Growing a new screening hedge and the law

yes it will cast a shadow over their side,on the oppisite side to where i want to plant these trees there is a few large trees bigger than what size i want these to be and to be honest it doesnt cause me any problems with light when the sun moves round and they are along my boundary,

 

Hi Chris,

Willow is a poor choice for a hedge for all the reasons mentioned here.

I like your idea of more sensitive and strategic placing of small trees/tall shrubs. Rowan grows quite quickly, and Shineys suggestion of a fence with a trellis on the top for some climbers is a good one.

 

its not going to be a hedge as such i have a hedge already but its too low to block out peoples bedroom windows overlooking my garden.
I just want a few trees to be placed in certain places to block their view.

 

I suspect you've made up your mind, but I would reiterate that Willow is unlikely to give you want you are trying to achieve. Especially the fast growing hybrids, which are often specifically bred for their fast, vertical growth. They don't bush out very much at all until they've been in a few years. Instead they send up almost straight, thin poles. Unless you plant enough to completely drain your and your neighbour's gardens of all mositure, they won't offer much privacy.

To be honest, I'd go with one of the other suggestions mentioned. They will serve your purpose much better, and are less likely to cause neighbourly tensions. There are loads of fast growing trees that bush up nicely and are less thirsty. Apart from those already mentioned, a few that spring to mind are buddleja - grows like a rocket, easily beating willow, bushes up nicely and isn't particularly thirsty. Elder - also grows very fast, nice white clusters of flowers followed by clusters of pretty deep red/almost black berries. Rowan was mentioned - what a good choice, the bright red berries look amazing, especially as they are there at a time of year when bright colours are often a bit lacking in the garden.

 

I have looked up a few of these you have mentioned can the buddleja be bought in tree form?
and how long do do these trees you mention take to grow to around 10 ft high?
thanks for you help

 

Buddleia will reach 10 foot in a year - they are incredibly fast growing. They can be pruned, although not sure how treelike you could get them to.

 

It can be done. There is living proof in my mother-in-law's garden. Unfortunately their garden was looked after by my late father-in-law, and nobody seems to know how he got it to take the shape it has. It has a sturdy trunk, and a lollypop top, so it can be done.

 

that sounds good then is there a particular type i should get?
and what heights can you buy,
when are they best to be planted

 

There are numerous types of buddleja, with flower colours to suit your taste. If you just buy young plants of them (or take cuttings - they root fairly easily), they'll soon grow. Plant them next spring. They'll do very little for the first couple of months while they put down some roots, but then there's no stopping them.

As for training them into a standard tree shape, I'm afraid I can't advise there. It seems most people (myself included) just stick with the old technique of cutting it down every year to get a lots of bushy growth rather than having one main trunk. I know it can be done, but I don't know how.