Making Our Garden Private

We have quite a large garden with fences which we have to maintain on each side. Due to strong westerly winds we have had to decrease the height of the fence on one side of our garden from 6' to 5' and are are going to have to lower the height of the other fence too but we will then have to look at what can only be described as "gardens from hell" on both sides of us plus we don't want the neighbours looking into our garden all the time either (obviously to see what a nice garden looks like!!).

We want to plant some various kinds of shrubs to put along both fences so that they will eventually screen the fences and, if possible, grow high enough to reach just above the height of the fences.

I had a thought about Ivy today as we could fit a trellis on top of the fence and grow the Ivy up and along the trellis - that would also allow for the shrubs which may not grow as tall as the fence.

I have a few questions about Ivy:

1. How far apart should Ivy be planted?

2. How fast does it grow?

Other questions about shrubs suitable for screening:

1. Are there any fast growing tall shrubs?

We might can get away with leaving the lowering of the fence until the shrubs/Ivy have established but I'm not sure whether our wobbly fence is going to last much longer.

 

Answers to a recent, somewhat similar, post may help

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/Thread-Best-Trees-for-Screening-out-overlooking-windows.html

 

I've just planted several willow cuttings for the same reason. They root really easily and I'm told they grow fast. I will also be planting my ivy cuttings behind them up the fence too.

 

Is Willow attractive or is it more practical screening? Does it have leaves/flowers? How far away from the fence should it be planted?

Excuse my ignorance.

 

Your really asking the wrong person here, I probably have less experience in gardening than you do.

By willow I mean cuttings from a willow tree (something like this). As you can see it has big drooping leaves so will provide great concealment. As for distance from the fence, well I planted mine about a foot away, I reckon that's fine. I would have gone even closer had I not planned on planting ivy behind it.

 

Long lanceolate leaves, looses them in the winter.

Responds very well to coppicing, cutting at the base to produce many more shoots the following year.

A way of life where it is grown as a crop here on the Somerset levels, used to make baskets, artists charcoal & even woven coffins.

http://www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk/visitor_centre.htm

This place is just down the road from me & well worth a visit, you can even walk down onto the levels where they grow it.

 

If you google for hybrid willow for living structures, you will find a range of good options.

Apart from having slender leaves, which I think look quite nice, during the growing season, there are vareities that have different coloured bark. The hybrid ones for living willow structures are bred to grow vertically, quickly, so don't spend too much energy on side shoots (although you do get enough side shoots to make it bush out slightly).

In ideal conditions they can gain 6ft in height in one growing season, and don't take very long at all to establish.

If you buy your sticks now, you'll be able to save a fortune by just buying the sticks. If you wait til the weather warms up a bit the chances of rooting drops off a bit, or I guess you could buy rooted stock which would be more expensive.

Some suppliers sell them in lengths as short as 30cm. Don't buy these ones because ideally you need at least 1ft pushed into the ground, and another 1ft above ground.

Having loosened the soil where they will go, you simply push the sticks into the ground where you want them, and water them in if the ground is dry.

Spacing is a trade-off. If you want them to fill out asap, you need to space them about a metre apart. If you want them to gain height asap, put them about 1ft apart.

They are quite hungry feeders, so make sure the ground is well fed at their feet. Their roots will find what they need, so if they are in hungry ground, they will rob the rest of your garden, but this won't be an issue if you feed it all anyway.

Don't plant them too close to the house or other walls, as their roots might undermine the foundations.

 

Thanks for the replies.
Looked at the options given on the forum but in the end we have opted for bamboo. The plants arrive on Tuesday. Will maybe keep this post going with pics when planted for others to see.