Many of us have an ambivalent relationship with the public and their view of our outdoor spaces. Sometimes we want to show off our hard work, and sometimes we crave privacy. Achieving a sense of seclusion and creating a sense of privacy in compact spaces often necessitates the strategic use of plants in containers. Crucially, plants that provide rapid, dense coverage work best. However, while many traditional privacy plants excel in the ground, their adaptability to containers is not always straightforward.
Some of the best plants for privacy, certain flowering climbers, trees, and shrubs, can be very effective at adding height, interest, and filtering out the view, but simply do not thrive in confined environments. Plants that prefer a deeper, cooler root run are off the list. But, happily, several fast-growing plants provide effective screening fast and are perfectly happy to live life in a container.
