Does this exist, or is it all in my imagination?!

[WhatASillyPredicament]

Hi, I'm looking to plant a border along a fence boundary. I want to do it both for privacy and decoration. I would like the plants to be fast growing to 6 foot in height, provide plenty of privacy, while not pushing against the fence I share with my neighbours. Does such a thing exist? I want to plant then in a line so no gaps etc.

You do get dwarf conifers, yes. The thing is, they would take 40 years to get to 6ft tall, and I'm guessing you don't want to wait that long. There's no such thing as a plant that grows fast to the exact height you want and then stops. The fast-growing ones carry on growing fast. Sorry!

It's also a lot of work, they self seed everywhere and whilst lovely in bloom and attract lots of butterflies they grow so fast and in every direction.

Adding my vote to this one. They are so lovely

Pyracantha is a thug, grows too quick and nasty to prune. The spikes are an inch ling on mine. Red robin is nice though, or a clump rooted bamboo

If it's only for 3 m and you can afford to spend a bit of money I would go for an espaliered tree. It will make the equivalent of a living fence, and will not take too much space. A hedge will inevitably push against the neighbour's fence.

I haven't had an issue with self seeding with the tame garden centre ones like black knight. Yep they grow everywhere but a once a year hard prune would sort it out. Low maintenance and fast growing. Also relatively easy to dig out if you change your mind.

Thank you everyone for all your amazing suggestions, so many great ideas here. I'm leaning towards the Photinia Red Robin. My dc absolutely loved the vibrant red too, and so do I, it suits us. Would it push against the fence? Would I need to plant it alittle further away? Also are the roots quite small as it won't be too far from a building.

sorry that should say of your*

The photinia red robins are looking stunning at the moment! Another vote from me.

Lol - when is a hedge not a hedge!
Erect trellis and plant things like evergreen honeysuckle and climbing hydrangea. A lot of the other suggestions will press against the fence and need a lot of maintenance. I heard holly recommended as a hedge on Gardeners Question time the other day - lots of different coloured berries and plain or variegated varieties, would look lovely and quite fast growing but not invasive and easy to trim especially in winter when you can use it for decorations!

If you want instant privacy why don't you put in your own 6' tall fence, just inside the boundary, then you can plant your own shrubs once in?

We've done this, as neighbour has only 3' high fence (everyone else has 6') and although we get on fine, we wanted the privacy and not to feel overlooked everytime we went into the garden.

@Hallmark1234 in an ideal world I would buy a new fence but cannot afford it, we have absolutely loads of fencing, the fence in question is really long. The part where I'd put the plants would make a huge difference though due to the extra height, i'd just keep privacy screening on the other parts. It's a bit of an old rubbish fence so wouldn't want to put trellis up, and I'd need to put it right along which would be a big task. Me and dh aren't green fingered, so just one thing would be easiest for us. I'm leaving towards red robin plabred 2 foot away from fence (if it won't put pressure on the fence.

Leaning and planting sorry

Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver'

Beautiful, evergreen (and red), not spiky, won't grow past 6 ft, very tolerant of amateur pruning.

You will need to leave a bit of space (20-40cms if you can) between the plant and the fence which should be enough to stop it harming the fence. The main reason for leaving the gap though is because you want water to reach the plant roots and slap bang up against a fence is in a rain shadow so it gets very dry.

Whatever you plant will need regular watering during its first summer and autumn (a good soak of the roots once a week if possible). After that, a light prune will be all that's needed.

Photinia Red Robin already grown into a screen
Price isn't terrible either (depending on size)

Oh wow @TequilaNights growing it on a screen is a great idea, I'm going to look into that, thank you, great tip.

You should try a brushwood 6ft screen along the entire length of the fence. It looks nice and natural but gives you privacy.

@chipswitheveryting thank you, is brushwood more durable than the bamboo reed type? I worry because 2 foot of it will be in the air along a 10m stretch, could the wind destroy it?

This is my Red Robin doing exactly what you're after. I have four of them in the back garden and all have grown about 30cm in the past year.

I also bought lots of 2m plus prunus to create immediate screening for privacy as well as a standard Magnolia Grandiflora.

Thank you @TheRealKatnissEverdeen that looks beautiful. I'm going to go with the red robin, as love how vibrant it is, and univasive roots/easy to care for benefits. If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take to grow to that size? Did you plant seeds or a mini grown one?

Just seen your comment OP so sorry for the delay in replying.
I have zero patience and needed instant screening so purchased this about 20cm shorter than you see in this pic so maybe 1.5m. I'll upload a pic tomorrow showing the others which are slightly taller. The cost was between £45 to £55 a year ago.

First image is a red robin next to both privet (lighter green) and prunus. The privet lost all the leaves in the frost and is now quite gappy. I will likely replace it as I do want full screening. Prunus gives good coverage as does the red robin. Second pic shows the same shrub i posted previously but from a distance for perspective. Hope this helps.

Sorry to revive this thread, but I just wanted to add that my red robin is currently in flower, and I have had my yearly reminder that they absolutely bloody stick when in flower (Google what it smells like. 😂)

Something to bare in mind.

Stink!!