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Do you want your garden shed to blend into your garden so it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb? Or do you want to ensure your shed is less visible and less likely to attract thieves who might be after your expensive tools? You’ve come to the right place. This article will teach you the best ways to disguise your garden shed.
How to Disguise a Garden Shed
Place your shed in a sheltered location
The location of a shed can make a huge difference and is the first thing you should consider. It becomes a lot easier to disguise a garden shed if only two sides of it are visible. Take a look at your garden’s layout. Is it adjacent to your garage? Do you have a corner that is already surrounded by hedges or trees? If either of those is a yes, these would be the ideal place for your shed and make hiding it easy.
Paint your shed
The most obvious way to camouflage your shed is to give it a new layer of paint. Most wooden sheds are light brown and stand out quite a bit.
Painting your garden shed can go two ways: You could choose a colour that would blend in with the shed’s surroundings – or create a colourful shed that looks so beautiful you won’t want to hide it any longer!
When painting your shed, make sure that you choose a suitable paint for the job. It needs to be paint suited for use on wood and with waterproof qualities that will stop it from running. A layer of good quality paint will also do wonders for your shed’s longevity.
Use plants to hide your shed
Almost everyone loves plants in their gardens – and if you want to hide your shed or make it a little more attractive, plants can surely help you with that. Some plants will grow tall enough to hide your shed. Others you can train to grow up a trellis.
However, you need to keep in mind that not all plants are suitable for this kind of project. Ideally, you should choose plants that can be grown in pots or planters. Plants with a root system that will not cause issues with your shed are also an option.
A good idea is to use a trellis behind the plants to create a small barrier between the plants and the shed. This gap will come in handy when you need to trim your plants – you do not want a hedge to force its way into your shed’s wall.
There are different types of plants you could use. For lovely scents and plenty of colours, annual climbers are great. The disadvantages of annual plants are that you will have to grow them every year, and it will take some time for them to cover your garden shed. The big plus is that you could also grow climbing vegetable plants (like mangetouts which grow very well in all parts of the UK) and produce some home-grown food!
If you are looking for a more permanent solution, an easy-to-maintain hedge or plants from the miscanthus family are fantastic. Just make sure that growing plants will not damage your shed. While small, fast-growing trees are also an option, the root system could turn into an issue over the years.
Disguise your shed behind a trellis or a privacy fence
Privacy fences and camouflage trellises (which often have artificial vines, ivy, or other artificial plants woven into them) are not only great to keep your nosey neighbours’ eyes away. You can place them next to your shed to create an attractive-looking barrier. It’s like a room divider – just for the outdoors!
Give your wooden shed a makeover
If you want to disguise your garden shed because you think it is ugly, then a good makeover can make a big difference. This includes more than just painting it. You can turn even cheap storage into a beautiful garden feature.
You can do this in a variety of creative ways:
- Add some shelving to the outside of the shed and place plant pots or pretty decorative items on the shelves (make sure the shelves and plants are not too heavy, otherwise your shed’s walls might not be able to support them).
- Turn the shed’s roof into a green roof which will attract bees and butterflies.
- Hang wind chimes and other garden decorations on the shed.
- Place some pillars at each corner and put a plant pot on them.
- Hang small hanging baskets on your shed.
Final thoughts
No matter how you decide to disguise your garden shed, you should not make access to it more complicated or difficult in the process (e.g. by putting a hanging basket too close to the entry door).
Choose a solution that fits your garden. Just because your neighbour or friend decided to paint his shed dark green does not mean that colour would also work for your garden.
Remember that YOU need to be happy with the result. After all, you are the person who will spend a lot of time in your garden, and you don’t want to look at something you do not enjoy.