Planting trees to screen large summer house

[Stattman]

My ever so considerate new neighbours are launching a new project to build a substantial summer house and the end of the garden, looking at it will be at least 2.x m tall and 7 meters wide. Given that I'm not really wanting to see this structure I'm considering planting some trees along the fence line, such as silhouettes with little spread. This would allow them to be planted closer to the fence (give or take 50cm). This seems like a reasonable approach and I'm interested to hear if anyone has had similar problems and which kind of variety they went with. I'm assuming 2-3m height would not be an issue, and I'm not going for Leylandii etc.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Do you care if it's deciduous or not? Personally, I don't think I would spend as much time in the garden in winter, so would take advantage of the greater range of plants that avails you.
I would choose a mixture of Japanese maples as they come in all heights, from ground-hugging to 5+ metres tall, and the foliage can turn spectacular colours in the autumn. They are slow growing, though.

 

[Stattman]

Good point, I'm not too worried about them being deciduous, and I agree having some flowering or colourful leaves would be an additional (and a distraction). Will investigate, but perhaps I can buy them as a mature planting as they settle down for Winter. I'm keen to get screening up and not wait years for it to take effect.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Cherry Laurel.

Andy

 

[foxhole]

2m high fence?

 

[Odds]

Good point, I'm not too worried about them being deciduous, and I agree having some flowering or colourful leaves would be an additional (and a distraction). Will investigate, but perhaps I can buy them as a mature planting as they settle down for Winter. I'm keen to get screening up and not wait years for it to take effect.

It will be very expensive to buy mature trees but consider a bare root tree as it will reach the height of your summer house in about five years, and you get the pleasure of watching it grow...at a fraction of the cost. Three trees should obscure the whole structure, so that's less than £100.

 

[Tricky-Dicky]

For a quick growing screen, I planted Pheasant Bush / Golden Pheasant Bush, (Leycesteria Formosa), quick growing, although might not be tall enough for your requirement, Cherry Laurel as mentioned above might be a better choice.

BBC - Gardening: Plant Finder - Pheasant berry

Find out how to grow Leycesteria formosa

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Mature acers are mad expensive.
Slow growing means, 20cm to 2M in 5y. But they are worth the wait.

 

[Stattman]

Thanks very much for the responses. Definitely some options to consider.

 

[Iwilldoit]

I thought that were were laws involving planting trees and hedges that will grow over 2m. How about bamboo but needs to be in a planter to control it and will grow to about 5m very quickly. Buy in pots already 3m tall for about £70. Snap off the lower branches as they grow to create a feature of the canes leaving the top to grow.

 

[Mike13]

If you go for bamboo, then put a ring of slates vertically around whatever you plant them in, the roots will escape in time. I needed a wrecking bar to get my bamboos cleared out.

 

[Iwilldoit]

If you go for bamboo, then put a ring of slates vertically around whatever you plant them in, the roots will escape in time. I needed a wrecking bar to get my bamboos cleared out.

That's right, its renown for spreading way away from where it was planted, you can get special thick rubber on a roll that gose in the ground about 2 foot down all around it. Some species are clumping and some are spreading and the spreading ones wont just come up next to the plant - they will come up right over there in the middle of your lawn -- or your neighbours !

 

[Mike13]

agreed, the bamboo would pop up about 3m away from the clump...

 

[Iwilldoit]

agreed, the bamboo would pop up about 3m away from the clump...

It can be controlled in the ground as I said with the butile barrier but I have mine in oblong containers but because of that they need a lot of watering and feed and do not grow to their full potential for the individual species

 

[Why Not Indeed]

You can buy beech already pleached and ready to go in to the ground, but you're looking at hundreds each.