Ideas needed for planting for privacy directly outside front windows

Daisy1234567

Hi,
We have big almost floor to ceiling 1970 size front windows. They give us good light but as we are beside a busy road and footpath, we feel we're living in a goldfish bowl. We want to use planting to create privacy. Most of our front driveway is cobble locked. We already have a low laurel hedge growing at our boundary wall but that will take a few years to give privacy. Our house is also higher than the road so I was thinking of putting raised planters in front of the windows to get immediate privacy. Would this be a good solution? Do anyone have any ideas on planting of tall shrubs? I quite like the formal low maintenance formal look of lollipop bay trees but mightn't give enough privacy. Maybe two rows of raised planters to create a mini garden outside our windows. All suggestions are very welcome!

lazybones32

Placing raised beds directly outside the window could actually draw the eye towards the window - depending on what's planted.

Fast-growing shrubs will need maintenance and if they're close to a window, the potential for the window being broken increases (not by the plant but by the trimming of the plant).

How about a little trellis to block off however much of the window? There are a variety of plants that will climb over it and give you privacy. Another option is to plant trees in pots and place these as coverage for the window: Thuja 'Smargaard' is a compact tree and relatively inexpensive. You might have to bolt the pots to the ground to prevent them being knocked over by wind or 'growing legs' and disappearing some night.

blackbox

You are lucky that your house is above the road. This means that you can block people from seeing in without obstructing light into your house.

The way to do this is to put the barrier (plants) as close to the road as possible. This way it only has to be higher than the pedestrians and could even be beow the bottom of your window.