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Good screening tree?
Mel Duckett
Posts: 3
Recently moved into new house in built up area. The back of my south facing garden is very overlooked by house directly behind 6ft fence
. I want to put a tall screening tree so that it covers most of their front overlooking windows but don't want to lose/kill off a huge chunk of lawn. Its sandy/gravel soil. Im new to gardening and any advice/help would be greatly appreciated!! 
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Posts
I prefer yew, but I used laurel that grows faster. 25years on I wish I'd used yew
. The laurel is a great hedge It takes a while to trim but looks good, it can be cut back hard, and re grows well.
Birches are nice, open, airy trees. They won't cast the sort of shade that would seriously affect the lawn. There are some lovely varieties with attractive bark. A multistem or feathered tree would give good screening.
First, you need to be careful not to plant a large tree close to your house or your neighbours as you might live to regret it. Also, from the picture it looks like any tree you plant will throw a lot of shade on your neighbours garden which might cause a bit of friction. You could well end up with a large tree that your neighbour cuts off on his side which wont look very good at all. You should also consider whether you want an evergreen to give privacy all year, or whether you are just keen not to be overlooked in the summer when you will probably use the garden more.
Something like a silver birch would not cause too much shade problem but would give you a dappled look to disguise the house at the bottom of your garden. There are lots of different varieties so check the height.
I have just planted a couple of trees to help with screening that have a narrow growth so do not cause too much of a problem re the lawn. Take a look at Liquid Amber 'Slender Silhouette and Prunus 'Amanogawa'.
I would mount a trellis framwork on to the top of the fence and grow annual climbers
You could try planting some bamboo in a narrow bed all along the fence. I have just done this but in pots on my patio which is overlooked. The 2 big DIY stores have bamboo about 6 feet tall in big round pots for about £40 each. Buy 3 or 4 (when they are marked down is best. These 2 stores have fast turnover so they reduce plants regularly to make room for the next lot), water them in the pots really well. Then dig a narrow, but quite deep (about 18 inches) trench along your fence. Buy a couple of bags of grit or small stones (do you live near a beach??) to put in the bottom and then add some compost mixed half and half with your own soil. Then carefully take the bamboo out of the pots, lay flat and gently pull the stems together with their roots apart. Then plant, firming down well. Water every day, even if it rains. This will help the roots settle and 'grow' into the earth. Bamboo is evergreen so it will be a natural screen all year round. I bought black bamboo and it is really nice. I have had them about 2 weeks and they have already put out new shoots! You could put some in pots too - then move them around to screen where you are sitting sunbathing for instance. Good luck!!
I'd agree with birches - nice airy canopy and lovely bark. Some of the rowans (Sorbus) would also be nice, and Amelanchier lamarkii is also good. It can be grown as a shrub or a tree, and has lovely autumn colour. I've used buddleia here as it grows quickly and is great for scent and, of course, butterflies
There are also lots of shrubs which will make a good screen rather than trees.
I 'd stay away from bamboo unless you really know what you're doing. You might regret those and so will your neighbours if they start running under the fence....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you want a tree - the crab apples are good small trees for small gardens and for nearly year round interest. I like Red Sentinel but I think there is one called 'Gorgeous' which may be even better.
I would definitely not use bamboo - it is not a plant for beginners IMO. We inherited a clump about 4 years ago. Took 2 years to dig out a rootball which had spread to 3m long and nearly a metre deep. It had spread under the fence and lifted neighbour's paving. It was a nightmare to eradicate & was not even an attractive plant - just looked like messy super-long grass. I would only grow highly ornamental bamboo which can be kept in a pot.
I agree - unless you're a bamboo expert only ever plant bamboo in containers or your and your neighbours will regret it.
See this for the problems that can be caused for the unwary http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/how-to-eliminate-bamboo-altogether-from-a-tricky-spot/737522.html
We have trellis along the tops of our fences and clematis and honeysuckle is very happy there and provides more than adequate screening - however you do need to create a proper flower bed along the base of the fence to plant them in - nice and wide , not just 18" at the bottom of the fence.
Some shrubs and small tree or two is a lovely idea in a garden, crab apple and amelanchier as Topbird says, would be great.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks for all your replies. I can't put up trellis on top of fence as I already have lots of trellis covering the left hand side of my garden (just out of pic shot) and think it would be too much. I am still considering which tree to purchase. Think I'm heading towards a birch but still not sure?? Really want evergreen screening but don't want anything too heavy like conifors.
I don't know how buddlejas behave in the UK (the others will), but with us they are practiclly evergreen, meaning they shed lts of leaves in autumn, but they immediately put out bunches of new little leaves that stay small and "luminous" though the winter before expanding in spring. I love this feature very much. It gives a sense of screening through the winter without taking away too much light.
Of course they grow very quick, not quite to tree proportions, but they can get pretty big; but you can cut them hard back in spring if you want. The flowers of some varieties are sweetly scented.
They are my favourite thing for quick screens. They will grow from a tiny cutting to a 3 m tall substantial shrub in about 3 years.