Which screening evergreen tree should we choose?
Grateful Deadhead
Posts: 113
Good morning!
Who knows their conifers? Our garden is overlooked by one of our next-door neighbour’s first floor windows and we are looking for a screening tree.
Any suggestions of species would be gratefully received.
This is what we think we are after - A mature, columnar-shape evergreen. Ideally it would be about 8-10 feet tall at planting and have a maximum height of around 12-15ft. We definitely do not want a Leylandii which never stops growing! It’s a narrow garden – so not too wide; max 5ft wide, but a tree not so narrow that it provides no screening at all.
The site for the tree is fairly near the houses. The soil is a moist London clay soil. It will be planted near a 6ft fence but above that there is good sun most of the day (subject to weather of course).
Any ideas? I’ve tried to give as much info as I can, but if you think I've missed anything out please feel free to ask questions 
)
Thank you so much.
The Grateful Deadhead
Posts
Yew or Holly would be my choice - not conifers unless you have enough time and energy to keep them correctly pruned. If you plant something fast growing - you'll be forever pruning it to stop it becoming enormous.
I wouldn't plant anything that size either - not unless you're sure you can get them established, and that isn't easy. Buy ones at three or feet - they'll get going much quicker, and with less effort.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...