Large Garden screening help

last year

Hi,
We are looking to do something with our rectangular wide garden, but have a limited budget for hard landscaping/ fencing, so anything that needs funds will need to be done bit by bit. We have young children who like to play football and a large dog who need to use the garden.
As you can see, there is no privacy from one side of the garden and an ugly busy road visible (I’ve put black marks are over the lovely bright green road sign!) The length of the side fence is 16 metres from wall to house and so would be very costly to replace.
I would love to have a low maintenance garden, with privacy from the neighbours for their, and our, sun rooms and patio.
The garden is south east facing, the more to the east. The sun sets at the front of the house, and we have a lovely bit of evening sun in the corner where the bench is currently.
We live in a valley, so winds can be strong.
I would also like to try and ‘distract’ from the noise of the road if possible!
I like the idea of a bamboo hedge, but am unsure if this will be a good idea? And lastly on my long list, I’d like to try and keep a little of the view directly ahead of the field and trees….
I had thought to paint the concrete wall in white/ or cream and would happily paint the shed too!
Any ideas welcome!

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Comments (5)

Sonia
last year
I think it can all be achieved by clever planting. I suggest a naturalistic scheme with lovely trees and shrubs. A mixture of evergreens and deciduous with some flowering shrubs or trees to give seasonal interest. You could plant a trio of Birch trees (Betula Jackmanii) which has the most beautiful white bark and almost looks better in winter without its leaves. Other easy to grow and not too huge trees are Mountain Ash (Sorbus) with lovely berries in autumn and Hawthorn (Crataegus). There are lots that would do the job so look on www.gardenersworld.com for more ideas.

You could have an evergreen by the sign like a holly, they do get big but are slow growing.

Shrubs you could try are Ceanothus (evergreen), Viburnum tinus (evergreen), Cotinus and Photinia red robin (evergreen).

I would put the shrubs along the two sides and the trees dotted about up to the back fence. The trees will lose their leaves in winter so your view won’t be blocked too much.
Deb O
Original Author
last year
Ooh lovely ideas! I like the idea of the birch trees a lot. I’ll take a look at some of the shrubs you mention. Thanks Sonia!
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tamp75
last year
Bamboo can be a good idea if you buy the right type. Fargesia varieties are clumping bamboos so although a clump will grow bigger over time it won’t run rampant and grow everywhere on your garden. With a limited budget, you might have to be prepared to buy smaller plants and let them grow to create screening over time. Maybe a couple of larger plants or trees would help to start you off then fill in with others. Some are faster growing than others. Think about placement of plants to create the most privacy. A couple of large pots close by your sun room would also help to give some privacy. I often order online & have found Gardening Express to be excellent for quality, delivery & value - check out their ‘special deals’. Big Plant Nursery are also great for shrubs & exotics but are a little pricier. J Parker’s are also good for bulbs & plants in smaller pots. Or have a look around a local garden centre / nursery where they can give you some advice.
Sonia
last year
Forgot to mention fruit trees such as apple, plum, pear or fig.

You could create a natural looking orchard, that is plant the trees within the lawn keeping the area around the trees bare. See below. Another way to create privacy is with evergreen shrubs trimmed away at the bottom like little trees. Below the shrubs are Photinia red Robin which grow immensely fast, so you could buy little 1 foot shrubs and they will reach 6 ft in a year. I got mine from Wilkos of all places for £8!
Deb O
Original Author
last year
Ah! I like the idea of the shrubs cut into tree shapes! Fab ideas, thanks Sonia!
Tamp75, I’ve been on the websites after your suggestions… brilliant, thank you so much!

Large Garden screening help

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