If you are like most homeowners, spending time in your outdoor space with family and friends is something that you look forward to all year long. The need for privacy is paramount during the special time of year when it’s warm and these gatherings can happen often. Here are some landscape architecture ideas for creating a private outdoor living space on Long Island, NY:
Outdoor Water Fountains
You might not like hearing intrusive noises such as a neighbor’s stereo, barking dogs, or conversations that have nothing to do with you. If you cannot see your neighbors but can hear them, an outdoor fountain offers a pleasing, decorative, and subtle way to mask the noise. With a water fountain in your landscape, you can relax with sounds of nature in the background.
Depending on your budget and yard size, you can invest in either a pre-made or a custom-built water fountain. When choosing the ideal fountain for your outdoor space, keep in mind that the farther the water falls, the more noise it will likely make. This information might help you to choose a fountain that provides an ideal level of noise reduction in addition to the soothing sounds it makes.
Stone Walls
A stone wall usually affords maximum privacy because nobody can see through it. You have a wide variety of materials to choose from, including slate, marble, granite, and limestone, so you can narrow your choices of materials to those that closely match your landscape design and house materials.
Another plus is the fact that a properly installed stone wall lasts a lifetime and requires minimal maintenance. For a unique look, you can opt for a short wall with a wooden lattice. This light material could soften the hard edges of your stone wall.
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Garden Structures
If you view stone walls as confining if they are solely used for privacy reasons, you could opt for garden structures. Defined areas such as an outdoor kitchen or patio can be screened using arbors and trellises. When you add an enclosure around your outdoor space, it becomes more private and eliminates the need for a perimeter boundary. Such structures can also include colorful flowers and climbing vines to further add to the feeling of privacy.
Outdoor Draperies
Outdoor draperies allow you to get both privacy and safety from the elements, and come in a variety of patterns, colors, and textures. Outdoor fabrics are ideally stain resistant, water resistant, and fade resistant—and most of all keep your activities away from prying eyes.
Layered Plantings
If you have a fairly big backyard, you could consider planting a mixture of perennials, evergreens, and deciduous trees. You can plant evergreens in the forefront and background then bring down the height with perennials of diverse heights, textures, and colors.
When you layer the planted areas, they might add better visual impact and depth to your backyard. Doing so also allows you to replace smaller plants that are seasonal with different ones after they die. This means that your backyard will have different colors and textures all through the year. Layered plantings usually offer an easy way to alter your privacy requirements all year long.
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