How to Hide a Fence When Landscaping

Paint the fence a neutral color, such as muted gray, green or brown. Use an outside paint appropriate for the material you are painting. Use a paint sprayer to simplify the project.

Plant fast-growing annual vines to temporarily hide the fence. Morning glory, black-eyed Susans, and nasturtiums produce colorful blooms and quickly scramble over fences. These plants are annuals and die back with the first frost, but they provide coverage until more permanent plantings grow.

Plant perennial vines for more permanent coverage. Consider how fast the vine grows, how much coverage it will provide, and what it will look like in the winter. Try clematis, Virginia creeper, trumpet vine or honeysuckle. Evergreen euonymus or ivy provide year-round coverage.

Layer shrubs for more substantial coverage. Plant a few evergreen shrubs, such as arborvitae, junipers, boxwood, or privet, next to the fence. Interplant these shrubs with smaller deciduous shrubs, such as dogwood, spirea, mock orange or hydrangea. Plant a grouping of large deciduous shrubs if you prefer. Viburnums or lilacs produce thick foliage during the summer, although they are bare during the winter.