When you think about it, there are quite a few items that landscapes commonly have that – well…a homeowner would rather not be all that visible to visitors or themselves.  They include cable boxes, electrical pad mounted transformers, dog runs and water hydrants.  When you add in adjacent features such as apartment buildings, industrial tracts, alleyways, factories and shopping malls, there are more than enough “view-able” objectional things to go around.

So, this presents a quandary and begs the question – what do I do about that?  The possible solution is to half hide it.  Which begs another question – why not totally hide it?  The answer is that most if not all of these eyesores need to be fixed or serviced from time to time and engulfing them completely would draw the ire of the person charged with that task.  The objectional views, especially the big ones, are simply difficult to hide completely and may be more trouble that it’s worth, whereas half-hiding is usually more practical.

In addition to the size, there are 3 other guiding principles of half-hiding.

              *Function – What does this less than aesthetically pleasing item do?  How important is it?  For most of us, water, electricity and cable tv are pretty important and need to continue to keep working well at all times.

              *Frequency of Needed Maintenance – Is it once a week, once a month or once a year?  If a repair person could show up just about any time, then lots of foliage growth could get in their way.

*Location – Is it in a highly visible/heavily trafficked area in the landscape?  If it’s towards the back of the property and you don’t go back there much, then it’s no big deal, but if it’s a front yard placement, then curb appeal is probably going to be lowered if no action is taken.

Here: a simple and easy to use formula and procedure for hiding an object:

1. Measure the height and width of the object.
2. Consider how quickly that it needs to be hidden.
3. Identify planting locations based on this calculation – plant trees/shrubs/ornamental grasses half of their mature width plus 2-3 feet away from the object.  It’s important that they do not grow into and brush up against the object…in most cases, we need to allow access for maintenance purposes by service technicians.  
4. Adjust the calculation in #3 based on the need to hide the object, whether it is imminent or could wait for a couple of years.  Of course, lessening the distance to the object has a direct effect on accessibility and the need to replace the plants, or at least to prune them to keep them accessible.
5. As with any landscaping project, evaluate how well the planting is meeting the goals/objectives; in this case, the effectiveness of lessening the “ugliness” factor.  If adjustments need to be made, they are usually best done sooner than later.

Plant Material Options – 4 groups, each with pros and cons

-Evergreen shrubs, vines and small trees – Evergreeens offer the advantage of being able to lend some degree of covering in all seasons of the year, as well as unique color and texture characteristics.  The down sides to using them is that they are slow to recover if injured by weather or pests and their limitations with pruning and restricting growth to a specific size.

– Deciduous shrubs, vines and small trees – Deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned and shaped to various degrees of hiding influence and offer good recovery capacity when injured.  Many different shades and colors of leaves and flowers are featured with deciduous plants as opposed to most evergreens.  When half-hiding, deciduous stock must be pruned annually, and perhaps the biggest disadvantage, are not capable of fully diffusing the unattractiveness of various features in winter. 

– Large perennials – A wide array of colors, textures and blooms are available.  Local suppliers are usually well stocked with options.  As well, perennials are very easy to replace when problems occur.  Deciduous species usually lose the capacity to cover items in winter, leaving them fully visible.

-Ornamental grasses – Similar to large perennials, most offer a sturdiness and girth that may be required in certain locations.  Massing grass plants together creates a hiding element that is appropriate for large spaces.  Ornamental grasses offer 4-season color and texture appeal, which is sometimes lacking in perennials

John Fech

Horticulture Extension Educator at Nebraska Extension

John Fech is a horticulturist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. The author of 2 books and over 200 popular and trade journal articles, he focuses his time on teaching effective landscape maintenance techniques, water conservation, diagnosing turf and ornamental problems and encouraging effective bilingual communication in the green industry. He works extensively with the media to extend the message of landscape sustainability, making over 100 television and radio appearances each year.