Best plants for privacy to protect your garden retreat

This evergreen Magnolia Grandiflora tree has gloriously shiny leaves with rust-coloured undersides and pure white, goblet-shaped flowers that open late in summer with an intense, sweet, citrusy fragrance. It doesn’t like strong winds but if you have a sheltered plot then it’ll shield you from your neighbours’ gaze in style. For a compact garden, choose smaller varieties like ‘Little Gem’.

Use this easy-to-grow ornamental Feather Reed Grass ("Karl Foerster") that erupts in summer with feathery plumes of flowers to create the perfect airy screen for a seating area. The blooms gradually fade to golden and the bleached stems and foliage last well into winter, so it’ll shield you through late-season evenings, too.

Customer Review: "Beautiful grasses. We love the movement in light winds & the way the sun catches the nutty colour in both the morning and evening light. The wind & heavy rain this year caused some damage but the plant recovered well after snipping out the damaged grasses."

Ideal for compact gardens, this deciduous Sorbus vilmorinii ("Rowan Tree") will add privacy without plunging your plot into the shade, with lots of smaller leaflets making up individual fern-like leaves. These turn striking shades of purple and red in autumn with crimson-red fruit that fades to a pretty prink.

This bushy, deciduous Amelanchier ("La Paloma") tree has a delicate framework of branches so it’ll obstruct the view without blocking out too much sunshine. It will bring masses of white flowers and attractive bronze foliage to your plot in spring and, in summer, dark red fruit that blackbirds will devour.

We love this twining, woody climber at Modern Gardens because it’s so easy to grow as long as you give it a sunny, south or west-facing spot. To add privacy to your outside space, grow Star Jasmine across trellis panels attached to the top of a fence or wall where its evergreen leaves will screen year-round. Enjoy the scent of clusters of highly fragrant white flowers in summer too.

Customer Review: "The plant was very healthy and ready to plant in my garden."

Want to swap your front fence for a no-nosy-parkers hedge? The leaves of this evergreen Photinia ("Red Robin") shrub unfurl a striking bright red in spring then mature to a sumptuous dark green. Trim it up to three times a year for a fresh flush of red shoots each time. In frost-prone areas, train as a wall shrub against a south or west-facing wall.

This ornamental pear with white blossom unfurling from charming pink buds is one of the best deciduous trees for privacy, thanks to its lovely conical shape which obscures neighbouring houses nicely! The Pyrus calleryana ("Chanticleer") is also early into leaf in spring, yet one of the last to lose its foliage in autumn.

Turn a seating area into a private sanctuary with a screen of this statuesque Miscanthus Sinensis ("Malepartus") grass. Its slender leaves have a distinctive white stripe down the centre and the silky flower heads are nothing short of magnificent. Quick to establish, this grass turns a beautiful reddish-brown in autumn. After, it dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.

Customer Review: "Planted in Cornish hedge to give a little privacy. Allows access to small fence behind if necessary. Love the 'plumes' when in flower."

With colourful yellow-green canes and dainty leaves that move easily in the wind, Fargesia rufa ("Non-Running Bamboo") makes a fabulous screen along a fence boundary, giving plenty of privacy for a small footprint. Fargesia plants are one of the best types of bamboo plants due to their multiple, short canes and delicate appearance. Its rustling masks traffic noise, too. Bamboo can be invasive but this one is compact enough to go into a pot.

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