shrubs to screen a north facing fence..

I would like some ideas for some shrubs or trees that will grow facing north with a tatty old fence behind them which i want to hide asap..my neighbours fence is past a joke the bungalow was recently sold and i thought the new owners would replace the fence which is about 25 years old held together with bits and pieces..its a flaming eyesore..today its flapping in the wind and we have had to fix it grrrrrrr...now i need things to grow fast and be dense quick...I know eucalyptus grows fast but will it grow facing north with a fence behind it? any ideas are very welcome...thanks in advance..

 

mmm ........ eucalyptus is a tree with a lot of windage and small root system , i m not sure this is what you meant?
Why dont you ask neighbour round for a barbie and see what they intend, it may be that they will do something,
If worse come to worst you could erect a cheap fence, like a bamboo affair inside their disaster,
Good hedging plants for a shady site are discussed on other threads [use search function], skimmia is good but i think it needs acid soil, we need to know soil type

[ 02. April 2006, 03:16 PM: Message edited by: Lady Gardener ]

 

Its clay soil...they dont intend to fence it they moved in and said they were having a super fence then an odd job man appeared and replaced one panel..i need to hide it as its an eyesore big time..will do a search and see ..the eucalyptus i had in mind was just a common one i bought one as a herb last june and its allready 5 foot high and spreading sideways....i think it may be a bit windy for it where i want a hedge..i have 4 leylandi down that side as it is i wish now i had planted a complete hedge of them ..but i went and stuck my elderberry tree their and i dont wish to remove that as its usefull..

 

As to eucalyptus - I think you talked yourself out of it already when you said "it's 5 ft already" think ahead - also with your Laylandii - how long do you intend to stain in the house? The gold version is much slower growing, but still fast.

Do you need it to be evergreen - reason I ask is you said you had stuck your Elderberry there. we call them Botrill bushes up here and they do grow fast, I have grown a super black one, only planted it last year and it has already made a great screen.

Yew yould work North face, but slow.

 

Thanks for the advice i will have to think about it..it doesnt matter how fast it grows the faster the better..i keep the leylandi i have got at 6 feet we trim them and keep them under control i am not a nuisance person..i just want to cover something that is an eye sore.. fast...i dont mind it all being green..I thought the new owners next door would do something about the fence but they are obviously not going to bother so i am fed up of looking at it..will have to grow a jungle fast..

 

why not try some native hedging plants that would work in well with the rest of your garden? like hawthorn, blackthorn guelder rose, etc, and underplant with climbers, like annuals, such as the climbing nasturtium, tropaeolum speciosum, that grows well, even up in Edinburgh, and flowers thru' August, Sept, and even beyond - a gorgeous plant, and very distracting from broken-down fences!!

 

Dendrobium...thats a good idea i allready have a hawthorn will get a cutting from it..and will see if i can get the others...

 

look at http://ashridgetrees.co.uk/
and others selling packages, there is still time to plant bare rooted plants
http://www.tree-shop.co.uk/index.asp