Have you considered erecting a freestanding trellis and growing a climber up it? Less regular trimming needed that way.
Thanks, I did think about it but I think the neighbors would prefer something more solid & dense to cover up his van on the other side which I'm happy to oblige.
The neighbors want something tall and something that screens well too. They normally cut the hedge anyway. But unfortunately I killed part of the hedging a few years ago and it's brown now. Plus I'm sick of the upkeep. Something like a totem pole that's tall and doesn't branch out would be ideal for me. Yep it's front of the house btw
Any chance of a photo please @fatfei? The area is between two driveways so I assume it's at the front of your house? Anything you plant there at that height could impinge on your neighbour - you'll need access to your hedge for maintenance. Bamboo won't be suitable for that location, even the clumping varieties spread unless well managed.
Given your situation I would use cotoneaster, you can keep it narrow, it will free stand not flop, it never looses a single leaf. It’s easy to run a hedgecutter over both sides.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Prepping the ground well and ensuring there's adequate decent soil for roots to access is very important. If the paving is concreted in, the footings of that will affect the space, and therefore the moisture and nutrients the roots has in order to thrive. Frequent mulching with organic matter in that kind of situation is also beneficial. Bamboo needs large amounts of water to do well.
I like bamboo, I do have it on the other side. The only trouble it I would want it to grow considerable dense and quick. There's so many different types of bamboo I'm a bit weary of what to stick in the ground. (The other side it's in planters so it's not as daunting)
Better with a fence if you don't want any upkeep. All hedging needs maintained - some more than others.
Probably, I really wanted something taller than you could really get with a fence on the front of the property though. You've gave me a lot to think about anyway.
I would definitely not plant bamboo. Anything which is going to grow thick and fast will probably be a thug.
I inherited a bamboo planted along a boundary which was causing problems for the neighbours. It had spread underneath their patio and was lifting all the paving. I have also seen bamboo in at least 2 locations where it has broken through and lifted both tarmac and concrete. One was in a pub car park and the other was at a house we considered buying. The bamboo there was breaking through and sprouting all over the large (parking for at least 6 cars) concreted parking area. It had also started to undermine a (very) old brick wall which had become unstable as a result.
I agree with Fairygirl that a fence would be more suitable. I rather like 'horizontal' fences. ie you have appropriately spaced vertical posts with horizontal slats screwed to them. You can make them solid but I prefer thinner slats with small gaps between. You can make them as high as the posts and the slats can be cut to any length. The gaps between the slats make them less vulnerable to wind damage. This is a rather smart example (from the web) using 2 widths of slats:
We built one using concrete posts (to avoid the issue of posts rotting in the rather wet ground) which we clad with timber to hide the concrete. The actual fence is rough sawn slats and it's stained black. Only maintenance is to restain the wood about every 5 years.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I'd agree re the bamboo @Topbird. It's never the answer in that sort of situation. I think the height is the problem for the OP with a fence.
If you want it higher, you could make a very basic fence of posts and mesh, and plant ivy. I have a neighbour down the road who has that as their boundary. Works very well. It can be kept like a hedge with a trim a couple of times a year, and could be allowed to be higher as it would constitute hedging. Possibly a grey area re that though. The only other drawback if that would be if anything else is planted in a bed/border nearby, as you'd need to be vigilant with keeping it from wandering into those.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I would definitely not plant bamboo. Anything which is going to grow thick and fast will probably be a thug.
I inherited a bamboo planted along a boundary which was causing problems for the neighbours. It had spread underneath their patio and was lifting all the paving. I have also seen bamboo in at least 2 locations where it has broken through and lifted both tarmac and concrete. One was in a pub car park and the other was at a house we considered buying. The bamboo there was breaking through and sprouting all over the large (parking for at least 6 cars) concreted parking area. It had also started to undermine a (very) old brick wall which had become unstable as a result.
I agree with Fairygirl that a fence would be more suitable. I rather like 'horizontal' fences. ie you have appropriately spaced vertical posts with horizontal slats screwed to them. You can make them solid but I prefer thinner slats with small gaps between. You can make them as high as the posts and the slats can be cut to any length. The gaps between the slats make them less vulnerable to wind damage. This is a rather smart example (from the web) using 2 widths of slats:
We built one using concrete posts (to avoid the issue of posts rotting in the rather wet ground) which we clad with timber to hide the concrete. The actual fence is rough sawn slats and it's stained black. Only maintenance is to restain the wood about every 5 years.
I like that, that's beautiful. And then I could grow something up it. Thank you. 😃
P.s
Didn't know bamboo did that in regards to concrete! I'll definitely avoid. Glad you told me.
Posts
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
All hedging needs maintained - some more than others.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you very much for the advice
I inherited a bamboo planted along a boundary which was causing problems for the neighbours. It had spread underneath their patio and was lifting all the paving. I have also seen bamboo in at least 2 locations where it has broken through and lifted both tarmac and concrete. One was in a pub car park and the other was at a house we considered buying. The bamboo there was breaking through and sprouting all over the large (parking for at least 6 cars) concreted parking area. It had also started to undermine a (very) old brick wall which had become unstable as a result.
I agree with Fairygirl that a fence would be more suitable. I rather like 'horizontal' fences. ie you have appropriately spaced vertical posts with horizontal slats screwed to them. You can make them solid but I prefer thinner slats with small gaps between. You can make them as high as the posts and the slats can be cut to any length. The gaps between the slats make them less vulnerable to wind damage. This is a rather smart example (from the web) using 2 widths of slats:
We built one using concrete posts (to avoid the issue of posts rotting in the rather wet ground) which we clad with timber to hide the concrete. The actual fence is rough sawn slats and it's stained black. Only maintenance is to restain the wood about every 5 years.
If you want it higher, you could make a very basic fence of posts and mesh, and plant ivy. I have a neighbour down the road who has that as their boundary. Works very well. It can be kept like a hedge with a trim a couple of times a year, and could be allowed to be higher as it would constitute hedging. Possibly a grey area re that though.
The only other drawback if that would be if anything else is planted in a bed/border nearby, as you'd need to be vigilant with keeping it from wandering into those.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
P.s
Didn't know bamboo did that in regards to concrete! I'll definitely avoid. Glad you told me.