Best Potted Plant/Trees for Screening

cwcw

Hi,

I don't know very much about plants or trees so I would really appreciate some help and advice.

Our garden is fairly well bordered with hedges and trees apart from to one side, adjacent to our patio, where there is a single fence panel, around 6 ft high. The next door neighbour's garden is raised above ours, and their patio area raised further still. They have constant barbecues and further more, they have kindly placed their children's trampoline right next to this fence, looking into our kitchen and on to our patio. Consequently, walking out of our back door usually results in a load of heads all turning round to see what's going on.

I would like to screen this fence higher, and quickly. We do not "own" the border and I don't want to plant trees near to their foundations and cause a ruck. Also, fence heights are limited. What I would like to do is put some tall potted trees in the area in front of this fence, on our own land, to screen the neighbours out.

I am looking for something I can buy that's already near enough at the right height and preferably thickness too. It needs to grow to between 2 and 3 metres high (or can be kept pruned to that height), be able to grow well and thicken out well in a large pot. The area is in the sunlight until about noon and then starts to become shaded. It is fairly well sheltered from wind by the fence and a garage.

Please can you help with any suggestions? I have been looking online and in garden centres and was thinking a few bamboos might do the trick but I'm not sure what species to get, and they're quite pricey too.


Thanks.

Cordie

My reply is not very helpful but bamboo's are the only plant I can think of too. I recommend that you read up about them before buying because even in a pot they can still be a nuisance in the garden.

My neighbour grew one in a pot and not only did it break it but the bamboo grew through the drainage holes and started sprouting up in the garden. I don't know what variety it was but at the very least if you go ahead make sure you buy a clump forming variety and not one that spreads via rhizomes.

Mojisola

There's a few suggestions here - https://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=14361

Desperado99

this is the species we have in pots: Phyllostachys aureosulcata f. aureocaulis

It's in the 'clump forming' criteria of bamboos, but from what I've read (or seen on gardeners world) I wouldn't recommend putting any bamboo directly into the soil anyway.

We picked it up from the garden centre for under £50 (ouch yes I know) but immediately split it into two (you'll need a saw). With regards to it outgrowing pots, you just need to keep an eye on it, we've just repotted them this year into larger ones and you can always split them again if they get big. Although ours were tall they haven't quite 'bushed out' as much as I would have liked screening-wise (we bought them to stop the little angels from throwing stones/snowballs (over a 6ft fence) at our back windows, but TBH a watchtower and some barbed-wire might be more appropriate on that front. LOL.

grannyjo

Have you thought of climbers. They would need a trellis behind them- possibly fixed to the fence so the trellis begins above the height of the fence. Some annuals grow quickly for a one year display, and then a fast growing climber eg russian mile a minute ( can be a pest if not heavily controlled)- or evergreen honeysuckle, or a clematis montana. We were recommended posts fixed to the fence posts to the height needed, then trellis across this at the top. A lot of conifers can be trimmed to a pom pom shape too. They could be grown in large pots . Again reed or bamboo screening attached to fence posts that are extended - or long posts put into concrete filled pots may work and be cheaper than mature trees in pots.

Mojisola

grannyjo wrote: »

Have you thought of climbers. They would need a trellis behind them- possibly fixed to the fence so the trellis begins above the height of the fence.

If the fence belongs to the neighbour, cwcw won't be able to fix trellis to it without permission.

cwcw

Thanks for the suggestions. In the end I got a bamboo tree, the same species as Desperado referred to, as it was being sold off at a garden centre. A couple more would fill it but 1 is a lot better than it was before.

Desperado99

Oh, Just a hint. I've been feeding ours weekly (as it's a grass, lawn feed is good but not the weed n feed stuff) with miracle grow liquid stuff and it's really made a difference to it.