any danger in planting privacy hedges next to my house?

Hi, i am wanting to plant next to my house but I'm worried about the roots damaging my house, I wa thinking along the planting Conifers, privit or maybe holly, are these likely cause damage to my property if planted next to it?


Keith

 

Conifers as far as I'm concerned are a definite no,no! I've had foundations and drains damaged by them. Their roots spread a considerable distance looking for water. I'm not sure about the others. How near to your house are you thinking of planting?

 

I was planning for about 1 to 2 feet away from our property, I live in a semi detached house, the fence down the centre is only 4 foot high and neighbors keep poking there head over, the can even look into my living room, its there fence and can't afford to start replacing it even if it was mine, the only other thing I can think of is growing something in containers to block there view?

Keith

 

What about a reed Screen. It's purchased in rolls and not too pricey. You can even mount it up poles to give added height and then grow plants up from the ground to fill the gap below

 

Following what gcc has said.....

I think any shrubs that close are going to be risky. Could you afford to mount trellis on top of it, or attach a larger trellis to your side of the fence and then grow climbers up it.

 

You could put some evergreen shrubs in containers down that side which would grow to a suitable height but which could be moved if required ...



I've put some along the side of my drive as our lawns are raised so they can see in my kitchen. They should be high enough this year to reach the top of the fence. I'm going to put a couple of Photinias there as well, to add more colour, but I've now got some other smaller planters in front which gives a bit more interest, including some climbers in containera with obelisks to climb over.

If you are clever at making things, you could make some large troughs and go for this sort of effect ...

 

Climbers on a trellis?

 

This is the area I'm talking about



Keith

 

All you need is a small piece of screen and 2 posts, as suggested before.
Something like an Evergreen Clematis grown up the screen would do the job quickly enough.

 

Ah - its going away from the house? In that cases planting a hedge with one "end" right up to the house would be fine IMHO, but I would still avoid things with vicious roots. Privet would do there. But any hedge is going to take 3 - 5 years to get up to a decent height (although you can buy large plants, which is obviously quicker, but they tend to be expensive - perhaps £50 each :(

If you are in the money a Pleached tree - Lime or Hornbeam - would look good there and make a brilliant screen. Neither cheap nor evergreen (although you could probably get a pleached evergreen tree)

Photos of Pleached Trees as a screen in this thread:

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/...ng-out-overlooking-windows.31156/#post-412877

 

I'd be tempted to put some tall trellis up with an evergreen climber such as Lonicera henryii or Clematis armandii, maybe with another Clematis so that you have a longer flowering period. Then at the bottom something like dwarf Rhododendrons, Box or some perennials to fill it out a bit

 

We have a conifer witch is about 3ft from my front door witch has grown 7ft
but now looking at your posts ill have to move it can u give me any idea on how deep the roots will be and how far it will have already spread out also will it survive being moved.

 

I would go with the reed screening ,you would only need one ,till you can get something to grow there ,as you say gap annoyingly close to your window