[dahamsta]

Hi folks. I live in a modern estate that used to be farmland, so I have a nice earth wall at the bottom of my garden, faced fairly casually with stone.

I'd like a little more privacy but I'd like to keep the wall rather that put a manky fence in front of (or on top of) it, is there anything I could plant on it that would get up to the height of the fencing/shed on either side in the attached photos, without destroying the wall with its roots? I've always liked the idea of bamboo, but the wife didn't until we got to JFK recently and saw it in the flesh, however we're both skeptical it'd give enough cover.

If we can't have something that would reach to that height, what other options have we? A mesh fence with some climbers? My wife would love to plant some colourful things in the wall either way, so any advice on that would be most welcome. We live in east Cork, if that's relevant.

[Good guy]

It is a lovely old wall and it would be a pity to mess it up. You might try driving steel posts into the ground just in front of the wall, then, above it, fix mesh and grow clematis and/or other climbers.
Another approach would be to plant some trees in front of it, ones that won't grow too tall for your site. As they grow you can prune away lower branches to keep the wall visible. Attractive trees - rowan, crab apple, hawthorn come to mind - will distract from the view beyond and provide what I call 'visual interference'. This is often all you need, especially if you space them so that their branches meet each other in ten years or so.

[dahamsta]

Thanks. There were actually trees planted in front of it when we bought the house, but they were manky ould things so we dug them out before they could get properly started.

Ideally I'd like to plant into the wall, but if no-one can come up with a solution for that then I'd certainly consider planting something in front of it, but wouldn't trees take years? The works you're seeing in the background is a car park, so the privacy requirement is fairly imminent, I wouldn't really want it going on more than a year or two. Not only that, we hope to self-build in 10 years or so, be a shame to have our trees reaching a nice point just as we're leaving.

[Good guy]

It would cost a bit, but you could plant bare root ten year old trees next autumn. That wouldn't solve your short term privacy requirement, though.

[dahamsta]

Define "cost a bit"?

[Good guy]

A seven or eight foot Rowan, bareroot, will cost about €20 - 25. You could buy rootballed, either, but in any case, it's probably too late now, for this season. Any larger would be much dearer - ask around.

[dahamsta]

Thanks again. How many would you need in that space? It's about 7m when you take the shed out.

[tagwex]

You should have mentioned that you are on the coast dahamsta as the salt air will determine peoples advice.

[dahamsta]

Nearest salt air's 5 miles from me tagwex, I'm hardly on the coast.

Are we doxxing on gardening forums now?

[tagwex]

doxxing????
5 miles is close enough for the salt to have an effect which would limit your choices. Check out what is growing well in the vicinity and see if any of them would suit you.

[dahamsta]

Doxxing is a joke on your calling me out on my location without context, google it and you'll understand. If you were on a tech/gaming site, it would be considered threatening.

I wouldn't know what I was looking at to be honest, but there's a landscaping grunt nearby, I'll ask him.

[tagwex]

Ouch that doxxing sounds serious.
Not without context at all, I thought I recognised the area. Was 'the rock' living in the vicinity? Says he trying not to name the village.

[dahamsta]

I'm a non-sporting blow-in, I've no idea.

[tagwex]

Possibly the most famous sporting icon in the area in the last 20 years preceded by someone even more famous a few decades back.

[dahamsta]

Nope, means nothing to me, sorry.