Forum home Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Privacy Screen Ideas

Hi all,
Never been one to be into the whole gardening scene but we do like to be outside in our own green bubble.
Unfortunately it is the typical story this day and age, new build house, an ok size garden but neighbours are too close at the back.

We currently have a woodblocx bed we put in when we moved in around 4 years ago and put in a goldcrest conifer on either side, an olive tree in the middle and a jasmine plant in next to the olive tree.
Everything was a baby height but the olive tree has shot up and created a nice screen as has the jasmine which now has to be moved because it is strangling the olive tree.

What we do have however is a 6ft gap from where the last conifer is and to the fence.

We originally planted it all in the bed when the houses behind us were not built so it was difficult to tell angle etc however now they are up, it's quite obvious there is no privacy.

So to the final question - what would you recommend?
I don't think the bed can move as it stands - it's fairly "bedded in" and the weight now with the olive tree being almost 9ft... But the 6ft gap we have does need to be screened.

We don't want a huge amount of maintenance, want something ideally at fence height already (6ft) so that the neighbours do not suddenly say a massive tree just arrived overnight.

Happy to post pictures if visualising it makes it easier!

Thanks in advance

Posts

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Yes please, pictures are always really useful!
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • Now attached :)

    It's the right side where the two potted trees (one as good as RIP now!) are
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Thanks for that.  I see your problem now. Could the jasmine be dug up and replanted in the middle of your gap so it can spread out to both sides and potentially along the right hand fence as well? They can be a bit rampant though and will obviously hang over and strangle anything your neighbours have as well. If you would prefer something evergreen, then I might choose another olive tree as that also looks as though it's thriving in your garden.
    I hope you are in the South of the UK as they are not always winter hardy and you may lose one in a very bad winter.  Whatever you do, please don't plant another conifer or you'll have no end of future problems, most of them do not have any idea of when to stop growing! There are other small trees that might suit, amelanchier, rowans or crabapples perhaps that you might like to look at.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • Brilliant thanks Lizzie,
    In any case, I think whatever goes there, it will be in another bed.  We got the one there from Woodblocx which was really easy to build so it only makes sense getting another from them but this time a rectangle one and then plonking it in there.

    Yup South East of England - it's managed to get this far in 4 odd winters so I'm quite happy with it :)

    I have been looking more towards the evergreen.  I do want to move the Jasmine but like you said, it can go a little all over the place and so we will move it more to towards the left fence just where it cuts-off as there is a shed there.  It can go up it all it wants and that way has something to lean against too (we will put a frame in front of the shed)

    Just looked at the small tree suggestions - they look a lot bigger than I was considering and may end up taking over the garden or am I looking at the wrong ones ?

    To outline the little research I did and this may be totally wrong so I will go by the expertise here!

    Option 1:
    Either Campbell Bamboo, Humilis, Black Bamboo or Phyllostachys Nidularia Broom Bamboo- Our neighbour has 10 of these (unsure which) and have made a screen at the back which looks great - after 4 odd years, it is about the height I would want it to be.  But it looks good as they went from one end of the garden to the other whereas we would just be looking at that gap.  They were all planted in a box.


    Option 2: 
    Laurus Nobilis Pleached Screens
    These seem to already be at height and grown to a steel frame?


    Option 3:
    Laurus Nobilis Full Standard
    Again already at height but not with any sort of frame.  Trunk height is 2m so might be too big 

    Option 4:
    Prunus Lusitanica Angustifolia Full Standard Tree
    Total height is 8ft so again too big I think to just suddenly go with but unsure if other options exist.


    In all cases, I would prefer something that will not leave a mess - more so towards the other side of the fence.

    Let me know if the options are more for a 50 acre mansion and totally inappropriate for the garden.

    I'll try and take some measurements of the garden to give a general idea of how big/small it is

    Thanks again !
  • Skylark001Skylark001 Posts: 75
    edited June 2020
    Yes, bamboos make a great year-round screen, and some species are very quick-growing.  But you do have to absolutely contain the roots, otherwise you'll have bamboo "everywhere". 

    Take no notice of sellers who say that you can trust "clumping bamboos" not to wander.  It's true that clumping bamboos don't wander as much as those with horizontally running roots, but they can run, even if they only put out one or two runners.  If they do, then you could then end up with risers popping up all over the place, including on the other side of your fence (in  your neighbour's garden)! 

    Either plant bamboos in wide and deep planters or pots, or sink basins with thick impenetrable metal walls in the ground. 

    I have observed runners from clumping bamboos wander towards a concrete path and actually force their way into the concrete.  When I dug down to see how and where the runners had entered the concrete I found they were as tough as iron rods!  That's how they do it.  And then you have concrete paths actually splitting apart!

    So keep those roots in order, and bamboos form an excellent screen.

    Best Wishes!
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I like bamboo in the right place and in the right container but my feeling is that visually speaking from a design point of view, it will not fit in with the olive tree very well. The bamboo is from Asia and the olive from the Mediterranean so in my view the two don't mix and you would end up with a mishmash of varieties. As you would be mainly looking at the whole back fence from one viewpoint, it makes sense to me to stick with one or two plants, so either another olive or another gold cypress would be my choice.
    Pleached trees are lovely (and very expensive!) but are more designed to be a row rather than one individual one. They don't stop growing either, height or spread so would need constant pruning up a ladder!
    Sorry to be a bit negative about your possible choices but you did ask!
    You can always ignore me, it's your garden after all.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Beware of bamboos that spread, you neighbours will not thank you. Avoid any Bamboo named Sasa, they're nearly as invasive as jap knotweed. 

    I think a small tree or two staggered to left and right. Half way down the garden would break the line of sight. 
  • DevonianDevonian Posts: 176
    I'm a huge fan of viburnum such as Viburnum X Burkwoodii which has lovely scented white flowers in spring. I know it's not evergreen but the branches tend to grow quite thickly (and can be easily pruned to create a rounded top) so might be useful as a screen. 

    The other advantage of these is that the trunks are very attractive and it means you can plant beneath them too.

    All the best!
Sign In or Register to comment.