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Fast growing tall tree or shrub that won’t damage wall?

karajanebateskarajanebates Posts: 24
in Problem solving
Hi I’m struggling to choose a tree or shrub that is evergreen and tolerant of sun and wind exposure that will get big quickly and can be planted about a foot away from a wall. Any suggestions please?
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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Welcome to the forum. What kind of wall is it? A house wall, garden wall, garage wall etc? What do you need by 'big'? Do you want it for screening?

    Anything genuinely 'big' won't wanted to be planted close to a wall.
  • karajanebateskarajanebates Posts: 24
    edited April 2021
    Hi oh sorry so to clarify it’s a garden wall with a two foot foundation. Big enough would be 3-4m tall, 2-3 wide. To provide shelter and bit of privacy from exposed field view. I was even wondering about viburnum tinus or golden king holly but think they’re slower growing....
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Can I ask why it has to be planted a foot away from the wall?
  • karajanebateskarajanebates Posts: 24
    Already got a red robin and a stag horn sumac in front of wall (there before wall built) and have a big gap to the left of them. There isn’t room to plant much more infront of the wall than a foot and would be out of line with the other two..... 
  • karajanebateskarajanebates Posts: 24

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    You don't fancy another red robin?
    Stags  horn is well known for suckering so in a few years you might have several growing along there 
    I would be tempted to take out the stags horn and put in 2 red robin equally spaced along the wall line.

  • karajanebateskarajanebates Posts: 24
    Thankyou k7 I think you’re onto something there the stag horn has been damaged by wind got too top heavy and waiting for it to grow is painful and it does sucker. Also not evergreen so winter exposure. So a red robin root wouldn’t damage wall and I could shape them like the other one? A bush or standard form? Or possibly even pleached and grow things underneath ?
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Not an expert on wall damage but on the housing estate next door they planted a lot of photonia in front of the garden walls and 4 years later the wall is still there.
    I'm assuming your wall is 9 inches, rather than single brick 4 inch wall with good foundations, it looks well built from your photo and I don't think the roots are strong enough to push over a wall.
    I rather like the shape of yours, you could remove some lower branches for a lollipop look so you can plant under but if you want to do a proper pleached row I think they have to be planted closer and take more training which as you have children I doubt you have the time for! 
  • karajanebateskarajanebates Posts: 24
    Yeh I’ve seen a fair few go in around here too near walls on new builds so should be safe and it is a brick length in width. So just a bush form one and shape it or go for a couple of half standards? I think the pleach like u say may be high maintenance and not be as strong with the winds!
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    edited April 2021
    Your choice but do half standards fill out as much as the bush style you have already?

    I have a thing about symmetry so for me it would have to be half standard either side of your existing one otherwise it would annoy me every time I looked at them
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