Creating privacy in overlooked garden (photos inc.)

[GardenIdeas]

Hi,

Does anyone have any ideas on screening plants/ trees please? Garden is quite overlooked by neighbouring properties, something fast growing would be great. The trellis atop the fence now has some climbers growing up it, but they won’t reach the height required to screen the upstairs windows. Garden faces North but has sun all day until around 7pm. Quite a windy, exposed location too.

Thank you.

Would pleached trees be an option?

Personally I’d stick with the climbers and put extra posts, pergola style, inside your fence. The advantage is not having to get a massive ladder to prune them, and also the speed of growth if they are well established. We had a Montana climbing over a 20’ structure and it looked beautiful.

Also think about winter. It probably won’t cast any extra shade given the house height. Do you want something evergreen or will the bare branches be enough privacy? A clematis can leave a lot of bare stems, a tree will be more see through.

You could create an L shaped pergola structure that would go in front of your shed and along the path. The washing pole would have to move.
On the pergola you could plant Trachelospermum which is an evergreen climber with white scented flowers.
The angle of view from the neighbours windows is probably such that they see less of you than you can see of them.

Something like this.

Thanks for the suggestions. The pleached trees look nice.

Pergola is a good idea too. Bare branches would be ok in winter, the garden doesn’t get any sun until summertime so isn’t really in use until then.

The one you’ve posted looks smart bee

I’d have to be anti social and plant big trees of some sort or a very dense very tall hedge like a pittosporum or something.
I have lots of trees but they are all fan trained so ‘airy’ and single layer/don’t really encroach in anyone but that’s way too overlooked for my liking.

Sorry, just wondering. Is it allowed to grow smth high in your garden? Or plant proper big trees? Would not that be a problem with the neighbours? I always assumed that if the garden is plain you are stuck with it (it put me off some houses recently)

I’d stick a few silver birches there.

I’d rather look at leaves than windows.

Yes, I'd plant a few airy trees. Not just at the back and a pergola and get a big sun canopy. So I could sit and focus and look at trees rather than the other houses

I must admit I'm confused by the layout. But surely anything you plant is going to shade other people's gardens?

Willow

Living willow fence

Be careful here. Ever green trees in a row will fall foul of the high hedges act meaning neighbours can force them to be cut down to six feet if they choose. Deciduous trees do not come under the high hedges act.

You can do a lot with strategically placed small lollipop shaped trees and shrubs, with pergolas/trellis and climbers nearer the house.

Gosh, I'm really overlooked as well.
I've planted a silver birch and really focused on making the garden as lovely as can be. Planting a tree more in the middle of the garden can be a better distraction.
I have tried to make friends with the neighbours behind so I feel more comfortable with the space.
A pergola or 'airy' tree sounds good, some climbers such as hydrangea petialaris (sp?) are good north facing.
DMiL always says that a laurel hedge is a good barrier and grows relatively fast.
Watching with interest

I don't think you'll be able to screen around the boundary effectively.

I would focus on screening a seating area and other well used areas e.g. near the house.

I’m with you on that Catherine

safari the space between my garden and the other properties is a car park, and the garden faces north so any shade cast would affect me and no one else.

hoochy I’ve got a climbing hydrangea too, it’s lovely although growing slowly I thought of laurel but not sure I need a full hedge, just some strategically placed trees/ tall shrubs may work just as well.

Thanks everyone for all the other great suggestions. I’ll have a think and see what I’d like to do best.