Last week I revealed the patio we created for our fire pit and our $200 patio furniture find! But soon after we finished the patio area we were already wishing we had shrubbery or a fence to make it feel more private.
We seriously racked our brains on what to do to block the view from our neighbor’s porch directly into our fire pit. We even bought two clearance shrubs but found out they may not actually be shrubs, but small trees and we’re not looking to create more shade on the property, we have enough shade.
We brainstormed and I even asked some of you on Instagram what you thought we should do (huge thanks to those who helped us figure this out!!) While a pergola was definitely the most popular choice, and my first choice, it just didn’t make sense to spend the money and time on a pergola when we plan on renting this house out within a few years!
There were also lot of suggestions for trellises and vines which is what we wound up doing, combined with really tall plants!
How to Create Natural Privacy
We chose a spot in the yard where it would make sense to create another garden bed. After much debate we decided to create a bed around the lamp post because it makes the new bed seem purposeful and it just so happen to be in the right spot to create natural privacy with plants!
It also works about because we plan on getting string lights at some point and we’ll be able to plug them in discreetly with this new garden surrounding the light pole which just so happens to also have an outlet! 
We started by staking out the area we were about to turn into a flower bed, very carefully because even though the electrical lines should be in conduit, you never know!
Todd wanted the interior of the bed to be on a curve so it would be easier to mow… he’s always thinking.
We used a framing square and tape measure to make sure the bed was the same size on both sides and to make sure our lines were perpendicular! We can’t have a lopsided flower bed!
We outlined the shape of the flower bed with spray paint and got to work on digging up the sod. Well, I should say Todd got to work on digging up the sod because he wanted to work slowly and carefully because of the electrical nearby. 
Once Todd was done digging up the sod we decided to reuse the sod in the area where the slate pieces came from. Because now that we lifted all the slate away, it’s a big muddy mess. We’ll see if the sod takes to it’s new home! (In the picture above, we added all the sod in between the old fireplace and big tree.)
Then we had to run to Lowe’s and pick out two trellises. I didn’t realize how many different types of trellises there were!! So… yet again I had to turn to Instagram and ask you guys which trellis you liked best! And a whopping 89% went with the ones below!
Then I played around with different plant arrangements to come up with a way to create the most privacy possible. My mom had recently given us really tall Lillies from her garden because she said the deer were eating them all and we were also given a few other gigantic Lillies that we almost forgot about! It worked out perfectly where we could plant the tall Lillies on each end and the vines on either side of the trellis. And did I mention the vines were reduced down to $1 a plant?
So if you’re looking to create natural privacy, vines on trellises are always a good and fairly cheap option! The tall variety of Lillies also work well if they are in bunches and you can almost always find Lilly bulbs for half price or the plants at reduced prices after their bloom season. The best part is they will come back bigger and better year after year… in our climate zone anyway.
Arborvitae is always an option (and something we thought of) but can be fairly expensive if you can’t find them on sale. And if one dies in the row, it’s hard to add one later and make it look like it belongs with the rest (but it’s still cheaper than a fence!) That’s my two sense anyway.
So anyway, back to how we created natural privacy. Todd carefully dug the holes and I followed behind and planted the Lillies and vines. I seriously wish I always had a hole digger, It makes gardening that much more fun!
After we had everything planted, I stepped back and commented that it was too many Lillies and I didn’t like it. True story. Todd says if we don’t like it next year we can move some of the Lillies again… oy vey. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just too many Lillies in one garden. You know what I mean?
Then we mulched the bed, stood back and admired our hard work. From all angles.
So now I guess we water and wait. Water and wait. Water and wait. Water and wait.
I’m excited and nervous about this garden. We bought a vine called “Virginia creeper” before doing much research. Well I’ve done some research since then and it seems as though Virginia creeper is super invasive and grows crazy fast. Did we make a mistake putting in Virginia creeper?! Please let me know… and be honest.
And if you like what you read above, feel free to check out some other reader favorites!
Click here to learn how to kill weeds naturally with three ingredients you probably already have!
Click here to see the interior of the fixer upper that this backyard belongs to!
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