Add Privacy To Your Front Yard With These Stylish Landscaping Ideas

If you're tired of neighbors and pedestrians peering into your front yard, you can adjust your landscaping to maximize privacy. There are tons of stylish concepts that will help you conceal the front of your home. No matter the size of your front yard, it's important to use every inch of your property as a sanctuary. From fast-growing greenery to DIY privacy screens, you can explore a wide range of innovative ideas.

Working within your budget and timeframe is key when embarking on a landscaping project. This selection of landscaping ideas offers several options to suit a variety of different needs and price ranges. Some projects offer super speedy results, while others require more patience. From your front porch to your lawn, select the concept that adds privacy where you need it most. These users on TikTok have demonstrated the power of concealing the most visible part of your living space.

@jodie.thedesigntwins on TikTok created a classy privacy screen that adds foliage during the day and mood lighting at night. She purchased planters from Amazon (these plastic planters for $139.99 could be ideal) and inserted cedar trees to create a lush border. Solar-powered lights make the greenery glow at night. For extra ambiance, you could also add stylish spherical solar lights, like these from grandinroad ($49.50), around your barrier. If you're worried about the eventual size, maintenance, and upfront cost of real cedar trees, you can landscape your yard on a budget by opting for weather-resistant faux versions (Target sells 4-foot faux cedar trees for $59.99).

After acquiring a permit from the city, @kismethouse on TikTok created a green strip in front of her home. She tore up the concrete and planted non-fruiting olive trees to add privacy and visual interest. Each city has a distinct set of rules for adding a nature strip to the front of your house, so it's important to ask your city about the possibilities before submitting a permit request. Utilities may be hiding underneath your sidewalk, and you also want to make sure there's not a height limit for your greenery, as some cities consider it dangerous to conceal pedestrians from vehicles.

While curb appeal is important, a well-designed fence can conceal your front yard and still look attractive. You can use both wood panels and concrete like @ourcountrycoastalhome on TikTok. They even added decorative stones and typography for visual interest. You can borrow inspiration from the mid-century modern homes in Palm Springs that frequently include a stylish front fence or barrier. If you want to create a really retro look, consider breeze blocks like these decorative Basalite blocks from Lowe's for an installation that won't block out all natural light. You can even use cinder blocks to create a colorful vertical garden.

Cherry laurel trees are a beautiful choice for creating a natural barrier between you and your neighbors. It probably only took a few years for @plant_daddyuk's cherry laurels to become lush, full-size trees, because this evergreen is quick-growing, and can shoot up by 25 inches every 12 months. While they make a beautiful border, be aware that cherry laurel trees are toxic to people and some animals. If you have any pets or small children, it's best to plant the trees far away from their reach. On the flip side, one of the benefits is that certain cherry laurel trees can attract songbirds like robins.

If real greenery is too much maintenance, you can also weave artificial leaves into sections of lattice. @heyyykatie827 on TikTok covered the exposed portions of her front porch with white lattice and faux ivy. It adds privacy while still allowing light to stream through. You can choose between vinyl, PVC, or a DIY wooden trellis privacy screen. While wood offers a traditional, rustic look, PVC and vinyl lattice can be more durable and resistant to rot. If you want a one-step solution, consider this PVC trellis from The Home Depot ($72.98) that comes with UV-resistant faux gardenia leaves.

If you're after another fast-growing hedge plant, consider Japanese privet trees. Like cherry laurels, Japanese privet trees can grow over 25 inches per year and quickly form an attractive hedge. They also produce delicate white flowers in spring, however not everyone likes the smell of their blooms. Unlike other privet tree varieties (like the California privet) the seeds don't sprout everywhere they land and require constant pulling out, so this is a decided perk to the Japanese variety. You can choose to grow privet trees into a screen, or prune the lower branches so the individual privets grow into more of a tree shape. 

Even with fast growing-species, hedges take time to grow. Hanging curtains around an outdoor seating area isn't technically landscaping, but it can help add instant privacy while you wait for planted screens to fill in. TikTok's @summersaysdoit chose to place several gauzy curtains along the sides of her front porch for a light, breezy privacy screen. Curtains around your patio or pergola can create a resort-like aesthetic, but if you employ this dreamy technique, make sure that your selected curtains are suitable for outside use. Even if you choose a translucent textile, the curtains should be weather-resistant. Amazon sells sheer, waterproof curtains ($19.99 for two panels) that have excellent reviews for their outdoor resilience.

For those who don't want to wait several years for a natural privacy screen to fill out, you can always replant mature trees. Fully-grown pleached hornbeams are an excellent solution. These trees were selected by TikTok's @ahomefitforkings to create a flat privacy filter. Pleaching trees refers to the method of training a row of trees to create a lush, unbroken line. You can purchase trees that are already trimmed for this technique, or prune them yourself as they grow. The only issue with hornbeams is that they are deciduous, meaning you won't have as much coverage during the winter months.

Thoughtful planning can work wonders when it comes to creating a more private front yard. On TikTok, @prasadshomeandgarden demonstrated the power of planting in several layers. The key is to start with the taller plants in the back and work your way forward. Consider planting tall evergreens and pine trees along your desired boundary, followed by medium-height bushes, and finally a short layer of shrubs, flowers, and grasses. This technique is also one of the secrets to designing and planting the perfect cottage-style garden.