Quote:
Originally Posted by 405 TD Estate
I would like to plant a tree to obscure my neighbours house - the only
problem is this would put it 6 foot from both our houses - is it
likely the roots would cause problems eventually? I was thinking of
sometiing like a silver birch.
Could a (very large) bush be planted instead without root problems? I
would guess it would need to be 12foot or more to be much use.
PS I do get along with my neighbour just I'd prefer to look at a tree
than a brick wall.
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If there is only 12 ft between the houses, there isn't much room for most trees, you would have to prune it into fan shape. A tree that is of house height would normally be called a small tree, not a large one. You could consider a shallow rooted tree such as a frondose conifer, choose a reliably small narrow one, for example there are junipers of that behaviour. Definitely don't choose the leylandii thug which can grow over 100 feet. Plant it well into your property, so it does not project into the neighbour's land.
Another possibility is bamboo, which are shallow rooted. There is a good choice of species that don't run, if you go to a specialist bamboos supplier. If you choose one that does run, you should put a rhizome barrier along the property boundary. In fact it is wise to do that even with the non-running ones. The reliably non-running ones are mostly Fargesia, Borinda and Thamnocalamus. 12ft is a typical mature height, but will take a few years to get there. If someone tries to tell you Phyllostachys or Pseudosasa doesn't run, they are either ignorant or lying, even if they are on the telly.