Back garden privacy

San_Jose

Thanks BendyHouse. As usual some other good tips there. Will look into alternatives. Port Laurels do look nicer but yeah I think Im just looking for a quicker/ cheaper fix. Maintenance wont be a problem I've had established ones at previous houses just never had to plant them myself.

Section62

San_Jose said:

Thanks Section62. That's not the whole garden just a picture of a quarter of it that backs onto the car park so pretty sure it wont feel like 'a prison exercise yard' whatever the solution

Ok, it was the lighter colour fence on the extreme right of the picture which looks like it is coming towards the camera position to form the third side of the garden.

Maybe it would help to get the best advice if you could share a sketch plan (if you don't have an OS extract) so we can see the extent of the garden and how it relates to the house, and also to neighbouring properties?

San_Jose

Section62 said:

San_Jose said:

Thanks Section62. That's not the whole garden just a picture of a quarter of it that backs onto the car park so pretty sure it wont feel like 'a prison exercise yard' whatever the solution

Ok, it was the lighter colour fence on the extreme right of the picture which looks like it is coming towards the camera position to form the third side of the garden.

Maybe it would help to get the best advice if you could share a sketch plan (if you don't have an OS extract) so we can see the extent of the garden and how it relates to the house, and also to neighbouring properties?

Yeah typical new build (odd shaped garden). I took my picture specifically of the final 1/4 of it so as not to see the other 3/4 of its unkemptness The brickwork you see to the left is my double garage also. The rest of the garden/ privacy I'm happy with its just this portion which Im looking to screen off - as quickly as possible (without spending a fortune). 

FreeBear

Ectophile said:

Laz123 said:

We planted leylandii to hide our nasty neighbour. It grows about 3 feet every year. It's also good for cutting out noise.

I once visited an arboretum where they had a Leyland cypress that had been allowed to grow. Really elegant tree, and it had kept its distinctive candle flame shape.

But it was absolutely massive. Far too big for the average garden.  The only way you can keep them under control is to keep hacking them back. And eventually they look a mess.

They are best hacked back at the point where they emerge from the soil.

OP - If you really must plant Leylandii, make sure they are well away from any foundations (5metres min), and check the soil type. You don't want to be planting thirsty trees on clay or you run the risk of shrinkage & heave.

Rosa_Damascena

Leylandi - please don't do it.

The suggestion in the media this week that we plant trees in our back gardens is annoying me. Plant away by all means, just not where it could ruin your neighbours life!

dgp1000

Check your covenants which your solicitor should have alerted you to. Leylandii or anything similar is probably prohibited, so you don’t only risk upsetting your neighbours but putting yourself in breach. If this happens, you’ll be told to take them down. The convenants will also stipulate what else you can and cannot do, so make sure it looks good from the other side because if you don’t and people complain you could also be asked to take it down.

GDB2222

Rosa_Damascena said:

Leylandi - please don't do it.

The suggestion in the media this week that we plant trees in our back gardens is annoying me. Plant away by all means, just not where it could ruin your neighbours life!

We have enough trouble keeping the privet hedges in some sort of order. The idea of deliberately planting something that grows 1m a year just seems a bit crazy. 

Slinky

There's a reason leylandii are cheap. It's because they are nasty.

robatwork

Some trellis like this 
on top of the fence with something like a fast growing clematis will be a lot more easy to manage than leylandii.

Slinky

There's already been a debate about the legalities of trellis on top of boundary fencing. What could be a solution would be trellis attached to post set back in from the fence line a few inches. Grow something like virginia creeper up the posts and across the trellis. Would lose a little bit of garden width, but nothing like the amount you'd lose with planting leylandii.