Screening trees

We have just moved into a new house. The garden is a good size - about 12 / 15 meters wide. The house we back onto has an unsightly loft dormer we are keen to block out.

We are looking to create a screen across the back of our garden and I'm not sure what is best to go for.

These are our criteria:

- on the left back side of the garden it will need to get to about 6m high to block out the loft dormer.
- on the right side about 4m high will do.
- the area is open - plenty of sunshine.
- they'll need to be as close to the boundary as possible so we don't lose too much of the garden.
- there will be a garden office which will need a concrete base placed in front of the trees.
- as it will be on a boundary trimming is a consideration - we won't have access to the opposite side of the trees unless we ask our neighbours which is not ideal for regular trimming.
- we want the screen to be year round.

Any ideas most welcome - I am new to gardening so I'm really not sure. The obvious choice is a leylandii conifer but I understand these can get out of control easily.

Thanks

Adam

 

Ligustrum japonicum would be great. Pyrus chanticleer as well, though not evergreen it holds leaves well into winter and grows fresh ones earlier than any other deciduous tree around. Sorbus aria for a deciduous option.

 

Cherry Laurel - cheap - available - dense - fast growing - evergreen .

 

Welcome to the forum Adam.
Your thinking is so often the way new gardeners go about 'screening' and so very many times is a cause for regret in the long term.
A very tall ''wall'' of hedging will create a lot of shade for a start - depending on the geography either for you or for your neighbours, or maybe both.
Leylandii is of course one of the worst contenders as you have already mentioned, and can cause utter misery - for neighbors in particular not only because of shade, but the fact that nothing much else will grow as they deplete any goodness in the surrounding soil.

My suggestion for you would be a group of silver birch trees in a strategic position - say five, with a selection of colourful shrubs and maybe an arbour of some kind. It`s a bit like painting a picture, with perspective on board....
Planting something tall nearer to the house can also have the desired effect.
Maybe you could post a photo or two for us, so that we can make some more informed ideas for you?

 

spot the difference

 

Welcome to the forum Adam. I tend to agree with Tetters somewhat however. To maintane privacy in the garden is becoming more and more difficult as local planners allow more and more dormers to be built. To be honest and not wishing to destroy your desire but it's a matter of. I can't see you.....................so perhaps you can't see me. Optically the view from the dormer is going to be much wider than yours looking upwards. Was your garden area to have been a few times larger, you might be in with a chance. If I were you, i'd be inclinded to try and get a view from the dormer. Play coy. Start a chat line with your neighbour. Wowee, lucky you. That's some domer you have. Has it actually given you much more room? Don't suppose I could have a look inside, I might well decide to do the same.
Once inside make sure to get a good look at the gardens below.

I wish you all the very best, please keep us updated. Forum members will help all they can.

 

Your garden sounds a similar size to mine, i had the same problem and ended splitting it in two only one neighbour could look in to a small part now when i put the awning out no one at the rear can see directly in,

Anyhow this is what ive done it might give you some ideas good luck .