Airy and Elegant Privacy Screening for your Patio or Terrace

In contrast to yew or thuja hedges, which grow to quite a size, fences and privacy screens of steel have a light and airy appearance, and are a practical and space-saving alternative for marking the border of your garden. When covered with the right climbing plants, they are a superb screen for your terrace and also create greater privacy between you and your neighbour. Ramblers and climbers, heavy with blooms, are a good choice and can be trained along the paravent-like trellis. In theory, all kinds of rose are suitable, provided that they grow tall enough and are also sufficiently flexible to climb the trellis in a short time.

Repeat-bloom or Bourbon roses make an excellent choice, especially for a height of around 6 feet. Reliable repeat-blooms include such beauties as ‘Reine des Violettes’, ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain’, ‘Baron Girod de l’Ain’ or ‘Roger Lambelin’. Similarly, several Bourbon roses – ‘Reine Victoria’, ‘Mme Pierre Oger’ or ‘Souvenir de Mme Auguste Charles’ – make the perfect partner for a free-standing iron trellis. Were they allowed to grow on dry, sun-heated walls, they would run a high risk of succumbing to mildew or black spot.

Fencing with hedge-like qualities

Trellis fencing and trellis panels can disappear so completely under roses or other climbing plants that they are easily mistaken for hedges. The famous English garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll, recommended using screening of this kind. When covered with plants, even light metal structures offer great protection from wind. As a rule, these structures should not be higher than 200 centimetres and they need to be solidly anchored. One advantage of slender iron fencing over typical wooden screens with closely aligned slats is that it lets through much more light. Thus, there is no risk of the plants getting too little sun. With such striking trellises, there will of course be people who prefer to cover only part of them with plants. It is also possible to leave them completely visible as a garden design feature.