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Recently we were asked to recommend a screening tree solution on a new build estate in Braintree, a town in Essex, south east England.
A common problem for residence who move into a newly built home, on a modern housing estate, is a lack of privacy. Rear gardens are often overlooked and customers are keen to gain extra privacy through the use of screening trees.
The importance of the scheme became evident as the first visit to site revealed that nearly all the existing tree plantings, including in the neighbouring garden, were either dead or partially defoliated. This is a common issue on some new build estates where planting is rushed and the correct aftercare is not provided. You can clearly see the brown, dying leaves of the neighbouring trees in the image below, at this time of year (summer) they should be lush and green.
The customer was clear that a complete all the year round screen was the objective. As the location was around ten metres from buildings, this ruled out the use of any large high moisture demanding trees due to the problems they can create. An evergreen tree that would grow to around five metres was desirable, together with reliability and straight forward maintenance. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) ticked all these boxes. A dense evergreen in standard form with a clear stem, this plant is resistant to disease, particularly tolerant of cold winds and easy to maintain.
The results can be seen above, straight after installation an 80% cover was achieved with the taller full cover expected to take a maximum of two growing seasons. An instant screen has been created for our customer to immediately enjoy privacy in their garden. Irrigation of these newly planted trees will be essential to ensure successful establishment, especially during the dry summer months.
We’re happy to offer helpful advice on selecting the right screening tree for your garden. We also deliver throughout mainland UK, so don’t worry if you’re not local to the tree nursery, even our large mature trees can be delivered to you within 24 hours, through our specialist delivery experts.
Further Reading:
Photinia trees used as a cost effective natural screen to block view of unsightly factory
Hornbeam trees used to create privacy in the garden of a new build home
