How to block road noise - driving me mad!!

[NotdeadyetBOING]

We have a big, noisy road next to us which is ruining our quality of life. The garden is gorgeous, but almost unusable in the summer when horrendous motorbikes scream past.

I know there are various companies that make special sound-absorbing walls. Has anyone ever used any of them? Do they work? Can they recommend any particular company?

Is it possible to do any clever planting to minimise noise? Wondering about bamboo as it's quite dense and grows fast.

After any tips!

[Trustyourself2]

I feel for you. I've been there myself, living close to an extremely busy coast road. I didn't have to do anything about it in the end as I moved, but I did do a little bit of research and the first thing I discovered is that hedges do not create sound barriers, as noise just travels through, regardless of how deep they are. Have a read of this article I and see what you think.

www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/4791590/Making-the-sound-barrier.html

[NotdeadyetBOING]

Thank you so much, TrustY. Like you, I have heard that there is no type of plant that can block noise. Needs to be a (high) wall of some sort. For which I will probably need planning permission. Sounding expensive and like a lot of hassle, but I think will be worth it in the end….. Will check out the article - many thanks for the link!

[Fantasticmissfoxy]

Something they often use to screen new roads are living willow panels (about 6 - 10ft high) secured onto posts with the panels around 8 inches apart. The gap in the middle then gets filled with soil.