Screening is an issue that comes up time and again, and here is an example where it was desperately needed to break up the view of next door’s flats. Not least to give the people in the flats some privacy too.
3 x multi-stemmed Prunus serrula (the Tibetan cherry) were chosen. Given time, they should fill out the space nicely.
When it came to choosing the trees, deciduous was favoured; evergreen trees were considered too heavy, and the disadvantage with evergreens such as Quercus ilex, can be that over time as they get larger, it becomes difficult to grow anything underneath.
Birch were on the shortlist, however their ultimate height meant that we opted for something that wouldn’t outgrow the space so quickly, and would bulk out widthways too.
The mahoghany bark showed up well in the rain today. When they were planted last winter, the sun lit up the ragged edges of the bare branches making them look like they were on fire. The fresh green leaves of spring will turn fiery shades in the autumn. The little white flowers have come and gone, they are insignificant, not like other showy cherries.
The lovely old wall with tiles on top makes a gorgeous backdrop – you wouldn’t want to cover that up. So the trees make the main statement in this border and are underplanted with some topiary Yew balls, grasses, Tellima grandiflora, foxgloves, salvias and achillea, anemones and crocosmia. Plenty to look forward to!