BRB, just renaming this blog in my head to “Solving Problems With Plants.” We meant to publish a big pool post, but that project is still underway — hopefully next month we’ll have one massive breakdown with hundreds of photos. In the meantime, here’s how plants can do more than hide unsightly things: they can create real privacy, which is exactly what we did at our Florida house.
One reason our house is so walkable to shops, parks, the beach, and restaurants is that the lots here are compact, making the neighborhood feel less sprawling. We’ve written before about why a smaller house and lot appealed to our family. It’s a similar vibe to our former beach house in Cape Charles, Virginia, where being close to neighbors didn’t bother us — even when some windows lined up perfectly. Blinds helped when needed, but we enjoyed the cozy, communal feel.
Our current lot in Florida is about 4,800 square feet — bigger than the Cape Charles property, much smaller than our Richmond lot — which is a nice balance. It’s big enough for a pool and outdoor hangouts, but small enough to limit maintenance. We’re on a corner lot, so we’re not squeezed between two houses, but one side neighbor is fairly close:
Fortunately, mature trees and a privacy fence already help a lot, and the neighbors don’t have windows that line up exactly with ours. Still, after living here a while the one spot that felt a little exposed was an upstairs side window above the kids’ art desk:
In photos the glare hides it, but in person the left side of that window looks toward the neighbor’s house a bit more than we liked, especially when sitting at the art desk. Blinds would have solved it quickly, but we’ve preferred the unobstructed, treetop views from these upstairs windows. So we decided to keep the view and add plants instead.
Luckily, our deck wraps right under that window. We used that space to install a simple raised planter box with a trellis to create a lush privacy screen that blocks views both directions.
We started with a 48″ raised planter box, primed and painted white to match the house. Giving the plants a raised bed helps them reach height faster so the privacy screen fills in sooner.
The trellis is intentionally simple: two pieces of 2×2 lumber painted white, screwed to the outside of the deck railing, with 1/16″ steel wire strung between them and crisscrossed using screw eye hooks. Instead of a precise geometric pattern, we wove the wire to form wide Xs stacked vertically — building a “wire ladder” that gives climbing plants plenty of points to grab and grow upward.
For plants we chose star jasmine, which thrives in our climate and is commonly used on fences and pergolas because it grows quickly and smells wonderful. We planted several jasmine vines in the raised box, untangled them from their nursery stakes, and gently guided them onto the wire trellis so they could start climbing.
Along the front of the planter we added foxtail ferns for extra texture and coverage. Both the jasmine and ferns are low-maintenance in our yard — they get only rainwater and still fill out well, which suits us since we don’t run irrigation on this bed.
We planted everything in the fall and have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly it’s filled in. In some areas the jasmine has already reached and surpassed the top of the trellis. We periodically redirect vines to help close small gaps, and over time the coverage will become denser.
From the ground the planter and trellis already make a big difference in screening the upstairs window:
We even visited the neighbor’s house (it’s under construction and the builder was kind enough to let us check the sightlines) and confirmed that while there are still a few small gaps, the planter greatly reduces visibility into that window.
It wasn’t as instant as dropping in a blind, but the whole project took only an afternoon and now gives us a leafy view to enjoy from the upstairs room. It’s rewarding to solve a privacy issue with something that also enhances the view and smells great when the jasmine blooms.
While we’re at it, here’s a recent shot of the front yard landscaping as it fills in. Plants have done exceptionally well here with minimal care, which is perfect for our no-irrigation setup.
More Trellis & Plant Guides
If you want more ideas for trellises, vines, and easy-care plants, we’ve written several helpful guides:
- DIY Diamond Trellis for Vines
- Make a DIY Outdoor Plant Shelf
- How to Build a Window Plant Shelf
- Protecting Outdoor Plants In A Deep Freeze
- Fiddle Leaf Fig Care Guide
- Tree Philodendron Care Guide
- Monstera Deliciosa Care Guide
- Snake Plant Care Guide
- My Favorite Faux Plants
- Easy Houseplants To Keep Alive
- 10 Houseplants For Better Indoor Air Quality
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
P.S. To see all the other projects we’ve completed since moving here, check the page that rounds up our Florida house projects.