Fast growing privacy screen? 31 May 2010 at 11:59AM edited 31 May 2010 at 12:05PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 14 replies 1.8K views

Painkiller

:mad: Nasty nextdoor neighbour has had the property dividing hedge cut down from 5ft to 2.5ft despite knowing that we were unhappy about them doing so:mad:

What is an inexpensive way to get our privacy back? I have some Leylandii that I'm not afraid to use (will only let it get to the original height of the hedge).

ukbill69

Go down wicks and buy a 5-6 foot fence. Sorted.

amcluesent

Yep, 6 foot fence on your side (oriented so the posts and rough planks face them). If they touch it, that'd be criminal damage so you can get the bizzies in.

Kay_Peel

I use bamboo for screening. It's fifteen feet tall in places.

It grows thick and fast - but I've put it in a lined trench to stop it from moving from the boundary. I dig up the new shoots with some roots and replant them elsewhere (or give them away in pots) - so from a little plant that I bought six years ago I've had yards and yards of new ones

You can cut it to any height and make it bushy. It keeps its leaves all year round. it sways in the wind and makes a wonderful noise. I thin out the shoots at the bottom so that I can see through it below waist-height - but the neighbours can't see me [STRIKE]in my undies[/STRIKE].

Painkiller

Kay_Peel wrote: »

I use bamboo for screening. It's fifteen feet tall in places.

It grows thick and fast - but I've put it in a lined trench to stop it from moving from the boundary. I dig up the new shoots with some roots and replant them elsewhere (or give them away in pots) - so from a little plant that I bought six years ago I've had yards and yards of new ones

You can cut it to any height and make it bushy. It keeps its leaves all year round. it sways in the wind and makes a wonderful noise. I thin out the shoots at the bottom so that I can see through it below waist-height - but the neighbours can't see me [STRIKE]in my undies[/STRIKE].

Do you know the specific variety of bamboo? It's not great having to resort to garden warfare but with a malicious neighbour it's the only way.

savemoney

Be careful with bamboo it spreads and very evasive, if you do plant it the roots are often shallow so dig in something like the stuff you use for damp proofing to stop roots spreading out

too probably go with fence

Kay_Peel

Non-invasive ones include:

Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys Nigra) - very dramatic. It's forms big clumps and the stalks turn black as they get older.

I've got the very tall, very hardy Golden Cane Fishpole Bamboo (Phyllostachys Aurea). It's said to be well behaved but I wasn't taking any chances with it.

I dug a trench and lined it with those sand bags that you see on building sites, along with bricks and rubble. They still throw up new shoots but they keep to their narrow trench. And, as I say, I dig up any stray ones and add to my stock.

A neighbour of mine has clipped his bamboo screen down to about six feet. It looks OK but I still prefer the swaying movement of the natural bamboo - especially in snow and sunshine.

:beer:

Psykicpup

Sorry for butting in but I currently on have about 1 panel left of 6-7 between me & my neighbours - long story which i wont bore you with but lets just say :mad:

Anyway I am very interested it growing a new 'hedge' to replace it as I cant afford to re-fence :money:(nor do I wish to....) So very interested in this thread (dont know how I managed to miss it before )

Kay Peel - how wide does the trench need to be please ?

Kay_Peel

Hi there.

It depends on how thick you want your hedge to be. Mine is about three feet thick - and that's the size of 'trench' that I dug. (I say 'trench' but it was only about a 12-18 inches deep!) I think I went a bit overboard - it didn't have to be that width really.

I lined it with a barrier front and back. That means it grows in a nice tidy line. When you take the plant out of its pot you'll find that it has loads and loads of shoots under the surface waiting to break out, so you can space them, knowing that it's going to thicken upwards and sideways quite fast. At four years old a Phyllostacus plant will be 16 feet high and about 7 feet across. You can get a young plant for less than £20 but you'll get quicker results with a larger and older plant.

If height isn't important and you just want a barrier, you can go for a variety of bamboo called Fargesia. They range in height from 5 feet to 10 feet in about five years. They are more delicate looking with thinner shoots - but as tough as old boots!

Good luck replacing your fence:beer:

Painkiller

Ive just ordered some fargesia seeds off ebay... along with 3 types of Giant bamboo that can reach between 70 - 100 feet tall :eek:

Davesnave

amcluesent wrote: »

Yep, 6 foot fence on your side (oriented so the posts and rough planks face them).

Yup, then in 10 years, someone can have the joy of a boundary dispute!:rotfl: