There are plenty of design ideas for your garden wall that can elevate your backyard’s aesthetic while also maintaining your sense of privacy. Learn more here.
A garden wall can elevate the aesthetic of your backyard. They can give your backyard a greater sense of privacy and even help you maximize garden space. You can go a simple route and add a coat of paint to an existing fence, or you can experiment with more complexity by adding living elements or creating a mural or mosaic.
If you’re stuck on what to do with your garden wall, you’re in luck. There are all kinds of ways you can design your own garden wall—all it takes is a little brainstorming.
To help you get started, here are 15 top ideas for your exterior garden wall from
A wall of plants is just pleasing to look at. If you have a smaller yard but still want to make use of your green thumb, a living garden wall can help you maximize your space to make room for the plants you want.
You can purchase pre-designed garden walls from plenty of garden and outdoor furniture stores. Another popular route is to make your own from leftover pallets.
The choices for plants on a living wall are endless. You could use vines to create a dramatic look, or you could add plants like lavender or bee balm to repel pesky mosquitoes. You could choose to stock it with herbs and other produce items, or you could even add pollinator-friendly plants to do your part for the environment.
Metal screens are commonly used as barriers for garden walls. If you’re looking for something unique, you could consider having one cut with a custom pattern to add extra intrigue.
3. Paint your wall
A new shade of paint could be just what you need to freshen up your garden wall. From jewel tones to muted shades to an ombre effect, your options here are endless.
4. Paint a mural
If you have artistic talents yourself or live in a community with a thriving arts scene, why not go beyond a solid color and commission a mural? A custom painting on your garden wall truly could make your space one-of-a-kind with a design that’s been imagined with you in mind.
After some time goes by, if you tire of the mural and decide you want to create a new one, all it takes to change it is another coat of paint.
Tiles are another way to make your garden wall a bold, standout feature in your backyard.
You can choose bright or subtle colors and patterns depending on the atmosphere you want to create—maybe a bright orange for a vibrant oasis or a soothing blue for a cozy retreat. If you’re looking to go further, you can play with multiple colors and designs to create your own custom garden wall mosaic.
6. Play with lighting
Installing a lighting fixture or hanging string lights around your garden wall can add visual interest to it while also making your backyard space feel a lot cozier in the evenings.
7. Add mirrors
Installing outdoor mirrors as part of your garden wall can make your space feel even bigger, making this a tempting option for smaller backyard spaces. Make sure the mirror you choose is durable and moisture-proofed to keep it in tip-top shape.
8. Add sculptural elements
Who says a garden wall has to blend in? You can add custom outdoor decor to your garden wall, as well as strategically placing sculptures or potted plants around it as you see fit.
The items you choose can take your design in all sorts of directions, from modern to rustic to whimsical.
Bushes and hedges are commonly used to define yard boundaries, but if you get creative, you can do some really fun things with them—like using them to create walls or rooms within your yard or trimming them into custom shapes. Those heart-shaped hedges really could make a statement!
10. Add a window
Adding a window to a tall, already-existing privacy fence, and perhaps adding some greenery around it, can make your backyard space feel more open and inviting, while still maintaining a sense of privacy.
11. Use salvaged brick or stone
Sometimes, perfectly useful stones and bricks get discarded. Salvage yards, construction, hardware, and landscaping stores can have stones and bricks set aside that might not be commercially useful for their purposes due to various “imperfections” but are perfectly good for yours.
With the right combination of materials, you could arrange a garden wall that creates an ancient, earthy atmosphere—for a great price.
12. Make a collage of repurposed windows and doors
The nice thing about doors and windows is that they’re already built for exterior conditions—or if they’re not, they can be easily modified to work outdoors. Even if you found a unique interior door that caught your eye, you could still refinish it with weather resistant stain or paint to better stand up to the elements.
By gathering up old doors and windows from yard sales, salvage yards, or thrift stores, you could assemble a really interesting arrangement that could function as a garden wall.
In combination, the two also serve dual functions: the doors can close off and define your garden space, while the windows allow your view to extend beyond it and keep the area feeling open.
While this is arguably the most expected and traditional option on this list, there are all kinds of options when it comes to paints, finishes, and materials to make your fencing one-of-a-kind.
Wooden privacy fences can get a custom paint job, and alternative colors can enhance an otherwise run-of-the-mill chain link fencing. You could even change things up by opting for privacy fencing with horizontal slats rather than vertical.
14. Add sound
Attaching wind chimes, water fountains, and other musical pieces to your garden wall can make it just as pleasing to the ears as it is to the eyes. Throw in a bird feeder nearby, and you can add live birdsong to the texture of sounds.
15. Frame your wall
To dress up an existing garden wall, you could place a pergola in front of it to use as a framing element.
To go a step further, you can hang or attach plenty of other items on this list from your pergola, including greenery, lighting, or wind chimes. Pretty soon, everyone will be coming to your house for photoshoots!
, you can also protect structural elements on your property. Those can include a detached garage, fencing, a shed, or pool—and they could even extend to your garden wall, depending on how it’s constructed.
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