Have a look at acer griseum - smaller maple which will take its time getting to full height and will give bark interest in winter as well as fabulous leaves from spring to autumn - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/197/Acer-griseum/Details
Have a look at acer griseum - smaller maple which will take its time getting to full height and will give bark interest in winter as well as fabulous leaves from spring to autumn - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/197/Acer-griseum/Details
Fiona, here are a couple of photos of my nandina screen (easy care - an autumn mulch of ericaceous compost/leaf mould, watering during hot/dry periods, that’s it - no pruning) but it would be really helpful to know how high you want your trees/shrubs to be eventually, I suspect nandina would be too small or is around 2m inc. raised bed sufficient?
Photinia Red Robin (or the shorter version Little Red Robin) can also make a good, easy-care evergreen screen, but do need trimming to keep in shape and encourage the red colouring via new growth if kept as a hedge. More interesting I think, if left in their natural tree shape.
Acers are of course spectacularly beautiful but probably best as a single specimen tree to appreciate the graceful outline rather than in a line as a screen. Do you have the right conditions, space (height and width) and the patience to wait for a large acer to grow from a small plant? I do really love the look of Sango Kaku though and have the similar but smaller coral bark acer Winter Flame on order 😊
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Not as big as the Sycamores @fionaquinton, but unless you want to be pollarding every year, I doubt it's a suitable choice. The amount of water they require to grow well is another factor. A raised bed complicates that too.
@Nollie's suggestion looks very good if it suits your conditions. They wouldn't survive where I am without a bit of shelter, although if the winters carry on the way they are, it might be fine.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Not as big as the Sycamores @fionaquinton, but unless you want to be pollarding every year, I doubt it's a suitable choice. The amount of water they require to grow well is another factor. A raised bed complicates that too.
@Nollie's suggestion looks very good if it suits your conditions. They wouldn't survive where I am without a bit of shelter, although if the winters carry on the way they are, it might be fine.
Definitely don't want to be pollarding. But I'm looking for something kind of distinctive. What do you think of the Acer idea? Work starts tomorrow so I'll post pics of the beds when they are done. Appreciate all the advice. Where are you?
I think I would go for flowering cherries. Many varieties to choose from and they are spectacular in spring and autumn. I also like magnolias, lilacs, crab apples and fruit trees. Too many to choose from, really. I think you should choose what you like. If you want a birch, there are small options (5m or less) like this one. But I think cherries are the safest choice.
As @edhelka says - coppiced Jacquemontii birches [Betula jac. ] are beautiful - the winter trunks/branches just now are stunning, and the growth is more upright and fan shaped, which means you don't have a lot of gappy spaces low down. That's often nicer than a solid evergreen barrier. They will eventually become large, but it takes a long time to reach any appreciable height, and can be pruned anyway. They give good screening, autumn colour and winter interest. There's one near me which I admire every time I go past it. I'm in west central Scotland.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think I would go for flowering cherries. Many varieties to choose from and they are spectacular in spring and autumn. I also like magnolias, lilacs, crab apples and fruit trees. Too many to choose from, really. I think you should choose what you like. If you want a birch, there are small options (5m or less) like this one. But I think cherries are the safest choice.
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I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Or there's a snakebark maple with different bark interest all year and the leaf colour changing from spring to autumn - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/98827/i-Acer-grosseri-i-var-i-hersii-i/Details
Acer Sango-Kaku has red stems which show at their best in winter when the stems are bare - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/56417/i-Acer-palmatum-i-Sango-kaku-(P)/Details
Photinia Red Robin (or the shorter version Little Red Robin) can also make a good, easy-care evergreen screen, but do need trimming to keep in shape and encourage the red colouring via new growth if kept as a hedge. More interesting I think, if left in their natural tree shape.
Acers are of course spectacularly beautiful but probably best as a single specimen tree to appreciate the graceful outline rather than in a line as a screen. Do you have the right conditions, space (height and width) and the patience to wait for a large acer to grow from a small plant? I do really love the look of Sango Kaku though and have the similar but smaller coral bark acer Winter Flame on order 😊
@Nollie's suggestion looks very good if it suits your conditions. They wouldn't survive where I am without a bit of shelter, although if the winters carry on the way they are, it might be fine.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
They will eventually become large, but it takes a long time to reach any appreciable height, and can be pruned anyway. They give good screening, autumn colour and winter interest. There's one near me which I admire every time I go past it.
I'm in west central Scotland.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...