Add a natural partition to a garden, expert suggests

16:34 18th May 2011

Homeowners looking for privacy in their gardens without boxing themselves in or blocking out the sun might want to think about installing a partition made of organic materials.

That is the opinion of former BBC Gardeners' World presenter Nigel Colborn, who wrote in the Daily Mail that using natural products is the best way to create "attractive, sound-softening, wind-tempering screens".

Growing climbers on a trellis is the simplest method of achieving this, Mr Colborn stated, especially using plants such as blue Polish Spirit, ruby Kermesina, honeysuckles and winter jasmine.

In very small spaces, a lightweight screen of bamboo canes, willow wands, dried fern, coir or brushwood thatch can really work, he added.

Sprucing up existing walls by installing a vertical garden is another technique, Mr Colborn continued, explaining: "It's a new dimension and highly fashionable these days to fix planting systems to walls or fences and bring them to life."