What can I use to add privacy to a field fence?
by
Maryellen
+1
My neighbor cut down all her trees, now no privacy. It is 5ft tall field fencing. It is 50 ft in length.
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You can attach bamboo fencing to the existing fence. If the fence belongs to your neighbor do ask their permission to do so.
I would plant climbing vine to go along the fence...trumpet vine or honeysuckle are vigorous growers (check that they will grow in your area), you could plant a rose hedge or lilac hedge in front of the fence instead, but it will take longer to fill in than the vines. Shrubs or bushes could be strategically planted along the fence with vines in between
There are quite a few things that you could plant that, over time, would provide privacy. It depends partly on how high you want your privacy screen. For instant privacy I like the bamboo pole idea one of the other people suggested. If you want a plant of some sort, there are all kinds of evergreens that you could plant. Many of them will grow far taller than 5 feet and most grow relatively slowly, though there are a few that grow quickly. Bushes that are suitable for hedges could be used. I would have to research specific species and one drawback is that many, if not most of them, require maintenance every year. If you are up for that, then great.
So if you want a living privacy screen, I suggest you talk with a nursery and tell them what you want being sure to state what level of maintenance you are willing to put in and also how high you want the screen to be. Also, what direction does this fence face (N, S, E, W)? If you plant trees or bushes that grow taller than 5 feet, in a few years your plantings may shade some part of your property. If you have other plantings in that shadier area, they might suffer from it. Just tell the nursery person all these facts and what you want.
There are plastic slats that can be slid down inside the fence diagonally. We had them in a fence that surrounded our entire back yard. They were there when we purchased the house so I don’t know if they’re still available anywhere. They really gave us privacy. I would call a fencing company. Our slats were all white. Looked really nice.