Whats a good tree or shrub for a barrier?

Hi guys,

Im looking to fill up a gap between the 2 bays trees:


Either a very small tree or a shrub. I only want it to be about 5 foot high and evergreen.

This is the view from inside the garden:


Ive got a spare camillia in a container that needs putting in the ground, so perhaps a camillia would do?

Its a busy road, so I dont want a tree or shrub thats going to spread outwards.

Thanks

 

We have a shrub that is evergreen with yellow fragrant flowers late winter early spring. Azara serrata. It can grow tall and spread but we every 3 years give it a good prune to keep it to the size we want.

 

For a contrast of foliage, Photinia 'Pink Marble' would look pretty. It's tough and can be trimmed annually to keep it within bounds.

 

I would use your camellia, it will be delighted to get out of its pot

 

Another Bay for continuity perhaps? Same growth rate so you’ll only need to prune all at the same time. Portuguese laurel is an alternative.

 

Most shrubs will spread outwards as well as upwards, but anything that can be lightly pruned or trimmed will suit.
I'd agree that the Camellia would be fine [in theory] as long as the soil suits and it's not going to dry out during summer months, which might be the biggest problem in that site when there's already two very mature bays, and there also seems to be a spotted Laurel on the inside [all competition for moisture] and it's against a wall.
If you decide to try that, it would be better to wait until autumn to make that easier for it, and you could clear and improve the soil/site over the next few months to help that too. If it's in a very sunny site, or exposed to early frosts, that also might not suit it, so all those factors need to be considered. Pieris would be another option, but again - they won't appreciate being dried out, and it's about establishing any shrub well at this time of year.
If you get regular, decent rainfall where you are [I'm guessing that's quite likely?] and you use a smaller specimen, that makes it much easier.

Something like Escallonia or Ceanothus might be better if it's a drier, sunnier site.

 

Thankyou!

That side of the house is south-west facing, with the interior side of the wall being north-east facing. So the upper part of the shrub would get full sun on it for a few hours a day in the summer months, but the bottom half of the shrub would be in shade all the time.

I will do some further research based on the helpful suggestions in this thread, and decide on something in the autumn.

 

If you want a barrier for added security, Mahonia is very effective being evergreen and prickly. It also has beautiful yellow flowers.

I use a mixture of weigela, a few euonymous varieties, variegated holy and roses interlaced with my laurel hedge

 

Or Pyracantha can do the prickly job whilst supplying lovely autumn berries to enjoy.

A tall variety of cotoneaster would grow happily with its lower half in shade and top in sun, and is very easily pruned. Evergreen, beloved by little bees for the flowers and birds for the berries, and copes with drought.

 

Have you considered the effect that a dense shrub is going to have on the light into your property @Tufty, particularly over winter, or is privacy more important?

 

Yes. I suppose I want a screen rather than a complete barrier. Just enough that people cant see in as they walk past, but not so much that it blocks the light. Its already fairly dark with those bay trees.

 

I’d go for the Photinia that @noisette47 recommended then @Tufty as the leaves are bright and will reflect light. It’s also evergreen.

 

I have planted Viburnum Tinus in that sort of position, except I have laurels instead of bays.

 

You can prune cotoneaster to the density you want. I have it tall and fairly airy fairy.

 

One of the fargesias would be my go to plant