If you’re hoping to screen your garden from neighbours' eyes but you’re out of planting space, you’ll want a list of the best flowering container plants for privacy on-side.
While the best fast-growing climbing plants for privacy will help screen the perimeter of your garden, it's worth considering container plants – more specifically, those that flower - to create little pockets of privacy within a garden. Container plants are brilliant because you can position them anywhere in the garden to provide a screen.
To help you brainstorm garden screening ideas, I've rounded up the best flowering container plants for privacy. You can buy some of these plants ready-grown for instant privacy, but you can also grow them from seed for a longer-term (and cheaper) project.
1. Fuchsias
Fuchsias are a personal favourite of mine – the pendant-shaped blooms remind me of fairies. They’re one of the best flowering border plants for privacy, too.
‘Fuchsia thrives in containers and grows in a dense, bushy shape, making it perfect for privacy,’ explains Josh Novell, plant expert and director of Polhill Garden Centre. ‘Its vibrant pink flowers are not only attractive but will also add a pop of colour to your outdoor space.’
You can even learn how to take fuchsia cuttings to multiply the plants in your collection for free.
Where to buy fuchsia plants:
- Thompson & Morgan: A brilliant range of fuchsia plants.
- Crocus: Fuchsia 'Riccartonii' is a good hardy variety.
2. Jasmine
Jasmine is one of the best climbing plants for pots, and another personal favourite of mine. You just can’t beat the scent.
‘The climber Trachelospermum jasminoides is an absolutely brilliant plant to create a screen, as it can be easily trained up a trellis, or wound a round a wire support or arch,’ says garden designer Harriet Worsley. ‘We often train it along railings as it transforms them into a hedge after a few years.’
It’s a great choice if you’re looking to plant a large screen straight away. ‘The bonus is that it can be bought at 3.5 metres tall,’ Harriet explains. ‘The flowers smell outrageously good – think honey on a summer’s day.’
Where to buy star jasmine plants:
- Sarah Raven: Trachelospermum jasminoides is a brilliant climber.
- Crocus: Buy Trachelospermum jasminoides in a range of sizes.
3. Sunflowers
Learning how to grow sunflowers in pots is brilliant fun – the huge flowers are rewards alone, but the leftover seedheads at the end of the season are perfect for wildlife garden ideas, too.
Thanks to their height, they’re one of the best flowering container plants for privacy.
‘For a pop of colour as well as coverage, sunflowers are a great choice,’ says Rachel Cole, seed manager at Fothergill’s Seeds Limited.
‘Choose branching varieties with plenty of foliage, such as 'Hallo' or 'Valentine', which grow to a medium height (80–150cm) and work well in larger containers.’
Where to buy sunflower seeds:
- Mr Fothergill's: Rachel recommends Sunflower 'Hallo' seeds or RHS Sunflower 'Valentine' seeds for privacy.
4. Lavender
Lavender is a timeless choice for any garden, and one of the best flowering container plants for privacy if you want to opt for scented blooms.
‘One of the most popular choices for creating privacy in gardens is lavender,’ says Josh from Polhill Garden Centre. ‘It grows into a dense, bushy screen that not only provides privacy but also attracts bees and butterflies, enhancing your garden’s biodiversity.’
Lavender plants typically grow to a smaller height than some of the other plants on this list, so it’s worth growing them in raised planters to compensate. Learning how to grow lavender is pretty easy, though.
Where to buy lavender plants:
- B&Q: Buy a Lavender angustifolia plant.
- Crocus: Grow Lavandula angustifolia 'Rosea' for rose-pink flowers.
5. Ornamental grasses
For added texture and something a little different, a range of ornamental grasses make brilliant flowering container plants for privacy.
‘Ornamental grasses are a great option, offering subtly, but also nice textures and delicate flowers,’ says Rachel from Mr Fothergill’s.
‘Varieties such as Panicum elegans, Setaria, Miscanthus, Melinis and pampas grass all work well in pots and can be purchased as established plants, though some can also be grown from seed if you don’t mind waiting a few months.’
Where to buy ornamental grasses:
- Mr Fothergill's: Get started with the Ornamental Grasses Seed Collection.
- Gardening Express: Grow beautiful pink pampas grass.
6. Camellias
For larger blooms, learning how to grow camellias is a great idea. In fact, garden designer Harriet often uses them as a front garden privacy idea.
‘For privacy in a front garden area, both in a container and in the ground, I often use camellias, as they are evergreen, grow to a good height, and have glorious flowers,’ she says. ‘However, they are very slow growing, so plant them large if you want the privacy as well.’
Where to buy camellias:
- Gardening Express: Camellia japonica 'Volunteer' is a great choice for patios.
- Thompson & Morgan: Camellia 'Blooming Wonder Red' is another striking option.
7. Dahlias
I had to round off our list of the best flowering container plants for privacy with another favourite – dahlias.
I love these tall bloomers, and you can learn how to grow dahlias in pots as well as borders.
‘Dahlias flower all season long and can thrive in large pots,’ says Rachel from Mr Fothergill’s. ‘A customer favourite, ‘Café Au Lait’, reaches 90–120cm, while 'Wizard of Oz' grows even taller at 120cm, producing stunning soft pink blooms.
That’s my favourite variety, too!
Where to buy dahlia tubers:
- Sarah Raven: Browse a huge range of dahlia tubers.
- J. Parker's: Shop dahlia tubers by type.
If you're looking to add height fast to your garden it might be worth investigating the fast-growing trees to grow for privacy too. However, personally I can't resist the draw of creating a glorious screen of beautiful blooms to hide away behind in spring and summer.
