Best hedge/plant for screening/privacy

[DarylDixonsHair]

Couldn't think of a better way to phrase the title.

I have a small, sloping front garden. I would like to plant some hedges or small trees for privacy. I absolutely love bamboo but have heard its a bastard to control.

I'm not a fan of the classic hedge (buxus?) as my Dad had enormous Edward Scissorhands style ones in the front garden and they gave me nightmares. I'd love something different or exotic looking.

A couple of questions - how high do you want it to grow, and how dense? How much space are you willing to give up for it?

I think there are varieties of bamboo that are less invasive - have a look for non-clumping varieties. But you're right to be cautious - my neighbours have some and it routinely sends up shoots on my side of the fence. It also grows very tall, though they just give it a trim!

Laurel is fast growing, thick and evergreen.

Photinia little red robin would give good colour and not get too huge. Privet, while often slated is one of the best for privacy and can be maintained at a suitable height and width, same with yew.

Our Photinia Red Robin hedge is about 10ft high now (5yrs old) and can easily get up to 15ft - it was a bit slow to start but in the past year or so shot up.
It's very pretty but would need some care in a smaller garden

At least a meter tall. My garden slopes downwards from the house so I will never have full privacy from the street. Its just to mark out a little boundary.

Is running bamboo easy to control? I will trim it and keep it from getting too tall but I read that the roots can spread underground and damage other plants. I saw some root barrier stuff online but it's very expensive.

I'm go ogling all the other suggestions, thank you

Lol at go ogling

Some kind of forsythia?

Pic of my garden.

Red Robin and forsythia are beautiful 😍

Would you consider a one metre high close board fence?

Non-invasive and never needs cutting!
Initial cost may be more though.

Do NOT have bamboo it is awful stuff. You will have dropped leaves everywhere and the roots will be coming up in your lawn as little spikes. Barrier control is not always effective - I have a trench dug all along my fence as it is the only way to stop it spreading from my twattish neighbours. It is vile !

Try Euonymus japonicus.

Don't get bamboo
We have a running form not sure which one planted by the previous owners it's a bloody invasive weed of a plant and is so hard to control and remove (believe me we've even tried with a mini digger)
We have a huge garden and have resigned ourselves to living with it and hacking it back to try to retain some kind of control because it's that or resort to napalm!
It sends runners out over huge distances sometimes we find them popping up in the middle of the lawn 10-15 metres away from the actual plant.

"Our Photinia Red Robin hedge is about 10ft high now (5yrs old) and can easily get up to 15ft - it was a bit slow to start but in the past year or so shot up."
Yes, that is the bog standard Photinia, Little Red Robin only reaches 5ft.

Just be aware that hedges take a long time to be established and to give you privacy. Even once the plants are larger you will be able to see through them in winter if you choose deciduous plants. You might be better putting up a fence and then planting a hedge along it to soften.

Another one saying do not get bamboo. It grows really fast so you'll spend half your life trying to get it under control. Previous owners planted some in my smallish garden and it has evaded barriers and there are networks of underground runners and roots everywhere. It's an absolute bugger to get out as well - its like trying to dig out lumps of concrete that are attached to other lumps of concrete. I think removing it will be my life's work

The only thing I have found with the bamboo is a 2ft deep trench which stops the roots from crossing.. I hacked back the original roots with a hand saw which took months. The trench I am currently digging will take ages but the satisfaction of not seeing those roots is amazing

Chaenomeles don't grow too high ime but are spikey so you would need to plant them say 2 ft from the road but would deter dogs. Then a photinia or Amelanchier tree (multi stemmed) for height but they eventually spread in width so probably the amelanchier would need to go in the middle of the lawn.
There's a lot of shrubs to choose from - lilac, buddleia, weigela. All are deciduous.
Rhododendrons are evergreen.

Ok, you've scared me off bamboo! I love it though, so will have some in a big planter.

I can't afford a fence, why is it so expensive? I'm not clever enough to fashion one from pallets either.

There’s a variation of the red robin (photinia) called pink marble - I just find the leaves give a bit more interest (green, cream and pink). It grows really well, is very hardy.

I also second a laurel hedge - have got one between mine and neighbours front garden and it always looks full and green, never gappy.

Someone down the road has a lovely hedge using roses which are good for hedging (check out the David Austin site, advice on shrubs for different situations is great).

I have an evergreen hebe with pink flowers that the bees love which I have grown as a hedge; it was planted from cuttings twelve months ago and is over a metre high. I will clip it regularly. Also long flowering. And it was free! I have now planted another in the front garden.

Bamboo can still grow through the planter. Be careful with it.

Bamboo can still grow through the planter. Be careful with it

Bloody hell, I thought brambles were the wankers of the garden world.