Privacy & Screening Trees

Screening doesn't have to mean a wall of leylandii and the lingering awkwardness of a neighbour dispute. The right tree, in the right form, gives you privacy at exactly the height you need — and looks genuinely lovely while it's at it. Pleached trees are perhaps the most elegant solution: a flat canopy trained on a frame, creating what amounts to a wall of foliage on stilts — privacy above fence height, without any bulk at ground level. Hornbeam and lime are the classic choices; pleached apple gives you blossom and fruit as a bonus.

For year-round cover, evergreen options — holly, bay, Portugal laurel — hold their own through winter when deciduous trees are enjoying a well-earned rest. For tight spots alongside paths or boundaries, fastigiate forms give you height without the spread. The trick is matching the tree's natural character to what you actually need, and we're very happy to help you work that out before you commit.