Overlooked Garden

[horseshoe]

I dont really want to resort to Leylandi as there is a fine for any Leylandi over 10ft tall in my area. My garden is overlooked by a block of flats that are quite close and I have no privacy at all. Is there any other suggestions for blocking these out??? Ideally I would like to add another 3 ft to my 6ft fence.

how about a sail for the garden, this will give privicy you require without having to wait for it to grow...

Poplars are fast growing & get very tall, do they have restrictions on them?

Don't think about poplars - if too near to houses they cause subsidence. Willows are the same.

You could go for an evergreen climber on a pergola type structure.

how about a pergola with climbers on it.

Beat you

Bamboo or Eucalyptus?

There are loads of different bamboos, some can very tall and invasive, but some are fine for gardens. Eucalyptus tends to be cheaper, it can grow into a really tall tree, or easily be kept down to shrub height by yearly pruning and it smells lovely!

B&Q have some great parasols that are rectangular. They are 3m x 2m and are 50 quid and they cover everything if you sitt under them

i would suggest a pergola with something quick growing like a clematis 'montana" or a russian vine, not the nicest varieties of climbers but the quickest covering

great idea fio2... clematis are gorgeous... can I suggest clematis alandi (or something more or less spelled like that!). It is an evergreen clematis so will block all year round and has broad and long leaves and really "gets going" when it has something to climb up.

Russian vine is great for quick coverage of a north facing wall but is not evergreen ( I use it for a particular wall in my garden)the sheer amount of stems form abarrier but you need a support to the height you want sheilding.

There is an evergreen that I don't think is leylandi but is used similarly in hedging but only grows to about 10ft - have a look round nurseries - it is a golden variety of something or other and is particularly attractive - splash out on more mature plants.... they will give you great coverage in a short period. Evergreens grow very slowly for the first ten years, and then block out all your light overnight!

I bought a Photinia Red Robin (really very attractive evergreen shrub that can be trained into a hedge if need be) for £15.00 3 years ago.... it is now over 8' high and around 6' wide.

As with all growing things... depends on your budget and your timescales.

How about using some of those rush screens just to protect a small private area in the meantime whilst your bamboo is growing and really like the idea of a huge parasol before that! (bamboo is great as it gets very tall and is evergreen, but is expensive)