Ideas for tall plants for screening between properties without too much horizontal spread

FatherTireseus

Background: when we moved into our property, there were some large evergreen trees in the garden of the house next door effectively screening our house from theirs.  (The property is currently rented out, and faces onto the road behind us, so our houses are sort of back to back).   Last summer the landlord had the trees chopped down as they wanted to make their garden less shady, which also meant we get a birds-eye view of their house and they get a nice view of the side of our house.  Now a planning application has been submitted for next door to extend the current L-shaped house (which has a single storey room jutting out into the back garden) into more of a rectangle, extending the footprint of the property, adding a first floor across the whole of the extended footprint, and bringing the back of their house closer to the back of ours.

Now we've lost the screening from the trees on their side of the property I feel it's time we planted something to replace it, especially if their house is going to be extended.

I'm no gardener so I'm looking for any inspiration for plants that might fit the bill.  I guess I'm looking for something that might grow to no more than 10 feet high, ideally evergreen.

We don't have a big back garden and there is a path at the side of our property between our house and the fence between us and next door so I don't want something that is going to grow out too far.  I really want something that primarily grows 'up' without getting too tall and not 'out'.  As the new extended property would come pretty close to the fence line in places, I also don't want the neighbours hacking overhanging branches on their side which might kill off the plant.

I have no idea what type of soil we have but the fence along which anything would be planted faces north west.

Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

First thing - you're going to be looking at 'established' or 'mature' or 'instant' plants.
This means they're already up to 10 years old and have been grown specifically for an instant effect.
Search around for garden nurseries - not garden centres, i like to buy from small independent ones.

If you buy the usual plants in garden centres these will be up to 5 litre pot sized plants and are going to take another 5+ years to reach even halfway mature height.
Decide what is most important, price or instant effect - the instant ones are not extortionately expensive when you actually compare like-for-like.

Niv

I have a simialrish issue and have decided to grow miscanthus giganteous. May have too big a spread for your space but thought it worth sharing as it grows its height quite quickly and is clump forming.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/169012/miscanthus-x-giganteus/details

Mojisola

There are plenty of varieties of bamboo - if you plant them in large tubs, you'll add 1m to the height of the screening and the plants won't spread and cause trouble later on.

Marmaduke123

Mojisola said:

There are plenty of varieties of bamboo - if you plant them in large tubs, you'll add 1m to the height of the screening and the plants won't spread and cause trouble later on.

Banboo will shoot up in no time. Definitely best in pots or tubs if possible in the space, if not you will have some work to confine it to where you want it to grow. I think some varieties spread less,  but they might also grow more slowly.

I love bamboo personally!

twopenny

How high is the fence?

I solved the problem somewhat with a 7ft high fence by putting up trellis (you can use wires) and growing honeysuckle and jasmine up it. It reached the top and I cut it some 6 inches above giving screening from attic windows looking down.

It give green cover all across.

It does leave more space below and just needs tying in to start.

I have a rose that grew even faster on the other side but that's a bit more work.

They all provide scent and blooms and are evergreen.

I found tall shrubs took a lot of maintenance where my latest version it's almost none

Flugelhorn

I was going to suggest either trellis and honeysuckle / jasmine or bamboo in troughs / pots but sounds like both of these have already been suggested - the bamboo will need more a bit more maintenance bit still manageable

Tucosalamanca

My personal choice is Cherry Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus Rotundifolia)

Can be bought quite cheap in bulk and at a decent height (5-6ft).
First year they seem to work their magic beneath the soil, then really spouting after 2-3yrs.
They do grow quickly but are easily maintained with a hedge trimmer. They form a thick hedge and certainly offer privacy.
Only downside I can think of is lack of wildlife, they don't seem to attract much. Oher than that, great!

[Deleted User]

I like the laurels too @Tucosalamanca .

[Deleted User]

Mojisola said:

There are plenty of varieties of bamboo - if you plant them in large tubs, you'll add 1m to the height of the screening and the plants won't spread and cause trouble later on.

Their roots can grow through the drainage hole in the base of the pot, they're tenacious !

Soot2006

Not very MSE but you can get pleached cherry laurel if you're feeling fancy and don't want to wait for it to grow upwards.

You can get other lovely pleached trees, don't underestimate the screening effect of non-evergreen wood, as it can also look really striking, and certainly breaks up the view of other houses etc.

They are expensive as someone else has done the work of growing it upwards for you