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Trees or Shrubs?
My neighbours first floor windows overlook my rear garden so I want to plant something that will provide some screening elevated above an existing 5ft wall. My neighbour is very resistant to the mooted proposal of planting any form of tree as he's worried about root damage to his driveway (which is the other side of said wall) and blocking of light. Is there a fast growing shrub anyone could recommend that would grow to small tree proportions? I don't really want a hedge as such...raised/stilted privets look great but are very expensive when bought mature. Thoughts and suggestions recommended!
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..assuming you don't live in Alt'na'hara...or halfway up a mountain...then the shrub you want is Pittosporum tenuifolium.... don't get the variegated forms...just the plain green one...
I bought a robinia frisia from a local garden centre having sought advice from someone there but my neighbour went absolutely nuts when I told him.
A robinia frisia will be fine in terms of size and spread but they are prone to a disease which is gradually killing them all across Europe and now in the UK too. As with any tree, it's not clever to plant it nearer to a building than half the width of its eventual spread when mature.
In a built up area it isn't really possible to have total privacy in a garden but you could screen off a seating and eating area by building either a pergola or a series of trellis panels or even just posts with wires stretched between to support climbers.
Then your choice of plants will depend on aspect, amount of sun per day plus whether your soil is acid, neutral or alkaline, sandy, loamy or clay and so on.
I understand your need for privacy. However, as someone whose garden is overlooked by three large trees belonging to my neighbour, I would like to say it is reasonable to object to potential damage and loss of light. I lose so much light in my back garden, especially in the afternoons, and I wish every (sunny) day that my neighbour would just have them cut back. And the fence on his side is being pushed by those trees, so it leans onto my side.
Chrissie B made a great suggestion. How about putting up a pergola and growing something lovely like a rose over it?
How about cotinus coggygria Royal Purple (smoke bush). This should grow more than 5ft and shouldn't grow too tall, but can be pruned back quite easily as it is a bush It loses it's leaves in the winter. I guess anything you put there is not going to please you neighbour from the sound of it.