EcoBridge’s landscaping in Vancouver shares how to boost outdoor privacy and screen adjacent buildings with planting ideas.
Whether you’re face-to-face with neighbours, have a less-than-stellar view, or are looking for greater privacy, hedges and screening plants can be major problem-solvers. At EcoBridge, we offer full landscape design and installation in Vancouver, guiding clients on design, plant choice, and water considerations to implement creative green solutions to enhance curb appeal and privacy.
Increasing privacy through the use of plants is a meaningful way to enhance quality of life, community and sustainability in local neighbourhoods. The key to landscaping for privacy is to consider objectives. For example, the density of the wall, colours, and even seasonal coverage. Many native plants in Vancouver keep their leaves year-round, functioning as living walls that enhance privacy between neighbouring yards, terraces, and patios.
If you’re considering landscaping in Vancouver this spring, here are some ideas to enhance privacy for a secluded greenspace to unwind and reconnect with friends and family.
The Secret Garden
Think layered hedges and wood lattice screens that form a space away from the rush. Piney-smelling conifer hedges edged with a low boxwood border define planting beds. A few taller trees can be added for dimension and height, resulting in a layered garden that provides maximum screening even in compact spaces. Bonus: layered gardens help to buffer sound, increasing the peace and tranquillity of outdoor spaces.
Hedge Borders
On hilly properties so common in West Vancouver, hedge plants bring many benefits. They soften borders, hide walls, and make outdoor seating and dining areas feel more polished and intimate. For a lounge-like effect, we suggest a plant with glossy leaves and short, dense growth. Fill in perimeters, spacing evenly for a lush, low border wall that brings privacy and polish to backyard and pool spaces.
Pleached Portuguese Laurels
For property owners looking for statement curb appeal, we often use Pleached Portuguese Laurel to create high-level, evergreen privacy screens that offer year-round, formal elegance without taking up excessive ground space. Their dark green leaves, red stems, and dense habit provide a luxurious, structured appearance that is wind-tolerant, hardy, and, best of all, low-maintenance.
Living Walls
As landscapers in Vancouver, green walls are one of the most common requests we receive. There are many ways and species to achieve this. At EcoBridge, we always work to your aesthetic preferences and budget. For example, yew is a popular hedge shrub that grows upright and is easy to shape. With its dense growth and evergreen foliage, it forms a thick barrier that provides privacy and even helps block out noise. Other functional options include boxwood or even dense-flowering shrubs like lilac and rhododendron, which add seasonal interest and attract pollinators to your garden.
Narrow Yard Solutions
For sustainable privacy in narrow yards, a handsome yew hedge is a solid option. We recommend augmenting with a few perennial grasses with feathery fern foliage to add softness. At the same time, the yew can be pruned into a tight, upright hedge that forms a dense screen from neighbouring properties.
Private Pool Screen
Outdoor pool owners often turn to landscaping to create seclusion. A row of arborvitae makes for a handsome privacy screen and lush backdrop for the pool. The dense growth habit of Portuguese laurel makes it an ideal choice for spots where complete privacy is desirable.
Increase Privacy with Landscape Design
Balancing beauty with privacy needs is a common challenge in landscape design for anyone living in a busy metropolis. At EcoBridge, we work using sustainable processes wherever possible, designing and landscaping to a higher level of quality.
Is it time to discuss privacy landscaping in Vancouver? Get started by calling 778.222.1701 or using our website contact form
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