UK bakes in latest heatwave with drought looming for some areas
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As another heatwave hits the UK, many Britons are looking for ways to create both shade and privacy in their gardens. While most people may invest in a pergola or an umbrella, there are more natural alternatives available – like plants. Morris Hankinson, Managing Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries, has shared the best plants to grow to create shade and privacy in a garden.
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The gardening expert suggested first suggested trying laurel hedging.
Laurels are relatively easy to care for once they’re well-established.
They need a good amount of water to thrive from March to October, usually requiring less in the winter.
Morris said a lot of “normal garden hedges” can be used to create shade and privacy.
He explained: “A lot of your normal garden hedges will get quite big so beech, hornbeam, even a yew hedge.
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“Yew hedges are slower growing but naturally it’s a tree so over time it will make that kind of size.”
However, for those looking for a more “immediate” effect, Morris suggested going for pleached trees.
He exclusively told Express.co.uk: “The other route you can go, if you can’t wait, is to go with the pleached trees with the clear stem and a square of growth on the top.
“You can pop those in and they can be three or four metres tall when you plant them.
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“If your next-door neighbour is looking out their bedroom window into your lounge or bathroom or something and you’re getting fed up with it, you can plant those close to your boundary and they will give you immediate privacy”.
“It’s quite a common problem these days because houses are getting closer together.
“We’re all getting tighter and more congested in the way we live.”
Planting a pleached tree is an “eco-friendly” way to create privacy and shade without putting up an “over-bearing fence” which you may need planning permission for.
Morris added: “It’s a softer approach and they do look fabulous.
“And if you need coverage all the way up, you can then plant hedging underneath it.
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“So the first two metres is hedge and then the next metre and a half or so is your pleached tree.
“You can in fact get an incredible amount of privacy and shade quite quickly without building a massive wall.”
Pleached trees require minimal maintenance, regular watering and pruning a couple of times a year.
There are a plethora of choices available from hornbeam to lime, purple beech and cherry laurel.
Pleached trees have a straight, clear stem with a head of branches that have been trained onto a bamboo trellis to create a dramatic, contemporary look.
Beech trees like well-drained soil and are a great drought resistant hedge.
According to Morris, established beech hedges often grow strongly in a heatwave, far more so than in a cool wet summer.
Yew hedging also likes dry conditions and can often grow more during hot weather.
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