Using plants for privacy is one of the oldest ways to create warmth and seclusion in a garden. No matter the year, flourishing boxwoods and towering trees have been a staple of stylish homes, and some properties truly take this vision to the next level. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s former Pacific Palisades compound is the perfect example.
Purchased by Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo for $32 million in late 2018, the property is a gem of 1930s architecture with unmatched amenities, including a subterranean guest house – but you would never know looking at it from the outside. The compound is expertly swathed in plants chosen for privacy. Towering deciduous landscape trees, boxwoods, shrub roses, and bougainvillea obscure everything beyond the fence.
The plants that cover the fence don’t feel like an afterthought; instead, they become the facade of the home itself.
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The front of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s former home in Pacific Palisades, California
(Image credit: Barry King via Getty Images)
When considering how to plant out a green fence at our own homes, celebrity properties, where privacy is of utmost concern, can provide wonderful inspiration.
Below, Homes & Gardens dives into the lessons embedded in Jennifer and Ben’s former home, as seen through the eyes of expert gardeners. You will also find an edit curated by our team featuring the best buys for recreating their look. Choosing the best shrubs for privacy has never been so easy.
Recreate Ben and Jennifer’s Look at Home
Diyel Outdoor Wall Lantern
Inspired by the lanterns seen in Jennifer and Ben’s former garden, these fixtures will bring a timeless elegance to your front gates. Made from durable powder-coated black metal and tempered glass, they are rust-resistant, weatherproof, and always beautiful.
These Felco pruning shears feature hardened blades that make trimming in your yard effortless, easily handling even tough rose pruning tasks. They are a must-have if you want to keep your boxwoods as neat as those seen in the former Affleck-Garner front yard.
These ‘Knock Out’ roses are celebrated as some of the easiest shrub roses to grow, delivering a season-long display of vibrant blooms. Slightly hardier than more traditional varieties, they are so vibrant you won’t want to take your eyes off them all season.
4-Piece Trowel and Cultivator Planting Set
This set is ideal for beginners, providing all the essential tools needed to get started with planting your privacy garden at an affordable price point. Designed to withstand the elements, these tools will look good all summer long.
Martha Stewart Set of 6 Gardening Gloves
These dual-sided gloves are a must-have for all of your end-of-summer pruning tasks. Designed for planting, pruning, and weeding, they keep hands comfortable and protected while you cultivate every inch of your front yard with care.
The American Boxwood Shrub is a dependable garden favorite. Easy to shape and train, it creates a striking foundation hedge when planted in rows or provides year-round privacy and greenery when lined along a porch.
To unlock privacy planting that feels as seamless as it blends with the design of the home, becoming an extension of its facade like Jennifer and Ben’s, it’s important to start from the point of view of greenery that will look best with the house. Afterward, you can add fragrant privacy plants that bloom for a shorter part of the year, like the roses we see at this home.
James Holmes, a landscaping expert at Validus Construction, advises: ‘Flowers are usually what draw people into a garden, but they are not the best starting point if you want the garden to feel connected to the house. The better test is to look at the leaf color against the materials it will actually sit beside, such as brick, paving, render, fencing or stone.’
Luckily, this matching is easier to accomplish than you might think. ‘One simple way to do this is to take a photo of the front or back of your home before going to the garden center,’ recommends James.
‘When choosing plants, compare the foliage against the colors already in that photo. It makes it much easier to see whether the plant will soften the space, add contrast, or clash with what is already there.’
As the unique blend of shrubs, trees, and flowers at Ben and Jennifer’s former home demonstrates, this doesn’t mean your design should be completely matchy-matchy.
James explains: ‘The garden does not need to match the house perfectly, but the fixed materials should guide the choices you make. If the foliage works with the brickwork, paving and fencing, it can show that the garden has had a lot of thought put into it.’
(Image credit: Barry King via Getty Images)
If you want to directly replicate the plants seen at this home, your pruning tools will become your best friend. Part of what works about Jennifer and Ben’s planting is that the manicured plants echo the linear shapes of their home, creating a stunning cohesion. This technique is simple to replicate.
(Image credit: Barry King via Getty Images)
Start with your roses for healthy and well-maintained blooms. Noah Mabey, Senior Gardener at Thornbridge Hall advises: ‘Keep deadheading diligently. When a rose flower fades, don’t just snip the head off, cut the spent stem back to a healthy set of five leaves. This tricks the plant into pushing out another flush of gorgeous blooms.’
Keeping your front yard hedges neatly trimmed, as we see at this home helps to create the stylish, tiered effect that makes this outdoor space a statement. Noah recommends: ‘Give your box hedges, bays, or yew topiary a neat summer haircut now to sharpen up their silhouettes for the rest of the season.’
Rather than an afterthought, well-planned privacy planting becomes the first impression guests take in as they arrive at your home. It is just as important as the interiors.
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