I want a really high hedge for privacy, please help.

[shattered77]

I live in a semi and would really like to create a private garden. I would like to grow a high hedge alongside my fence so that we cannot see the neighbours when we're outside. What would you advise? I would just put conifers in but a bit too close to the house.

What about a fence with a trellis on it (the trellis could go higher than the fence itself) and grow climbing plants like honeysuckle, passionflower and clematis up the trellis - you will get screening, but it will not be as over rearing (or unpopular with your neighbours) as conifers.

Laurel is a good evergreen if you clip it every year to keep it tight, good for privacy and not as invasive or fast growing as Lleyandii. Also Red Robin is similar with reddish leaves. We have planted a hedge with a variety of different evergreens such as these two and in between some tall deciduous bushes.

We desperately needed privacy screening and fast. Did it in two spring/summers.

Whacked up 180cm high cheapo fencing (the plasticised metal stuff on a roll) and planted evergreen(ish) honeysuckle.

Grows like a weed. Especially if you help new shoots twine upwards weekly. After two to three summers, if it's sunny and you water well, from knee height upward it's all bushy (and smells nice). I am going to under plant with something like thyme, becuase the base is a bit less leafy.

It's quicker and a damn sight cheaper than trees or shrubs.

We have honeysuckle on trellis which gives great privacy from next door semi, as well as jasmine (also ivy, but I hate it).

Our back is over looked by a 5 story block of flats (ah, the joys of living in London). We need more height and are thinking of five or six pots, 80 or so cm in height, with bamboo growing out of it. We've a v small garden, so trying to maximise space, with coverage also. But we don't want anymore climbers as we already have quite a lot and are looking for a little more height.

Thanks, will note these down and Google. If I'm looking at laurel, red robin etc. what height would I plant? I'm not sure if we can add trellis to our fence as the concrete posts are the height of the fence so not sure if/how it can be attached?

I have some trellis attached to batons. The fence comprised 6' panels (incl. trellis top) and 4' panels (no trellis) when I moved in. I wanted to make it an even height. Since the panels were fairly sturdy it didn't make sense to start again.

I'm growing various climbers to conceal the batons.

I've added trellis on batons to another section of fence on the other side and covered it with bamboo screen (very cheap from Home Bargains) until my climbers catch up

I'm really happy with the finished effect, it blends together well

YY to laurel and photinia for dense evergreen screening (although red robin can suffer from discoloured leaves IME). You could mix these with some small growing deciduous trees for interest e.g flowering cherry, Amalanchier, weeping pear. Don't buy really big laurel plants (although I know it's tempting) as smaller plants will establish better. It does grow quickly thank goodness as I'm hoping to block the annoyingly direct view my neighbours have into my garden!

You could also try bamboo in pots for more instant screening as suggested above. It's very expensive but might help whilst you grow a denser screen of evergreens.

I tried to extend the height of our fence with trellis and its just not been strong enough - needs to be attached to fence posts to cope with the weight of climbers growing up and the wind (unless you are very sheltered of course!).

Dh wants to put a hornbeam hedge up so it still looks nice in the winter. Is it too late to put in now the weather's warming up a bit?

If you already have a fence why not grow the hornbeam as a 'pleached' hedge - bare stems at the bottom then clipped hedge bit at the top - looks very fancy. You could still plant the hedge now if you keep it well watered this summer and trim off the lower branches so all effort goes into growing up. Search 'pleached hedge' for some good images.

Whatever you plant, water and water and keep watering. Someone in our village planted a viburnum hedge in the spring a couple of years ago (from containers) and lost the whole hedge because they did not water.

Oh right ok, thanks, that's good advice. We currently have a scraggy mix of cheery tree suckers and a variegated shrub which Dh hates.