Suggestions for Privacy hedge / bush / tree

Hello,

I'm new here and really not a gardener.

Ive attached 2 photos.

We have a row of small (ish) trees in the garden (moved in last year) and shrubs underneath them.

I don't really want to remove anything but at present they aren't providing privacy from the neighbour. The fences are around 5 foot in this area.

Can anyone suggest a narrow plant / hedge / bush / tree that would be suitable to grow behind the already planted bushes (sorry I don't know the names!) that would grow to around 8 feet tall but be narrow and grow in front of the fence.

Hope the pictures help the explanation.

Thanks for any advice in advance.
Gavin

 

I don't think there's enough space there to plant another row of shrubs. Most things don't stay narrow and even for a hedge that can be clipped often, you need about 2 feet plus room for you to get in there and do the trimming.

If the fence is yours, you could attach trellis to the top. If it belongs to the neighbour, you shouldn't attach anything unless you get permission.

 

Hi @UKG and welcome to the forum!

I agree with JennyJB that a trellis would be the best option if at all possible. If the fence belongs to the neighbour, maybe you could talk with them to see if they are ok with it.

An evergreen climber would be best, my favourite for challenging spots is Lonicera Henryi.

The soil is probably very poor and full of tree and shrub roots so whatever you plant needs to be a tough guy.

Whereabouts in the country are you and what direction is the fence facing?

Your Hydrangea is beautiful

 

As a guide, you could consider a trellis up to 600mm high in addition, if its your fence. Hopefully your conveyancer will have informed you ! Consider a evergreen honeysuckle which would remain in leaf throughout the year and give some bloom and scent in season. Plant one per panel. These would be best on trellis top but also could be self sustaining once mature , subject to wind conditions. You may need to prune and/or tie in to train to the position; so that the honeysuckle plants do not overwhelm the shrubs.
Lonicera Henryi Honeysuckle Plants for Sale, UK Grown | Ashridge

 

Thank you for he suggestions.

I'm not sure that the trellis is possible. Also the fence will need upgrading soon.

We're in the South West.

As an alternative I could consider removing the two existing shrubs and replacing with evergreen ones that will grow to approx 8 feet tall? This may be a cleaner way to do it by the sounds of it and give access to the fence for repairs.

Can anyone suggest 2 new shrubs that would fit the bill?

Also, how difficult would it be to remove the existing 'short' ones? Any Dos and Don't on this so as not to damage everything in the area?


Thanks again
Gavin

 

How about pleached hedging or trees? They would allow planting of perennials and annuals underneath.

pleached trees for screening - Search Images

 

I think @Sheal 's suggestion of replacing with pleached trees would definitely give you that privacy that you are after.

On the other hand, if you would rather have shrubs considering there is already a tree in the middle, I think you are better off replacing those two smaller ones with shrubs which can take pruning well, so that you can shape them as you wish.

The challenge is that you also want them to be evergreen. Some conifers are narrow, tall and evergreen but I hate conifers myself, so I would hesitate to recommend any. Plus they are not the easiest plants regarding pruning.

One of the few medium sized evergreen shrubs that I like is fatsia japonica. They can grow to a height and width of 2.5-4m and are easy to prune/shape.

 

Your tree looks past its sell buy date so beware it might damage the fence in a storm. If you want something 8 foot tall remember you will have to prune the top sometime. As the bed is well filled with plants you would have to dig most of them out to replant as added planting might cause water problems and dry out the bed. I would go along with Jenny JB.

 

If you removed those two shrubs, a couple of Griselinia littoralis would fill the gap. I use them as hedges and stand alone shrubs throughout my garden to provide privacy and evergreen structure. They are quite happy in shade, a bright cheerful green and easy to maintain. They will grow between 30-40 cm per annum, depending on your soil and conditions, so you'll need to be patient for 5 -7 years to reach that desired height of 8 feet.

 

If you were going to replace the tree and shrub what about replacing with Phormiums ?
We Planted an assortment which would grow up to 8 ft of very attractive phormiums for filling in gaps in the hedge, these would be ideal in place of your shrub and tree. but not to go behind what is already your shrubs We found they make a good screen though not overnight . then again to give them a instant lift put them into a pot. Phormium purphorbia i think it was called , (purple to a brownish cocoa
though it depends on your soil)

Maybe you could double up with the fence at a height that is ok to what height your thinking of. our friends did this to hide the ugly side of fencing panels when it was renewed by the new neighbours.

 

Do you mean when you say "upgrading" the fence soon that some panels need replacing, new posts in or just a clean up and re staining/painting ? Whether the fence belongs to you, your neighbour or jointly owned, there will be a fair amount of footfall along there risking damage to both existing and newly planted trees/shrubs or whatever.
Once that is done and ff you are unable to attach a trellis panel to lift the fence height and make it easier for climbing plants then I agree that Griselina makes a good evergreen cover. If it is happy in that situation, it will require pruning to keep it to a height of 8 ft . Good luck with finding a solution

 

If you lesft the existing shrubs to grow they might reach 8 ft themselves and much more quickly than new ones. They look like Lonicera nitida and perhaps Rhododendron or laurel which would grow that big.

 

Good point @Baalmaiden . They are both evergreen and would also grow more quickly if you removed the tree.