Work Out What You Are Actually Screening

Before you order a single panel, spend ten minutes sitting where you actually sit. The patio chair, the kitchen window, the bench at the end of the lawn. Then look at what bothers you. In most gardens it is not the whole boundary that feels exposed — it is one or two sightlines. A neighbour's upstairs window, a gap beside a shed, the corner where a path runs past the end of the plot.

That distinction matters because screening the wrong thing is expensive. A three-metre run of good closeboard panelling, placed deliberately, will do more for your sense of privacy than twenty metres of fencing along a boundary you never really notice. Walk the boundary at different times of day, too. Low winter sun and bare deciduous branches change what is visible from November to March, and the screen you build in July may feel rather thin by January.

Height, Rules and the Two-Metre Reality

In England, Wales and Scotland, fences, walls and gates generally fall under permitted development up to two metres high — and only one metre where they sit next to a highway. Above that, you will normally need planning permission. Rules in Northern Ireland differ slightly, and conservation areas, listed buildings and some new-build estates strip these rights away entirely. A quick call to your local planning authority costs nothing and saves a great deal of grief.

Because you cannot simply keep building upwards, privacy screens work best as a combination. A 1.8-metre panel with a 30-centimetre trellis topper stays comfortably within the limit while giving you a softer, taller-looking screen. Planting is not bound by the same rules, though tall evergreen hedges are covered by high hedges legislation once they pass two metres, so keep neighbourly relations in mind.

Overlapping Boards for Solid Privacy

Not all panels block a sightline equally well. Lap panels are quick and cheap, but the boards overlap horizontally and can shrink in dry weather, opening thin gaps that let a curious eye straight through. For genuine screening, choose closeboard or feather edge construction, where vertical boards overlap each other in a continuous run with no gaps at all.

• Closeboard panels — strong, dense, and the best value for solid privacy.
• Double-sided or good-neighbour panels — rails and posts are hidden, so both gardens get a neat face.
• Slotted concrete posts — less handsome than timber but they will outlast three sets of wooden posts.

Timber posts should be at least 100mm square, set 600mm into the ground in concrete, and spaced no wider than 2.4 metres. Solid fencing acts like a sail in exposed spots, so consider steel or concrete posts at corners and along the windward run.

Trellis Toppers and Slatted Screens

A solid two-metre wall of timber does block the view — along with most of your light and any sense of air movement. Break it up. Trellis toppers, whether square, diamond or diagonal, add height without weight, let daylight spill over the top and give climbers something to grip.

Horizontal slatted screens are another excellent option, particularly in small or shaded gardens. Because the slats are set with gaps, you get privacy from most viewing angles while air and light pass through. Mounted on posts rather than fitted flush to a boundary, they also look more like garden architecture and less like a barricade. Hit-and-miss panels work on the same principle and suit contemporary planting beautifully.

Planting That Pays Its Way

Plants soften hard lines, extend your privacy upwards and, unlike fencing, improve with age. The trick is choosing the right plant for the exposure and soil you actually have.

• Evergreen climbers — star jasmine, ivy, pyracantha and Clematis armandii will clothe a fence within three seasons. Train them on horizontal wires fixed to the posts.
• Pleached trees — hornbeam, yew or photinia on clear stems. The raised canopy blocks first-floor overlooking while you keep the light and space underneath.
• Clumping bamboo — excellent dense screening, but only in a heavy-duty root barrier. Running bamboos will colonise next door's lawn and yours.
• Bare-root hedging — yew, holly, laurel or hornbeam, planted November to March, establishes fast and costs a fraction of pot-grown stock.

Give hedges a generous metre from the boundary so you are not forever cutting back overhanging growth, and water new planting properly for the first two summers.

Keeping the Garden Light, Airy and Neighbour-Friendly

The best privacy screens are the ones you barely notice. Aim for a lower solid section — roughly two-thirds of the height — with something open above. Vary panel heights along a long run, add a gate or a gap, and let the eye travel.

Colour makes a real difference. Dark charcoal, sage or deep grey recede and disappear into planting, while pale greys and soft greens bounce light around a shady corner. Always leave a small ventilation gap at the base to stop timber rotting and reduce wind pressure.

Finally, check your deeds before you build. If the fence is a party fence, you will usually need your neighbour's agreement. Mentioning your plans early, offering to share the cost and making sure the good side faces them is far cheaper than a dispute — and it means the screen you build will actually be enjoyed rather than resented.