Backyard tropical landscaping ideas for along a fence

One of the primary reasons for landscaping along a fence is to create a sense of privacy. Well-placed plants, shrubs, or trees can form a natural barrier, shielding the outdoor space from neighbors or passersby.

Create layers of vegetation by placing taller plants towards the back and shorter ones in the front to add depth and visual interest.

Choose plants that thrive in your climate and provide a tropical feel, such as palm trees, bamboo, and tropical flowers.

This garden features huge Gunnera plants at the back for height. An assortment of evergreen shrubs and hostas to create different textures.

This homeowner adds privacy to their pool area with a mixed planting of palms and hibiscus shrubs.

The spacing between the plants is less than usual. This is to create a wall of dense foliage that extends beyond the height of the existing white fence.

The row of tall palms is on the neighboring property. They blend perfectly with the lower growing palms creating layers of foliage at different heights.

For a more formal look replace the palms and hibiscus with small trees that have a tight foliage. Magnolia or Michelia varieties would be perfect.

Narrow garden bed landscaping ideas

If you have a narrow garden bed along your fence, bamboo is a great way to add height for privacy without taking up a lot of space.

This garden uses Slender Weaver bamboo with an underplanting of evergreen perennial plants. Depending on your climate and aspect, you could use clivia, crinum lilies, lily turf or Renga Renga lilies.

The bamboo types that will create the best privacy fence in narrow spaces are Goldstripe bamboo or Slender Weavers bamboo. If you’d like to see some other examples and ideas for bamboo privacy hedges, see our article on the best bamboo plants for screening and privacy.

Flower beds are practical fence line landscaping idea that is perfect if you only have a small space beside your fence.

Create a tropical-style flower garden with a variety of plants that bloom in tropical colors of red, yellow, orange and bright pink.

This garden uses croton for foliage color and heliconias for their lush green foliage and red flowers. A plumeria tree provides shade and fragrant flowers.

Variegated schefflera, nandina and other perennials provide a low border underplanting.

Tropical landscaping solutions for small gardens

A small garden doesn’t mean that you have to miss out, it just means that you need clever design and creativity.

This small backyard still manages to create an outdoor oasis complete with a pool, hot tub and seating areas.

The rendered brick wall is covered with climbing plants to surround the space in green. Boxwood shrubs trimmed to a low hedge and twin Travelers Palms provide sculptural elements.

The end results is a private space that is low maintenance and leaves plenty of time for relaxing around the pool.

Landscaping along a fence can help define and enclose outdoor living spaces. This is especially valuable for creating cozy seating areas, garden beds, or other functional zones within the yard.

Add architectural elements like pergolas or arbors to provide shade and create a focal point in your tropical landscape. These structures can be adorned with climbing vines or hanging plants for added beauty.

Outdoor rooms not only enhance the tropical theme but also provide functional spaces for relaxation and entertainment.

The corners of your yard are ideal for adding an outdoor fire pit or private seating area. Having a fence on two sides of the space helps to provide shelter from sun and wind as well as privacy screening.

If you have space, add plants that grow to at least 5 feet (1.5 m) tall around the border to extend the shelter. A bamboo or woven screen is an easy way to disguise an ugly backyard fence and adds to the relaxed tropical vibes.

Use comfortable outdoor furniture, such as teak, rattan or wicker, and add colorful cushions and pillows to make it inviting

This corner fence space features a modern landscape design.

Large tile pavers provide an all-weather surface and define the space. Pleached trees extend above the height of the wooden fence to provide extra privacy from neighboring properties.

The low-maintenance plants at ground level create the perfect border for this small yard.

As this garden matures the border foliage will soften the edges of the hardscaping and disguise the hard line where the fence meets the paving.

A vertical garden or built-in planters filled with herbs and edible plants will boost your culinary performance and are a great way to beautify your fence.

Incorporate natural materials like wood and stone to create a modern look that complements the surrounding vegetation.

Your outdoor kitchen should blend with your outdoor living space to create a cohesive design.

A vertical garden of planters mounted to a brick wall can make the ideal small-space herb and vegetable garden.

Build it beside your outdoor kitchen so that you have easy access to fresh food while you are cooking.

Beware that when growing vegetables in vertical gardens you’ll need to water them almost every day.

Make sure you set up a drip irrigation system on a timer so that you don’t have to spend too much time watering your vertical vegetable garden.

Landscaping ideas for a metal fence

You can soften the look of a metal fence or chain link fence by training climbing plants to grow along the fence surface.

This example shows a climber used to disguise the brick base and pillars of the fence while leaving the metal rails open to allow a cool breeze to flow into the courtyard.

Use plants with soft and draping form to contrast against the rigidity and formal elements of the fence. This design uses low growing ferns and taller umbrella palms as the soft elements.

Climbing plants that work well in the style of garden pictured are English Ivy or Creeping Fig. For a true tropical feel try Star Jasmine, Mandevilla, Trumpet Vine or Passionflower.

Landscaping ideas for noise mitigation

A solid fence will act as a noise barrier and help to minimize traffic noise in your backyard. You’ll want a tall fence that is at least 6 feet or 1.8 m tall for best results.

Plants have the ability to absorb and deflect sound waves. Landscaping along a fence can serve as a natural barrier, helping to mitigate noise from nearby roads, neighbors, or other sources.

If noise is a significant problem in your backyard you can incorporate the soothing sounds of water into your tropical landscape by adding a water feature. The sound of trickling water from a fountain, pond, or waterfall will create a calming ambiance and enhance the tropical atmosphere.

If one of your property boundaries is a large ugly wall consider transforming it with a mural. In this example the colors of the bins and fire hydrant are used in the mural design so that they blend into the background instead of being eyesores.

Alternatively, you can just fill the wall with your favorite tropical flowers.

Tall plants and hardscape elements along a fence can act as a windbreak, protecting the outdoor space from strong winds. This can help create a more comfortable microclimate and extend the usability of the outdoor area.

In these examples bamboo screens and hedges are used to create windbreaks around pools and outdoor dining spaces.