Tips To Hide These 5 Unsightly Parts Of Your Yard
Does your yard have unattractive individual elements that you want to hide from view? Nearly every homeowner must deal with some sort of unwanted visual intrusion — things like electrical or utility boxes, sheds, or even their neighbor's homes or yards. How can you use clever landscaping to get rid of a problem you can't really get rid of? Here are a few things to consider for these common eyesores.
1. Sheds
Sheds are important in the fight against ugly elements because they help hide away backyard clutter and gardening equipment. But what can you do about the shed itself? Start by painting it an attractive and backyard-friendly color, like a sunny yellow. Add molding or a French or barn door to give it charm. Then, use container gardening around the shed to bring in flowers and shrubs without blocking access.
2. Utility and A/C Units
Begin working with outdoor utility equipment or fire hydrants by asking exactly what you can and can't do. This includes any required clearances around boxes. Evergreen and other full-year hedges are a great choice for larger things like air conditioning units, as these provide longer and higher cover without expanding into the no-go zone. To hide smaller boxes without hindering access, consider container pots of bushy items like grasses and shrubs.
3. Chain Link Fencing
Most people aren't enamored of chain link fences, but they may not be able to replace them. One relatively easy piece of camouflage is to paint your fence dark green or black. Then, use it as a base to weave in flowering vines. The patterns of chain link fencing are perfect for climbers like wisteria, hops, clematis, or morning glory.
4. The Neighbor's Structures
The trick to blocking views of your neighbor's home, sheds, or unkempt yard is to consider the sightlines to focus on. Trying to plant enough tall and wide trees to block out their whole home may be very difficult and expensive. But if you sit down on your outdoor patio and think about only what you see from there, you can use less and smaller greenery. Build up a targeted, natural barrier using a combination of trees, tall grasses or shrubs, evergreens, lattices, and vertical gardens.
5. Garbage Cans
Hiding your garbage cans can be as easy as placing a few dwarf trees in the right places. Depending on where the cans are kept, you might use evergreen hedges (when they are stored on appropriate soil) or potted shrubs (when stored on concrete or hardscaping). If space is limited, consider adding a lattice with vines or even a pallet for a vertical flower garden.
These are just a few of the many ways you can customize your landscape plan to reduce unsightly features in the yard. Get more ideas specifically for your landscape challenges by meeting with a custom landscaping service in your area today.
