It's an odd one, but I have a dog wood in a shady corner. It grows well ( from a pot plant to 6x6ft in three years, and that's after cutting it back a bit each spring) It has large leaves and little white flowers in spring. It does loose its leaves in winter, but then you have beautiful red stems to look at ( at a time when privacy is not so much needed?) so year round interest.
Go to B&Q and get some wood to fix over the gaps in the fence for immediate privacy and then paint the fence a nice slate grey on your side and put a couple of planters at the bottom with some climbing hydranga, Jasmine etc...
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
@kili, @Lizzie27 also suggested putting new wood over the gaps. (I've just painted the fence, so not keen to repaint - although slate grey was the colour I wanted funnily enough but couldn't get it!)
I'm now wondering if I nailed featherboard to cover the gaps and painted it the same colour as the fence if it would look okay. I don't want it to look out of place with the rest of the fence. What are folks thoughts on that?
Roofing battens would probably cover the gaps, but the only problem with making the fence completely solid, is that wind then doesn't filter through, making it more likely to be damaged in windy weather. Double sided [hit and miss] fences work best because they filter the wind.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
To be fair, depending on direction of course, the patio end is less affected by wind than the middle and end of the garden. As @Lizzie27 suggested a hit and miss fence would be ideal but, although it is my fence, the rails are on my short-fused neighbour's side, so looking for something I can do on my side only.
The owners of the house next door did suggest last year that we double panel the fence so that we would have privacy when they rented the house out. I thought it was unnecessary. Silly me!
Anyway, in the long term, we are considering whether to extend the house out to where the existing patio goes and installing a new fence. So, not too concerned about the longevity of the fence.
What a shame @DrewMcG, but never mind. Perhaps the battens would do then, and you can always remove and reuse them if you're extending. They make very good trellis and supports for climbers. I have a screen made with the heavier ones, at the back of my pond.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just wanted to let you know what I ended up doing.
Opting for a more immediate solution, I bought some featheredge boards and covered the gaps in the fence with them. I positioned them so some wind was able to get through whilst giving us complete privacy at the patio.
I opted for the featheredge boards because I'm fairly certain that the patio fencing is rather sheltered and the posts are pretty strong. Although I do acknowledge I may be taking a bit of a risk.
Since positing, I've since painted my drab concrete patio (Sandtex Plymouth Grey) and treated us to a swing seat with a canope. (Your guess as to why the previous owners installed a strange patio of brick and slab in the way they did is as good as mines!)
Posts
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm now wondering if I nailed featherboard to cover the gaps and painted it the same colour as the fence if it would look okay. I don't want it to look out of place with the rest of the fence. What are folks thoughts on that?
Double sided [hit and miss] fences work best because they filter the wind.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The owners of the house next door did suggest last year that we double panel the fence so that we would have privacy when they rented the house out. I thought it was unnecessary. Silly me!
Anyway, in the long term, we are considering whether to extend the house out to where the existing patio goes and installing a new fence. So, not too concerned about the longevity of the fence.
I have a screen made with the heavier ones, at the back of my pond.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just wanted to let you know what I ended up doing.
Opting for a more immediate solution, I bought some featheredge boards and covered the gaps in the fence with them. I positioned them so some wind was able to get through whilst giving us complete privacy at the patio.
I opted for the featheredge boards because I'm fairly certain that the patio fencing is rather sheltered and the posts are pretty strong. Although I do acknowledge I may be taking a bit of a risk.
Since positing, I've since painted my drab concrete patio (Sandtex Plymouth Grey) and treated us to a swing seat with a canope. (Your guess as to why the previous owners installed a strange patio of brick and slab in the way they did is as good as mines!)
Thanks for all your suggestions!
Best,
Drew