We had a windbreak in the from of a trellis plus climber @Cambridgerose12, which got more and more battered over about 5 years, and finally got blown away in a particularly strong Gale. So I’m not keen on another rigid solution. I think even a windbreak with no climbers on it would go quite quickly. Hence shrubs, which will move with the wind and not fight it. The bed has one existing lace cap hydrangea in it (Arabella I think), and some acanthus. I’m planning to move both because they’ve been miserable since the windbreak went last spring. I know the acanthus will probably come back, and the hydrangea might die, but that’s for another day. That leaves me with 12’ x 4’ to play with.
I wonder if any tall annuals could stand the wind, and fill in whilst shrubs grew a bit. I like the look of the Berberis @Bright star. I’m going to look into that. I’m also thinking about miscanthus. We don’t need the same density of privacy screening as if we were overlooked by neighbours, it’s just to stop us feeling quite so “on display” as people drive down quite a long straight, rutted farm track, which makes for slow progress. We never know whether to pretend not to see them, or stand up and wave, as we can be left standing there waving for quite a while, feeling a bit foolish!
Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.
We never know whether to pretend not to see them, or stand up and wave, as we can be left standing there waving for quite a while, feeling a bit foolish!
I wonder then whether one solution might be bamboo. Upside: it will filter the wind and move nicely with it; you could plant it down low and it would screen you just enough. Downside: might not be suitable if your bed is too exposed and/or soil too dry, though that's an issue with hydrangeas too, obviously; also you'd need to pick sorts that would not take it into their heads to pierce your patio with wandering shoots and wave back at you. A species like Phyllostachys nigra might work, or you could just look at clump-forming bamboos at a specialist nursery.
That’s a thought @Cambridgerose12 . However, we have a clump forming one planted by previous owners about 15 years ago, which has been moving for 2 or 3 years. So I think OH will refuse to believe in non-moving bamboo now. Pity, because that would work. Thank you
Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.
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I wonder then whether one solution might be bamboo. Upside: it will filter the wind and move nicely with it; you could plant it down low and it would screen you just enough. Downside: might not be suitable if your bed is too exposed and/or soil too dry, though that's an issue with hydrangeas too, obviously; also you'd need to pick sorts that would not take it into their heads to pierce your patio with wandering shoots and wave back at you. A species like Phyllostachys nigra might work, or you could just look at clump-forming bamboos at a specialist nursery.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=79