Screening for small london garden
Barran
Posts: 2
Hello,
So a few years back we decide to level off our sloping garden to make it useable. I wanted something easy to maintain as i know nothing about gardening and didnt really have an interest at all. Now i am regretting that i didnt incorperate more planting space into the decking as i definitly want to make my garden more green and less deck!!
My first problem is the lack of privacy and horrible fencing which is bareable on my side (the left) but a conplete eyesore to the right side. I planted some tall growing shrubs in the small flower bed on the right last year, which will obviously take some time to grow to hide that section of the fence but its just not going to do.
My idea is to plant bamboo in large containers along the back fence and the right side of the decked seating area. I was then thinking to plant a large shrub/small tree where the childrens playhouse is (in a large container) for some screening for next door. after researching, i keep coming back to red robin as it ticks all the boxes and i like the look of it, but looking for other suggestions as i already have a red robin plant at the begining of the flower bed. Also open to other suggestions regarding the bamboo.
I think my garden is East facing although not 100% sure. The back and right side of the garden get full sun for most of the day (i live in the UK so not much sun anyway).
Have provided pictures, but garden is a complete mess at the moment havnt touched it since summer needs a good clean and tidy! 
so sorry about the mess. 
Posts
Bamboo in containers will be expensive, hard to maintain cos of all the watering needed and very dull as it won't change much thru the year.
I suggest you consider building a pergola over the seating area at the end up which you can grow climbers such as roses, honeysuckle, clematis or even a grapevine. This will give you filtered sunlight, colour, perfume, fruit depending on what you choose and privacy from the houses behind.
The fence and wall either side could be softened by growing climbers up trellis panels or tensioned wires between posts inside the fence but you'd need to make a decent bed to plant them in and then you'll have weeding, pruning and so on to maintain it all so I would wait to do that until the children are older.
Meanwhile add some pots of colourful pansies and bulbs for winter/spring and replace with pelargoniums or petunias fro summer colour. Keep it simple for now.
I'd suggest an Amelanchier instead of a Red Robin ....... it's not evergreen but you'd be surprised how much sense of privacy a network of branches and twigs give. Then in the spring you have blossom, berries later on which the blackbirds love and amazing autumn colour before the leaves fall. We've got one between us and the neighbours behind us and it works really well.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Good news! That smaller low fence on the right is completely perfect for fixing trellis to. it Will be a instant fix and your climbers and shrubs will work well together. I would suggest not roses, being the owner of children I can see one falling into the trellis some point and roses would result in tears.
If that’s your fence on the other side then I would be tempted to run wire and hooks across it and have climbers in pots as well. I’m not overly fond of bamboo and you would need quite a lot of it to cover all of that which will turn out rather expensive.
I love that Obelixx posted the same thing while I was writing my post lol.
Have you thought of painting the fences? They could look much nicer in a colour. If that is too much bother, what about some tall grasses in pots like Miscanthus "Flamingo"? 4-5ft tall, cheaper than bamboo and doesn't need much attention, apart from cutting right down in about March when the new shoots come through.
Some really good ideas from others on this thread.