BRB — I’m seriously tempted to rename this blog “Solving Problems With Plants.” We had plans for a big pool post, but that’s still underway, so for now here’s a different backyard win: how plants can provide privacy and transform a view. We’ve used plants to hide utility boxes and other unsightly things before, but this time the goal was to create a living screen to block a neighbor’s window from one upstairs spot in our house.
Our neighborhood feels walkable partly because lots are smaller than typical suburban parcels, which we love — close to shops, parks, the beach, and restaurants without sprawling yards. We learned from living at a former beach house that being close to neighbors can be perfectly fine, especially when you embrace greenery, blinds, and smart placement. This house’s lot is a comfortable middle ground: larger than our tiny beach lot, much smaller than our old Richmond property, and low maintenance (no lawn mowing is a personal highlight).
We’re on a corner lot, which gives the house more breathing room, but one neighboring home sits fairly close on one side. Mature trees and a privacy fence helped a lot, yet after living here a while we noticed one upstairs side window, above the kids’ art desk, felt a bit exposed when you were sitting in that corner.
We considered blinds, but we really like the unobstructed, treetop view from this room. The answer, we decided, was to add greenery that would preserve the leafy feel while screening the sightline — essentially a plant-based privacy wall.
Thankfully our deck wraps around right under the window, so we used that space for a raised planter with a simple trellis. The planter gives vines a head start, and the trellis guides them up to form a lush barrier. We chose materials that blend with the house — painted the planter and trellis white — so the installation feels intentional and tidy rather than cluttered.
The trellis is a straightforward, low-cost solution: two vertical pieces of 2×2 lumber attached to the deck railing, with thin steel wire strung between them in a crisscross pattern using screw eye hooks. Instead of a decorative geometric trellis, we made a practical “wire ladder” with wider Xs to encourage rapid, full coverage by climbing plants.
For plants we picked star jasmine for the trellis and foxtail ferns along the front of the planter. Star jasmine thrives here, is fragrant, climbs well, and fills in quickly. Foxtail ferns add a softer, lower layer of greenery and are low maintenance — they grow full without irrigation and handle our climate easily. We planted in the fall and have been pleasantly surprised: the jasmine is already taller than the trellis in places.
Installation only took an afternoon: set up the planter, paint and attach the trellis, string the wire, plant the jasmine and ferns, and guide some vines onto the wires. We gently wind the jasmine around the wire and occasionally reroute a vine to fill thin spots. The setup is mostly rainwater-fed; we don’t irrigate this planter and it’s doing fine, which suits our low-maintenance approach.
From inside, the view is transformed: lush, private, and verdant. We even checked the sightline from the neighboring house (we’re friendly with the builder and had permission to look) and the planter does a remarkable job obscuring the window from that angle. There are still a few gaps near the top we’ll keep working on, but the effect is already impressive.
Compared with blinds, this approach took a little more effort, but it rewards us with a living wall that looks and smells great and preserves the window’s treetop views. It feels like an extension of the house’s landscape, not an add-on.
While we’re sharing this corner project, here’s an update on the front landscaping: it’s filling in nicely and the plants are thriving without irrigation. That’s been a huge convenience and reinforces our preference for low-maintenance, climate-appropriate choices.
More Trellis & Plant Guides
If you want to explore other simple plant-based solutions, try posts on diamond trellises, outdoor plant shelves, window plant shelves, and low-maintenance houseplants. Those guides cover DIY trellis builds, shelving ideas for disguising unsightly elements, and plant care tips for common indoor and outdoor varieties.
- DIY Diamond Trellis for Vines
- Make a DIY Outdoor Plant Shelf
- How to Build a Window Plant Shelf
- Protecting Outdoor Plants in Freezing Weather
- Fiddle Leaf Fig Care Guide
- Tree Philodendron Care Guide
- Monstera Deliciosa Care Guide
- Snake Plant Care Guide
- Favorite Faux Plants
- Easy Houseplants to Keep Alive
- 10 Houseplants for Better Indoor Air Quality
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P.S. For a roundup of other projects we’ve completed since moving here, check the collection of our Florida house projects for more photos and ideas.