Home By Design brings this excellent article on its April/May Issue
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It’s Often said that your garden is your private sanctuary. In a perfect world, that’s certainly true. But the harsh realities of urban living – like nosy neighbors, unwanted wildlife, or the glare of city street lights are much more likely to present obstacles when achieving that perfection. And you’re not alone in this dilemma: In the United States alone, more than thirty-five million single-family houses sit on small city lots with neighbors on all sides, and little separation among them.

Endless intrusions can challenge a serene out door environment. Perhaps yours has to do with the sound of nearby street traffic, a neighbor’s baking dog, or an unsightly vista of an unkempt lawn. And the unpleasantness could be as simple as the view of your own recycling bin from your dining room window.

All of these situations are equally annoying in the scheme of garden harmony, acknowledges Seattle, Washington-based garden writer, broadcaster and speaker Marty Wingate. “But they’re each unique problems and one solution won’t cover the lot, she says. Wingate explains that the number one question she receives from readers, listeners, and audiences at her talks in how to protect gardens from various stressors. “Everyone yearns for private outdoor spaces and effective screening, so I decided to gather enough really good design examples to show people that once the problem is identified, there are many innovative ways of solving it that don’t necessarily involve erecting a fence… or using the dreaded bamboo hedge as a barrier.”

Wingate tackles the issues of urban homeownership with great creativity in her book, Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways to Turn Your Outdoor Space into a Peaceful Retreat. The guide provides hundreds of beautiful photographs of real gardens, large and small, that use both plants and hardscape to diminish noise, block eyesores, keep human and wildlife intruders away, an ultimately, create your ideal backyard sanctuary….

How to soften the traffic noise?

There are things that you can do to mask it, including the sound of water, which will soften the effects of the nuisance by creating a psychological barrier “Wingate sites an example of a tiny Northwest that sits only yards from the rumble of the interstate highway. “ Walking into this garden is a wonderful surprise because its focal point is a large contemporary box that functions as a fountain and recycles powerfully rushing water”.

Banish the Bins

Garbage, recycling and compost bins might be helpful tools for storing our rubbish, but they are also terribly unsightly. Instead of keeping these containers in your line of vision, consider storing them under a raised porch or deck, and gain regular access with bench seats that open to reveal the bins below. Simply lift the bench seat lid and dispose of your unwanted items. For proper sorting, create bins for compost, recycle, and garbage that connect to a modified chute system. After guests finish an outdoor snack, encourage them to stand up, lift the bench lids, and drop their compostable and recyclable plates into the appropriate bins below. On pick day, walk down the steps to ground level, open the gate to the space under the deck, pull out the bins, and take them to the curb.

Then searching for peace and quiet ideas for backyard we run across this furniture! Check it out!

Image Source: DEDON

Article Source: Home By Design