It’s high summer, when many of us want to spend as much time as possible
stretched out on a lounger in the garden, weather permitting, of course. If,
however, you live in an urban area (and are not an exhibitionist), this can
pose a problem - can you be seen from your neighbours’ upstairs windows? Or
perhaps your neighbours have added an extension or balcony that looks
straight into your garden, and you want to regain some privacy.
Apart from applying for planning permission to build an even bigger extension
in revenge, the obvious, and cheaper, solution is a fence. Get it wrong,
however, and it can be as unattractive as the building you’re trying to mask
- an eyesore at eye level.
This is where plants come in. They provide the most visually satisfying way to
soften the harsh exteriors of buildings and structures. A tree, hedge or
living screen of plants not only helps to hide the new addition or obstruct
the view from your neighbours’ windows, but also, by a trick of perspective,
gives the impression of distancing the offending building. Even better, it
creates a habitat for wildlife, too. Nor should such screens be confined to
the edges: planted through the garden, they will act as a filter and break
up your neighbours’ line of vision.
First, study the angle and direction of the unwanted views of your property.
If you cannot block out the entire area, create a screen for the part of the
garden in which you are fond of sitting. If there is already a hedge, then
consider letting it grow taller, but keep it at a height you can cut easily
- you will have to collect the trimmings on your side.
The problem with growing a new hedge is that you may have to wait several
years for it to have the desired effect. Even if you are in a hurry, don’t
be tempted by the quick-fix solution: the problems with the fast-growing
monster Leyland cypress (x Cupresso-cyparis leylandii) are well documented,
and you could cause friction with your neighbours if their right to light is
infringed.
Time-honoured, reliable hedging plants such as evergreen yew, holly and beech
(which, although deciduous, retains its leaves until spring) never let you
down. Their rate of growth can be accelerated if the soil is prepared
properly with compost and fertiliser. On the south and west coasts, and in
sheltered inland gardens, the evergreen shrub Griselinia littoralis, which
has attractive granny-smith-green foliage, or its variegated varieties, is
no slouch when it comes to thickening up as a hedge. The dark-green leaves
of Viburnum tinus make it another strong candidate if you’re after a dense
hedge, and, if you prune it in early spring, it will have pretty white
flowers the following winter.
A large tree is an obvious screen for the most vulnerable spots, but think
about whether there will still be room for it in five or 10 years’ time.
Check, too, how much shade it will cast in the afternoon, evening and winter
months - and on whose garden. Determine this by standing outside with a pole
of the same eventual height as the tree (if you can find one long enough)
and looking at the length of the shadow it throws.
Before planting any tree, it is imperative to discover where the drains run,
as the roots may affect the pipes. Don’t plant it on the boundary, either:
in due course, overhanging branches may well cause neighbourly disputes;
and, if they are lopped off, this will inevitably reduce the screening
effect.
There is a tortoise-and-hare choice to be made when buying trees - especially
if you do not have time to wait for a young one to grow. If all you need is
a one-off specimen, the fastest solution is to buy a large one that will
soon fill out to ensure your privacy. This will be pricey, though: count on
paying about £120, plus delivery. Be careful to water your tree well in the
first two seasons, until it is established.
If watering might be a problem, but you need something instant, olives are now
widely available: a mature specimen makes an immediate impact. They perform
best in exceptionally mild gardens with good drainage. They may be killed by
a severe winter, so they are better suited to the south of the country,
where winters are warmer. For something more hardy, the evergreen holm oak
can be bought as a standard tree or a large specimen.
If your garden is small and you don’t want to use up too much space at ground
level, you can train a standard tree - one with its leaves at the end of a
long, bare stem, like a lollipop - to the required size. Holly, hawthorn and
laurel are good for this. Alternatively, if you have room and are happy to
plant a young specimen, seek out a fast-growing variety. Eucalyptus and
willow (salix) are both speedy and easily pruned, but must be sited at least
36ft away from a property or drains because of their advancing root systems,
which are thirsty and can undermine foundations in dry weather.
Eucalyptus is evergreen, and pruning it every couple of years or so will keep
it within the confines of your garden, but avoid the E gunnii variety, which
is extremely vigorous. E coccifera also makes a large tree, but takes a
little more time about it, and the end result is prettier. Salix responds
well to pruning without the shape being spoilt.
