For most of history, the home and the garden have been spaces of sanctuary. As such, many people seek ways to keep them private, without cutting down on their beauty. Privacy planting is the best way to keep the open charm of a home while offering clever concealment.
No one understands the need for privacy hedges more than the world's most famous movie star, Marilyn Monroe. A vintage souvenir postcard from 1956 shows the front of the icon's home, and it's shrouded in a collection of trees, hedges, and perennial flowers. Decades later, there is still a lot to be learned from Marilyn's design.
'With the weather starting to warm up and families planning to spend more time outside in the spring and summer months, now is the perfect time to find your solution,' says the expert team at Garden Buildings Direct.
Shop the privacy planting edit
These Felco pruning shears have hardened blades for effortless trimming in your yard, making light work of tough rose pruning jobs. They're essential in every kind of garden.
Named 'All Summer Beauty,' this Hydrangea is a compact, long-blooming mophead variety that produces big, bouncy flowers on 4 ft shrubs. It's the perfect way to bring an element of Stewart-approved charm into our gardens.
These beautiful little flowers are an easy way to brighten your garden. Plus they're perennials so you only need to plant them once.
If you are hoping to recreate her method, the technique requires planting at three levels: borders, hedges, and trees.
Starting at the lowest level, choosing a grouping of the best perennial plants starts you off for success with flowers you'll only need to plant once.
The Garden Buildings Direct team explains: 'Perennial borders could help to obscure views without completely blocking out sections of your garden. For a successful perennial border scheme, include taller plants at the back of your border, with a mix of smaller ones at the front. A mix of textures and flowering seasons can ensure an attractive solution to an overlooked garden.'
At the mid-level, a collection of shrubs and hedges, like the round ones in front of Marilyn's home, guarantee that your lower windows will be shielded from the world.
The team states: 'The best shrubs for privacy and small trees can be the perfect option for privacy hedging in the garden. Rather than placing it along the fence line, look at incorporating hedges along a patio or seating area to separate the area from the rest of the garden and block sightlines from neighbouring windows.'
Finally, choosing the best trees for privacy protect your upper windows in the most stylish way possible.
'If you are thinking of adding large trees into your garden to help with privacy, consider what sort of tree will work best for you. If you only want privacy during the summer months, deciduous trees work best. Evergreens will help create a private garden space all year round but will cast deeper shade on your garden and may block out much of the sun during the warmer months.'
As public figures, celebrities are primed to teach us about planting for privacy. No matter the year, the same techniques remain timeless.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.