These three product types get talked about interchangeably, but they solve different problems. Here's the distinction, so you order the right one the first time.
Solid Garden Screens
Full panels with no gaps — maximum privacy and wind-blocking, used as boundary fencing or a complete visual barrier. This is the right choice when the goal is "I don't want to be seen or see through at all." See our full privacy screens.
Decorative Patterned Screens
Panels like Kerplunk, Frond, and Verdure cut a pattern into the panel — reducing direct sightlines while letting light and air through. These work as a design feature as much as a privacy solution, and suit gardens where a solid wall would feel too enclosing.
Trellis Fencing
Lighter, more open lattice designs — Moucharabiya, Alhambra — built primarily to support climbing plants and soften a boundary rather than provide full privacy on their own. Often used as a topper on a shorter solid fence, combining full lower privacy with an open, planted upper section. See our full trellis design guide.
Slatted Screens
Horizontal composite battens with visible gaps between each slat — a distinct contemporary look, popular for modern and minimalist gardens. Slatted screens sit between solid panels and trellis on the privacy spectrum: more private than trellis, more visually open than a solid panel. See our slatted composite range.
Matching the Product to the Job
- Full boundary privacy, no compromise: solid screen
- Privacy with a design feature: decorative patterned screen
- Softening a boundary / supporting plants: trellis
- Contemporary look, partial privacy: slatted panel
- Best of both: solid panel below, trellis or patterned screen on top
Combining Types
Many gardens use more than one type across a boundary run — solid panels for the sections directly overlooked, trellis or patterned screens for sections that just need softening. Posts are shared across the ranges, so mixing types along one boundary is straightforward from a fitting perspective.
Compare all options in the full collection.