are reluctant to fence in the entire yard because you love the breeze and the openness, then consider a partial privacy fence. A tall fence on one side of the yard or patio can actually become a pretty focal point, as well. You could add a fence to one side of your patio so that when you spend time outdoors eating together with friends or family, you don’t have to wonder if people are watching. 

Any fence can be extended to an unused corner of the yard where you can place comfortable chairs to read or do some work while relaxing outdoors. Also keep in mind that a fence does not have to be solid but can be constructed in a lattice-work style to allow for privacy but keep the light and breezes flowing through. 

Planting fast growing, flowering vines such as clematis or wisteria can make your wall seem not like a wall at all, but like a pretty focal point of the yard. Spotlights or low lighting woven into the wall can illuminate it at night to give an ambient glow to the entire space. Accent with colorful pots filled with a variety of green plants and seasonal flowers, and you have privacy that is both gorgeous and serene.

Related: Incorporating Functionality in Your Shelby Township, MI, Landscape Design

Retaining Walls

A well-planned retaining wall can bring intimacy, gorgeous natural elements, and additional seating to your backyard. Consider constructing a low retaining wall around your patio to bring a sense of seclusion to that space for when you and your guests are lounging around. The retaining wall can be finished with a flat stone that is ideal for extra seating or for a relaxed drink station. Low lighting illuminates the stone wall after dark and increases the amount of time you can spend in your yard once the sun goes down. With green shrubs and flowers nestled into the exterior part of the wall, your little oasis can quickly become your favorite way to wind down after a busy day. 

A landscape design specialist can help you choose the hardscape elements such as a retaining wall and the softscape elements like trees and plants to make your Rochester Hill, MI, backyard as private as you want.