What's the best trees/climbers to be used for screening? Preferably evergreen and fast growing.?
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Having just spend £,000s to get rid of 100+ leylandii this weekend, may I just say DOOOOOONT!
The can grow up to 4ft a year! So unless you're on top of it, they become the 40ft monsters we had, which block all light out of your/your neighbour's garden.
Depending on how high you want a screen to be, why don't you go for something colourful like berberis, rhododendron, ceanothus, pyrocantha, red robin, lilac (nice scent), or even climbing roses. All of these can be 8ft+ but take a few years to get there. If you want something immediate, you could put up fence/willow screens, but I'll be opting for the shrubs. Buying them on Ebay can be a lot cheaper than garden centres too, and you can get good deals on bulk lots of buxus, laurel (also can get big), cedars if you want a traditional hedge.
Other conifers aren't quite as vigorous as leylandii so you could try other species
think it is CYPRESS LEYLANDII . it grows 18 inches a year as far as i know.
Don't plant Leylandii, whatever you do. Conifers are not the only evergreen and the disadvantages are that they grow to over 50ft and, like all conifers, they do not regrow at the base when they dry out. You can have an ugly screen with bare patches at the base. Also you will have to spend a lot of your time and money keeping it under control.
Choose something like Laurel or cotoneaster, especially the evergreen variety if you want to have cover during winter. Laurels are, of course, hardy throughout winter. These grow very closed-leafed and will provide good cover and tolerate pruning.
Do not use leylandii. You will regret it.
Instead go for Australian gum trees (also known as eucalyptus). They are relatively cheap (buy quite small ones and plant about two feet apart) very fast growing, very attractive blue grey leaves, evergreen, and can but cut back and trimmed to any size you like. If they ever get too big, cut them back to about one foot and they will grow up again. If you don't cut them back occasionally they will grow up to 60ft.
Koala bears love them if you happen to have one as a pet.
If you want a fast growing climber the fastest with out doubt is the Russian vine to give you an indication of how fast its alternative name is mile a minute
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