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.

Windbreak ideas

peroroncinoperoroncino Posts: 74
in Garden design
My garden faces south west and overlooks a playground and sports field so gets a lot of wind. I need to make a windbreak that can deal with occasional stormy winds (even though I'm in London) and can fit in the 50cm gap between my shed and fence.

So far I have thought of growing five thuja plicata atrovirens in a 50cm x 3.3m x 60cm planter and topping it off at 3.6m from the ground (my shed is 2.4m tall). The other option is creating a wooden trellis frame 3.6m tall and attaching it to the fence and planter to keep it solidly stable. Then I'd grow climbers on it.

Which idea has more merit? If I went with the trellis and climber then what would be suitable for use as a windbreak? The part facing my house faces north east, while the side facing out faces south west. The hole spacings would be 15cm x 15cm so would that increase the sunlight for the plant?

«1

Posts

  • peroroncinoperoroncino Posts: 74
    pictures to help explain (sorry for the bad sketch)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Whatever you choose, it'll need more attention than in the ground, so bear that in mind.
    Climbers will be more attractive. 
    If you add battens to the trellis, you can make the spaces smaller, which would actually be better as a wind suppressant. 
    Lots of climbers would suit, depending on whether you want evergreens or not. 
    I have a screen in a similar site, which was mainly for privacy while hedging etc grew on the boundary. I have clematis on mine.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    edited September 2020
    Not sure anything would grow well there as water would be an issue, although you might get ivy to grow if you watered well until established 
    A horizontal trellis might filter the wind, easy to make yourself from roof lathes or splash the cash on a cedar one!
    But the wind will still whip across your neighbours garden into yours.
  • peroroncinoperoroncino Posts: 74
    I am in fact planning to make it out of treated roof battens haha. Should I aim for 56% openness (apparently the standard optimum spacing) or make the spacings even smaller since it's more windier? Thank you for suggesting clematis, that had completely passed my mind! Evergreens for sure.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Oh - the photo wasn't there when I posted.
    That won't be easy as @K67 says. I didn't realise how it was situated. 
    I'd just do a screen too, in the way described.
    Trying to get anything to grow in there would be very difficult. Not enough light, so plants would be spindly and weak if they managed to get any height at all. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Over the years all our trellis has been made from roof batten painted with ordinary emulsion paint with decking oil on top or fence treatment paint but I have always spaced it a batten width apart as it's easy as no measuring required.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I just use small pieces of batten as spacers, so the same thing as you @K67. Makes sense, and very easy to do  :)

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • peroroncinoperoroncino Posts: 74
    K67 said:
    Not sure anything would grow well there as water would be an issue, although you might get ivy to grow if you watered well until established 
    A horizontal trellis might filter the wind, easy to make yourself from roof lathes or splash the cash on a cedar one!
    But the wind will still whip across your neighbours garden into yours.

    Surely if I set up a watering regime or irrigation system then that wouldn't be an issue? I'd rather avoid growing more ivy as it's already taken over one fence haha! Wind still whips round even with a trellis? That's a shame
    Fairygirl said:
    Oh - the photo wasn't there when I posted.
    That won't be easy as @K67 says. I didn't realise how it was situated. 
    I'd just do a screen too, in the way described.
    Trying to get anything to grow in there would be very difficult. Not enough light, so plants would be spindly and weak if they managed to get any height at all. 

    If I bought climbers in their usual 2-3 litre pot so around 100-120cm tall, then they'd just about peek over the top of the fence (since I'd raise the container). That spot gets a few hours of sunlight in the morning and evening during the growing season surprisingly

  • peroroncinoperoroncino Posts: 74
    K67 said:
    Over the years all our trellis has been made from roof batten painted with ordinary emulsion paint with decking oil on top or fence treatment paint but I have always spaced it a batten width apart as it's easy as no measuring required.

    Fairygirl said:
    I just use small pieces of batten as spacers, so the same thing as you @K67. Makes sense, and very easy to do  :)


    oh god I need to type more quickly, didn't see your posts sorry! thank you for the spacing tips, that does make my job easier :D
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited September 2020
    You'd need access to tend climbers, and prune. The only thing that might grow would be a Clematis montana. Once established, that would cover everything in site. You'd still need to be able to get in and prune when needed, to keep it where it needed to be. 
    Some of the Group 2 clematis might suit,as they need little to no pruning, and would cover that space in a few years. None are evergreen, but you'd have a framework of stems.
    You'd need to plant in a suitable spot, far enough out from the fence, keep it really well watered and fed, and be able to tie in stems to get the best coverage. 
    Sorry - I forgot you're doing a big planter. If you plant at one end, that would be fine.
    Is that a gate at the left side? Does that give you access to the other side of the fence?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sign In or Register to comment.