Advice sought please - is it possible to grow hedging in pots? Would I need huge planters?

[Mugsandpens]

I was hoping to have a line of hedging between my house and my neighbour's. I pulled up some of the paving stones to plant in my garden but found a soil pipe underneath the pavers.

The only other option I can see would be to plant hedging in planters in my garden along the boundary. How deep and wide would the planters need to be? I would need about 3 metres in length in total - I can't believe how expensive the planters are!

Would anybody have advice about the sort of hedging I could plant as well, please? I'm looking for evergreen, fast growing and happy in a pot. The garden is north-west facing, lots of sunlight in high summer from about 2pm until sunset, not much in the winter.

A friend has recommended red robin but I don't love it really... but if it would be happy in that position in a pot I would go for it. I'd like the plants to stay healthy looking!

Thanks in advance!

I think it depends on what plant you were thinking of choosing as to whether it could be happy in a pot.

Bamboo is very fast growing and evergreen- in the ground it can be very invasive, but in pots could work well for you if you chose a clumping variety?

Any container for a large plant would need to be sturdy and have good drainage and as the plants grew you would need to consider repotting.

Also bear in mind that you'd need to water far more regularly than any plant in the ground.

It's definitely an idea that could work though!

Another option could be a fast growing evergreen climber on a trellis? Something like Ivy? Just thought, less work and less expense maybe

I have done this - although it isn't the actual boundary on it's own it is up against the fence. But i wanted something that would be taller than the fence and join up like a hedge on my side.

The plant I used are griselinia littoralis and I have them in big black pots.

If doing it again I would use cheapo black dustbins like these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HEAVY-PLASTIC-RUBBISH-REFUSE-LOCKING/dp/B06XCJZ4TM/ref=asc_df_B06XCJZ4TM?mcid=c33085978fd031c2a9552cf0577ceb2f&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697219035961&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7070172846618369505&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006705&hvtargid=pla-697680602547&psc=1&gad_source=1

The plants seem to like it - they aren't zoomy fast growing but after 2 years have really filled out.

My one point out to you would be - my plants are too bushy to put actual side by side and join at the plant not the pot - so there is a gap between the pots - so for you you would need to push the pots together and get the plants meld up together right from the get go.

I’ve got a row of bamboos in massive pots. I don’t love them but they do the job. I got the actual bamboos at Costco and the pots at a garden centre.

Bamboo is what you need. Fast growing and lots of different varieties.
Some even look quite nice…

Could you not lift the pavers and build a tall thin raised bed 3m long with an open base? I'm thinking that having the soil all in one container might prevent it from drying out so fast.

How narrow do the plants have to be, is there a lot of space around the boundary, or do they have to be tall 'flat' plants?

but don't have an open base if you get bamboo, even the clumping varieties....

Thanks for the comments! I would have much preferred to plant in the ground, precisely so that I wouldn't have to water so much but it's completely undoable with the pipe there - so frustrating!

At the moment there is no barrier between our two gardens and it's the neighbour's responsibility. No issues with the neighbours however they don't garden and along the boundary is where they keep their bins so it's not a great view!

I was thinking of rectangle planters so I could join them up to create a 'wall'. Thank you for the advice on bamboo, I'll look into that.

My main concern is if the pots will be big enough for the plants. I've seen some I like that are height and width 40cm and length 80cm. I guess I need to find the plant first and then work out if it will be happy in that pot

Just answering some questions here -

The plants need to be fairly flat, I would make sure they didn't grow into the neighbours' garden but would be nice if I didn't have to constantly maintain it. I now realise I'm asking for a plant that grows quickly but not so quickly I have to keep pruning it!

Building up a flowerbed is interesting, I hadn't thought of that. I am concerned about roots around the pipe though, it wasn't very deep, maybe a foot below ground level?

I already have some bamboo in my back garden and even though I do look after it well, it doesn't always look great. It would be very exposed at the front as well. But an option if I don't find anything else that would grow quickly and is not too expensive - I don't want to be waiting years for the hedge to grow!

I really liked the griselinia littoralis, I've not heard of this plant, just looking into this one now, thanks for the suggestion.

we used woven hazel wood hurdles for a similar barrier. We have pots along the length with passion flower, honey suckle etc to go up the hurdles, but they are the main screen, the plants just break it up.