Trees for Screen

kc78

There are two storey houses that back on to our back garden, can someone recommend trees (not leylandii) that would be easy to maintain at 10-12 ft that we could use for privacy. I don't want anything that would get too tall and block out their sun.

KaneToad

kc78 wrote: »

There are two storey houses that back on to our back garden, can someone recommend trees (not leylandii) that would be easy to maintain at 10-12 ft that we could use for privacy. I don't want anything that would get too tall and block out their sun.

Willow. Grows fast. But is deciduous. However the branches will provide some screening even without leaves.

You're right to discount Leylandi. It's a nightmare!

The Parlour Shop

I'm in a similar situation and thinking of going with bamboo.

kc78

I was thinking bamboo as well but the other half would like some colour if possible

Stephen93

kc78 wrote: »

I was thinking bamboo as well but the other half would like some colour if possible

I would out bamboo in the same category as leylandii. Nice to start but an absolute pest, spreads like mad.
Dont fall into the trap of buying trees which constantly meed to be topped and managed as it's bad for the trees and bad for your patience.

Small trees you could go for are:
Mountain ash (berries)
Amelanchier(flowers and autumn colour)
Cherry(flowers)
White beam(nice leaf and flowers)

There are plenty more. You can also consider large shrubs/trees and keep them as a hedge

A laurel hedge would be good as its evergreen and tough as anything. You could buy bigger plants to start from a nursery.

A beech hedge would also be nice, green in summer and holds its brown leaves in winter and responds well to being hedged.

macraignil

Photinia red robin might be a good option for colour and it is evergreen as well so would continue to provide a screen in winter.

Lumen

For 10-12ft you're better off with large shrubs than trees.

Photinia is nice but common as muck. What about lilac (Syringa vulgaris)?

If you have specific requirements the RHS plant finder is good.

e.g. clay, acid, 2.5-4m height within 5 years

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Results?plant_spread=f%2Fplant_spread%2F1-1.5%20metres&form-mode=true&context=b%3D0%26hf%3D10%26l%3Den%26q%3D%2523all%26s%3Ddesc%2528plant_merged%2529%26sl%3DplantForm%26r%3Df%252Fplant_height%252F2.5-4%2Bmetres%26r%3Df%252Fplant_time_to_full_height%252F2-5%2Byears%26r%3Df%252Fplant_soil_type%252Fclay%26r%3Df%252Fplant_spread%252F1-1.5%2Bmetres%26r%3Df%252Fplant_ph%252Facid&unwind=true

Climbers might fit the bill if you want the height without a lot of spread, although you won't be able to get them above 2.5ish metres without co-operative neighbours.

kyomi

I'm in a similar situation, overlooked on three sides. I can't plant trees yet as we have a lot of concrete that we have to get rid of first, but I was thinking birch. Grows quickly, has lovely bark and autumn colour, deciduous so sun would still get through in the winter.

The downside of shrubs is, unless you grow them as a small tree, they take up space at person height. My garden is small, so birch, with their thin trunks, would leave plenty of usable room in the garden while being voluminous higher up.

Lumen

kyomi wrote: »

The downside of shrubs is, unless you grow them as a small tree, they take up space at person height. My garden is small, so birch, with their thin trunks, would leave plenty of usable room in the garden while being voluminous higher up.

True, but bare trunks on "shrubs" pruned into tree form can look very nice.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=109887833&postcount=18

edit: oh btw, the tiny hedge plants in that pic (Elaeagnus x ebbingei) are now almost at the top of the fence. Difficult to believe that was only last year!

kyomi

Lumen wrote: »

True, but bare trunks on "shrubs" pruned into tree form can look very nice.

They do look very nice! OT, but I noticed in the other thread you said the laurel was allowed to grow for some years before pruning. My parents have a massive laurel hedge that now extends around 2 metres into their garden. They like the height but not the width. Do you think they could prune it now to give more space lower down while maintaining the height? It's been there around 15 years I'd say and is around 5/6 metres high.

Lumen

kyomi wrote: »

They do look very nice! OT, but I noticed in the other thread you said the laurel was allowed to grow for some years before pruning. My parents have a massive laurel hedge that now extends around 2 metres into their garden. They like the height but not the width. Do you think they could prune it now to give more space lower down while maintaining the height? It's been there around 15 years I'd say and is around 5/6 metres high.

I honestly don't know because I didn't own the house until a couple of years ago.

But I don't see the problem, this is a normal operation called a "crown lift", I've done it on a few different types of shrubs.

https://www.amateurgardening.com/top-tips/ornamental/raising-the-skirts-of-trees-and-shrubs-5490

You just need to time it properly. It looks like now is a good time for pruning prunus.