Make a high wall higher with climber?

First of all, hello! Just joined.
I've not seen a similar post,so here goes...

New build on the other side of my garden wall means their upstairs can look into my upstairs - not ideal.
As there's a 3.5 metre wall between their garden and mine (west facing) and my garden isn't very large (so no big trees), I was thinking of going the vertical gardening route and hammering up some kind of trough with trellis so their view (and mine) is blocked.
Don't like ivy or variegated leaves. Need completely evergreen solution, up to 2.5 metres height, hardy (gets to max -6°C), plenty of sun up there but wind might be a problem. Prefer some kind of scented flowers (armandii?) and as the plants will be in containers and I'm not in the garden every day, drought resistant-ish. Any ideas? Doesn't have to be a climber.
Thank you!
Sarah.

 

Hello EssKay, to GC. Would Trachelospermum jasminoides or asiaticum be suitable?(Sorry, I didn't invent the names) . They're evergreen, twining jasmine-like climbers that make an effective screen with scented flowers and some leaves turn red in winter. Good in containers. The first has white flowers, the second creamy yellow. Another suggestion would be Ceanothus burkwoodii or Puget Blue or Concha. Evergreen, small leaves, bright blue 'powder-puff' flowers. You'd need to be able to get to it to keep it trimmed over after flowering, though. They don't like being cut hard back.

 

EssKay.....another new member. Fantastic. Welcome
Pyracantha is not really a climber as such but is great on a wall or fence. Evergreen, tough, white spring flowers, red berries and birds love it. I think it will tick most of the boxes for you.
Solanum Alba is virtually evergreen, vigorous, and produces white flowers from mid summer well into late autumn. Here, west Cornwall, mine is reliably evergreen with flowers in winter too.
If you have the space clematis Armandii has amazingly fast growth producing white flowers on evergreen foliage. Check if hardy where you are but some abutilons are usually evergreen, vigorous and floriferous....here it is still in flower.
Some honeysuckles are evergreen too and will quickly colonise a fence or wall
Not evergreen so out of your remit but clematis montana is another very vigorous climber smothered with white or pink flowers in spring. It will afford privacy in spring to autumn??? Grandiflora is one of my favourite varieties with scented flowers.
For a rapidly growing shrub whilst your climber is growing consider a eucalyptus gunnii; it will grow fast in one season. In two years it will make 2 to 3 metres

 

Hi,

Photinia Red Robin can be grown as an evergreen hedge or bush and looks really nice with its red leaves.
Like any of the other plants it will take a year or two/three to get the height /coverage you need.

If you have want to spend a lot of money for instant effect you can buy Pleached bushes/small trees which give the screen effect but do not take up much ground level space.

As well as the Red Robin acting as a screen we also have a 10ft high Pyracantha but it is well out of the way of normal foot traffic.
They have pure evil thorns and would not recommend it if you have children, dogs or anyone with sensitive skin.

In the past we have used Leylandii but kept then well trimmed along with other hardy plants like Holly.

Nothing to stop you growing Clematis though any of the above bushes to add colour.

 

Thanks noisette, ricky & verdun!
I have always like the idea of the trachelospermum but wasn't sure if it would stay evergreen in a container half way up a wall. The pyrocanthus looks good. Will it not dry out quickly in a container? Love the red robin, too, but heard the flowers smell terrible - is that true. And the idea of growing clematis through the main plant is great!

 

Ah....any permanent planting is going to do better in soil-based compost and will have to be watered. It'll weigh a ton! The best bet would be closely-spaced trellis on top of the wall and a biggish plant in a trough on the ground. If the plant is given good growing conditions it'll soon reach and colonise the trellis. It'll be tricky to have to tie-in rigid branches, though..I'd definitely go for a vigorous climber!

 

to GC @EssKay

Good question! May I please just ask about the measurements?

A 3.5 metre wall between the two of you; ok.

This is where I get confused (easily done! ). I was assuming you wanted the plant to grow to at least the height of the wall and then beyond it to give you some privacy? Wouldn't a 2.5 plant fall short by a metre of the height of the wall?

The Pyracanatha is one of a number of plants which are deemed "burglar deterrent", so if you had that growing against the shared wall, it most definitely would deter anyone trying to scale over the wall from there side to yours. If they tried it, they would get ripped to shreds!!

 

3.5 metre wall is very high , nearly 12 feet in old money . If you want to block out the neighbours upstairs windows , are you going to need something 7 metres tall (24 feet ) ? That does not leave too many options.

 

Esskay, any chance of growing in the soil? Anything you grow in a container will be less vigorous and higher maintenance.

For a pyracantha I suggest the following......as large a container as possible, use a john innes type of compost (not the usual multi purpose compost available) and to add dried manure mixed well into it. Topped with a mulch to help conserve moisture

I share Harry's concerns about the height though.....can you post a picture Esskay?
I once blocked the view of a tall telegraph pole in the distance by planting a rowan/mountain ash in the far corner of the garden......strategically placed a 8' shrub/tree can completely obscure a much taller "eyesore" further away.

 

But the wall is already 3.5 metres high and I want growth to exceed that by at least another metre if not more...which is why I thought of adding containers higher up the (very sturdy) brick wall.

 

Here's the pic. Only just bought the house, so a big mess!

 

Hi Esskay, and welcome to the forum. That is a tricky problem as you are looking for a great deal of height in a small area. You might also want to think about a pergola so that you achieve privacy by growing across the way, rather than such a great height. You could use evergreen climbers, and others like clematis Montana to fill it in while the evergreens are establishing. Obviously the whole pergola idea might not be of any use as your photo only shows the wall area.

Edit: I've just read your post properly, and as it is to get privacy at window height my suggestion is not very helpful! Have you thought about window privacy film or day and night blinds tto screen into your home?

 

The one thing that you must think about here is that whatever you use, sooner or later it will need pruning. A 3,5 metre wall plus one or two metres means that, in effect, you might have to eventually top something that is 4,5 or 5,5 metres high. Which is not all that easy! I do have a suggestion, but its probably not what you want as it is around 1 metre in width. Even if it can be kept narrower.

 

Yes,I'll probably have to use film on the window, I just would like to see out once the garden's looking better. I just wanted other options. The pergola is a great idea for keeping the downstairs more private, though. Thanks! Occasionally pruning at height will be possible for the wall options, though. I love the thought of covering those cement blocks with greenery. But it's just that neighbouring window that needs hiding away. I think I'll try with a single planter stuck about 2 metres up with trellis that goes higher than the wall and see what happens. Which means a hardy evergreen climber which will put up with some neglect, wind and occasional drought which isn't ivy!

 

Another thought is to get some kind of windowbox fixed outside your window, so the greenery is closer to you. If you could afford to get a builder to secure something then that would give you screening closer to you which is properly secured to the wall. I agree that you will want to be able to look out into your garden. It may be small but there is great potential for making it lovely!

If you did consider a large windowbox you might need to be creative with what you grow in it, but that's where you will get terrific advice from the gurus on here .