Hide a garden eyesore

Does your garden feature an eyesore that you are not able to remove? Maybe a shared fence that the neighbours aren’t ready to replace, a tool shed, or an ugly yet functional retaining wall.

Transforming your yard into a peaceful, welcoming space often means dealing with immovable objects that threaten the visual harmony, but fortunately there are plenty of easy, inexpensive solutions.

If the eyesore is large, consider painting it in a dark colour so that it ‘disappears’ behind the foliage of the plants you plan to grow in front of it. Alternatively, go bold with a brighter colour that will provide a striking background to the plantings, such as terracotta, deep red or blue.

Raised vegetable gardens are always acceptable, so you could position some in front of the ugliness, making sure to grow taller plants such as tomatoes, peas or beans that will add height at the back of the beds.

Clumping bamboo is another tall, fast-growing plant that will cover a larger object, without taking up too much space in the garden.

If the eyesore is a rickety, unstable fence, consider positioning a free-standing green wall or a high trellis in front of it, then covering that with climbing plants such as:

- Boston Ivy – a vigorous grower that provides extensive coverage.
- Euonymus Fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold – this pretty shrub has bright green foliage that turns pinkish-red in winter, and can be trained either as a hedge or climber.
- Jasmine – this evergreen vine comes in various forms, including the Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum Jasminoides), the Jasminum nudiflorum which blooms with yellow flowers through winter, or the Tricolour with its deep green foliage and tones of pink and cream.

When selecting plants to hide your eyesore, keep in mind they need to be evergreens, to avoid leaving it exposed for six months every year.

They don’t always have to be tall, either; look instead for variety in shape, height and colour. Strappy grasses such as Mondo, Lomandra or Pennisetum alopecuroides will distract the eye and move gracefully in the gentlest of breezes.