Separation When you live in a city, achieving separation can be difficult. You want to control what you see while in your retreat garden. Conversely, you want to gain as much privacy as possible from others looking in. Both concerns may require enclosure. The best techniques allow light and air to circulate without sacrificing too much of the screen.
Walls are the primary enclosure, though they are expensive and solid.
These applications are borrowed from the Islamic walled gardens which are focused inward on a central element. Fences are less expensive and can be constructed out of lattice or other materials made more solid by an attractive cloak of vines. Where building codes do not allow such construction, hedges or plant screens are the only possible solution. Trees such as coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens are the best example for California. These trees grow quickly and prefer tight spacing, their new bright green spring growth creating a striking contrast against the darker background.