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A privacy screen has to reach above the line between your eyes and the thing you want to hide, and how tall that is depends on where the screen stands. The closer the planters are to where you sit, the less height they need. Measure your eye height, work out the line, then choose a planter tall enough to start the screen and planting to finish it.
Tall planters are one of the few privacy fixes that need no digging, no fence to build and no commitment to the layout. They also get bought by eye: a row of the tallest planters available, set against the boundary, planted with whatever grows fastest. That is usually the most expensive way to get the least privacy, and a tape measure fixes it.
How tall does a privacy screen need to be?
Tall enough to cross the line of sight between your eyes and whatever you want to hide. That is geometry, not a rule of thumb, and it takes three measurements:
- Your eye height where you actually sit or stand. Sit in your usual chair and have someone measure from the ground to your eyes.
- The height of what you want to hide, such as the top of a neighbor's window or the rail of their balcony.
- Two distances: from you to that point, and from you to where the screen will stand.
The screen has to reach your eye height, plus the difference in height multiplied by how far along the line the screen stands:
Screen heightEye height + (target height − eye height) × (distance to screen ÷ distance to target).
If what you want to hide sits below your eye line, a screen at eye height in front of you is enough.
What most buyers overlook: put the screen close to you
The same view takes far less screen when the screen stands near the viewer. Take a seated eye height of 44 inches and a neighbor's window whose top edge is 10 feet up, 30 feet away. The screen has to reach:
- About 59 inches if it stands 6 feet from your chair.
- About 69 inches at 10 feet.
- About 82 inches at 15 feet, halfway to the window.
Moving the screen from 6 feet to 15 feet away adds nearly two feet to the height it needs, and most people put their planters even further out, along the boundary. It also means taller plants and heavier planters to do the same job. Put the screen near the seating it protects and it can be a planter and a modest shrub, not a hedge you wait years for.
The width works the same way. A window 6 feet wide, 30 feet away, is covered by about 14 inches of screen 6 feet from your eyes. That is why a single planter beside a chair can hide more than a row along the fence. Allow extra width for every seat you want covered, because the line moves each time you do.
How wide, and how many planters?
Mark the width the screen has to cover at the spot where it will stand, divide by the planter length, and round up. For a run of 20 feet, that is four 60 inch planters, or three at 100 inches with some to spare.
Fewer and longer units give fewer joints, and joints are where a screen shows its gaps. On our range they also usually cost less for the same run. Our guide to one long fiberglass planter or several works through the numbers, including which lengths ship by ground.
What is instant and what is not
The planter is instant; the planting is not. Every inch of planter height is screen on the day it arrives, while the plant above it takes seasons to fill. If you want privacy quickly, spend the height on the planter and plant for the rest.
For the 59 inch screen in the example, a 42 inch planter needs about 17 inches of planting above the rim. A 24 inch planter needs about 35. From the tall privacy fiberglass planters we carry:
- Darwin rectangular, 42 inches tall and 24 deep, in 36 to 72 inch lengths. Ships by freight.
- Perth rectangular, 42 inches tall and 16 deep, in 24 to 72 inch lengths, for a narrower footprint. Ships by freight.
- Amesbury narrow, 32 inches tall and 10 deep, in 24 to 48 inch lengths, for balconies and tight spaces. The 24 and 36 inch lengths ship by ground.
Deeper planters hold more soil and stand more steadily under a tall planting. Narrow ones fit where nothing else will, but they are the ones to keep out of exposed, windy spots.
What to plant for privacy
Mix your plants rather than repeating one. University of Maryland Extension points out that three evergreens of the same species in decline will leave a significant gap in a screen, and recommends layering plants of different heights and forms. In a run of planters, a single species failing takes out a whole section at once.
Check invasive status before you buy. The same UMD guidance lists bamboo, European privet and Japanese barberry among plants once used for screens that are now invasive in natural areas. UMD's advice is to avoid invasive species altogether, and your local extension office lists what is invasive where you live, and what grows well in containers in your climate.
Can planters work as a room divider?
Yes, and indoors they are simpler than outside. A long, narrow planter with upright plants divides a room without closing it off, and it can be moved when the layout changes.
Indoors, a planter without drainage holes can hold nursery pots as a cachepot, which keeps water off the floor and lets plants be swapped individually. Jay Scotts' owner's guide describes this as drop-in planting, suited to interior applications and seasonal rotation. Select models take an optional internal shelf about 10 to 12 inches below the rim to hold the nursery pots near the top. The narrow models, 10 to 12 inches deep, fit along a walkway or behind a sofa.
Weight, wind and balconies
A planted screen puts a lot of weight along one line and gives wind a broad face to push against. On a balcony or roof terrace, the structure's limits come first, and only a qualified engineer can set them. Our rooftop planters guide covers access, weight and wind at height. At ground level, our tall planter guide covers stability.
Outdoors, every planter in a run needs drainage. Jay Scotts drill it free at order time, to their standard of 1 to 2 inch holes every 12 inches of planter space, and a drilled planter is final sale.
Shop the collection
Tall privacy fiberglass planters
Height, length and depth published for every size, so you can plan the screen before you order.
Frequently asked questions
How tall should a privacy planter be?
Tall enough, with its planting, to cross your line of sight to what you want to hide. Work it out as your eye height plus the height difference to the target, multiplied by how far along the line the screen stands. A screen close to your seat needs much less height than one on the boundary.
What can I plant for immediate privacy?
Nothing grows instantly, so buy height in the planter rather than waiting for it in the plant. A 42 inch planter screens from the day it arrives, and the planting only has to cover what is left above the rim.
How many planters do I need for a privacy screen?
Divide the width to be covered by the planter length and round up. Placing the screen closer to where you sit reduces the width it has to cover.
Can I use planters as a room divider?
Yes. Indoors, an undrilled planter can hold nursery pots as a cachepot. Jay Scotts describe this drop-in method as suited to interior applications, and it keeps water off the floor.
Will a tall privacy planter tip over?
A tall planting on a narrow base can, especially in wind. Choose deeper models for exposed spots, keep weight low in the base, and keep the planting in proportion to the footprint.
Is bamboo a good privacy plant for planters?
Check first. University of Maryland Extension lists bamboo among screen plants that are now invasive in natural areas and advises avoiding invasive species, so check your local invasive list before planting.
