Selection, spacing & planting tips to help you screen

The gracefully pendulous Allocasuarina littoralis

If you are looking to screen off an area for privacy or protection, spacing is going to be guided by the particular tree you are looking to use. Trees for screening are generally more open. They can still result in a wall of green that you can’t see through, but they are visually softer because they have been left to exhibit their own natural attributes.

Trees used for screening are not necessarily dressed all the way to the ground like varieties used for clipped hedges. If you are looking for a screen with coverage to the floor it is often wise to consider underplanting with a second storey. Called layering, smaller trees or plants are planted in front of the taller screen to add depth to the landscape. Planting in two lines and at opposite intervals will provide you with solid block out.

Larger material can get a little trickier, depending on the variety you choose, but knowing how tall your specimen grows to  is the key.

For more information, our Planting Tips for Hedging should assist you.

If you are unsure, please contact us to discuss your particular needs.

A dense screening option is Prunus lusitanica