Dear Sven,

We are looking to move to a new property, but unfortunately the next door neighbour has just built a HUGE monstrosity of a sun deck. The garden rises upwards and the deck has taken on two levels (if they put a roof on it, it would become a log cabin it's that big!!).

We want to hide the monstrosity from view, but the only way we can see to do this would be to put in huge hedges. We are both new to gardens (the first time we have ever had one), so we don't really know what options we have.

Can you help?
Unique101

Our Gardens Expert replies:

Dear Unique101

Well, by the sound of it this thing is massive! Hedges are the obvious solution (don't use leylandii, please) but will take time to grow to an established height.

I have a beech hedge in my garden instead of a fence and it is now about 10ft high and took about 5 years to get there! Other options are yew, which is slow growing but has the added benefit of being evergreen, or, my favourite, the Portuguese laurel which grows about 30cm each year, is evergreen and has pretty white flowers in long slender spikes in early summer.

You can also plant a very effective screen using bamboo (phylostachys). This stuff grows like a rocket and will spread, but is easy enough to keep under control so if you have the space and it fits with the style of your garden, it might be the answer.

You could also plant a small tree, followed by some large shrubs then a layer of small shrubs to create a screen that is a bit more than just a hedge. This will give you a backdrop for some perennials and ground cover and may well end up becoming your favourite border in the garden!

Happy planting!
Sven