The Japanese angelica tree (Aralia elata), which grows to 20ft, with large
spreading branches of pinnate leaves up to 4ft long, is vigorous and ideal
for blocking out a conservatory from an upstairs room, as it looks so good
from above. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is also an energetic grower,
but needs up to 50ft of space.
For sunny areas, consider medium to large, fast-growing shrubs: some are
short-lived, but could give you protection while other plants develop at a
normal rate of growth. The Mount Etna broom (Genista aetnensis), for
example, makes a small tree, 25ft by 25ft, with dense but sparsely leaved
twiggy branches and yellow flowers in midsummer. Evergreen shrubs such as
California lilac (ceanothus), famous for its masses of vivid blue flowers in
early summer, can grow as much as 3ft a year in the right spot.
Bamboos are ideal for narrow spaces, especially between houses, where there is
likely to be more shade. Fortunately, many are happy there. They make
attractive, practical screens and offer a quick solution, as you can get
them as large specimens. Because their growth is above, rather than below,
they can have the same effect as pleached or standard trees, which makes
them a good choice in places where you want space for other plantings. If
you need privacy at first-floor level and not much greenery below, keep
their attractive stems clean of foliage. This prevents the whole planting
from becoming too dense and makes a light, airy change from a hedge.
Bamboos have a bad name as runners, which colonise an area, but several
varieties are clump-forming and spread more slowly. It is a good idea to
bury a strip of metal in the soil, with its upper edges slightly protruding,
to confine the bamboo and avoid antagonising your neighbours with unwanted
shoots popping up in their garden. Look out for Phyllostachys vivax
‘Aureo-caulis’, which has vertical green stripes running down golden-yellow
culms (stems) and grows to 12ft-16ft. Other bamboos that make good screens
are Phyllostachys aurea and P bissettii, forms of fargesia
andSemiarundinaria fastuosa.
Other tricks can be brought into play, such as creating new structures as
ready-made landscape features. By planting a row of pleached hornbeam, beech
or lime trained on metal supports and horizontal wires, you can create a
screen where you probably need it most - in midair. Go out with that long
pole again to visualise the height requirements.
If space is tight and you don’t have room for a tree or hedge, you could build
a pergola, which would also provide a permanent screen at the right height.
Plant evergreen climbers such as Clematis armandii and Lonicera henryi,
which will give you year-round protection. Vigorous vines with large leaves,
such asVitis coignetiae, are useful for making a screen.
Mirrors are brilliant for diverting the eye from one area and making it
concentrate on another. You can be bold with them, too - by putting one near
the offending carbuncle, you create a new focal point. Placed at an angle,
so you can’t see your reflection as you walk towards it, a mirror really can
seem like an opening into another area.
Screen play Create your own living fence
Viburnum tinus A bushy shrub with dark green leaves that
produces clusters of small white flowers in late winter and can be used as a
hedge. Good to train as a standard or multi-stemmed specimen; 10ft by 10ft.
For full sun or partial shade.
Ceanothus‘Concha’ This fast-growing evergreen
shrub suits sunny, welldrained sites. In late spring, reddish-purple buds
appear, opening into dark blue flowers in early summer. It will become a
sizeable shrub in three seasons and should grow to 9ft tall.
Griselinia littoralis‘Dixon’s Cream’ A
vigorous, dense, upright evergreen with creamy-white, leathery leaves edged
in green, this New Zealand shrub reaches 10ft high by 6ft wide. Good for
hedging and windbreaks in coastal areas. In its nonvariegated form, it makes
a tree reaching 25ft by 15ft if unpruned, in mild areas.
WHERE TO BUY Most of these trees and shrubs are widely available. For
olive trees, suppliers include Inglefield Plants (01539 821142, www.inglefieldplants.co.uk
) and Architectural Plants (01403 891772, www.architecturalplants.com
). For pleached beech, hornbeam and holm oak, as well as large specimen
trees, try English Woodlands Burrow Nursery (01435 862992, www.ewburrownursery.co.uk
) or Landford Trees (01794 390808, www.landford-trees.co.uk
).
