In article 6c67d56a-e26c-4f73-9458-
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says...
Dear All,

We live in a flat with a communal garden area.

We would like to plant something that will screen a 40m x 5ft
glavanised steel fence and give us more privacy.

As our experience is limited I hoped you might help by providing some
hedging or plant suggestions.

Our requirements are that:

-It will need to require minimum maintenance, so ideally not grow
outwards too much and not grow much above 2m in height.(So as not to
increase our maintenance charge)

-It's evergreen.

-It's dense.

-Hopefully fast growing.

Our local garden centre recommended bare rooted Laurel planted at 1m
intervals. He said that once it reaches 2m, it should be cut to that
height and will not tend to go above this. How much would it be likely
to bush outwards?

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

Nick




Avoid laurel it requires hand cutting or it will be covered in half brown
leaves a lot of the time, Esscallonia used to be good but a new fungal
disease doing the rounds in Cornwall is sure to reach the rest of the
country and it makes them look unsightly. Avoid any thing that can not be
pruned hard like Lelandii, I don't like Privet or so called box which is
really Lonicera nitida as both only look good for about 1 week of the
year after cutting!
Yew is good, will take about 4 years to make a decent hedge but will not
need attention more than once a year.
I like the Myrtle family but I am not sure where you are, they do better
in the south and west something like Luma chequen (was a myrtle) would
have lovely aromatic foliage and is fast growing but neat evergreen which
can be hard pruned if required.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea