Peace and Privacy
You don't have to build a 15 foot brick wall around your perimeter to secure privacy! You can create a haven of peace and privacy with the help of traditional fences and hedges. Furthermore, you can encourage serene seclusion with a dramatic living fence! Yes, make a "green" solution to outside sounds such as traffic, sirens, construction, service trucks, and natural neighbourhood noise! Trees and shrubs can help insulate your home and garden from noise pollution and even wind, rain, and heat. Moreover, you won't feel like you're living in a fish bowl.
Consider planting a creative hedge using shrubs and trees of varying height and let the hedge twist and turn about your yard or patio. Think of it as a natural noise and weather screen. Goodbye prying eyes. Try Lilac, a deciduous shrub which blossoms aromatically every May and reaches 8 - 15 feet. Burning Bush provides a dense, compact thicket that needs no pruning and compliments lilacs well. Finish with Purple Coneflower at 3 - 6 feet high with May blossoms and attractive green foliage. With such an arrangement of small, medium, and tall trees and shrubs, you'll enjoy a living boundary which attracts birds and butterflies, buffers abrasive noises, and discourages paparazzi!
For an apartment balcony or patio you can hang bamboo blinds and enjoy weatherproof room dividers, strategically placed. Plant vines in pots and let them fill in the gaps between the railings.
They'll give you flowers or provide grapes and berries. Potted cedars on rollers can be moved around to provide intimate shade at different times of the day.
Inside your home you can upgrade to quieter model fans and appliances. Perhaps you need to add insulation or double-paned windows. Or, simply, go for heavier upholstery and drapery fabrics to absorb sound. To reduce impact noise, add padding or cushioning on top of the floor or between the floor layers. Or, simply, place felt cushions under chair legs and moveable furniture.
Humans have learned to accept a certain amount of noise as an inevitable consequence of urban living. Acceptable levels of noise depend upon the time of day and our energy, which affects our noise tolerance level. Landscaping can define comfort zones for privacy and lend the ambiance of a calm oasis.
