I'm looking to solve a problem with a sloped 100ft+ garden running from a house down to a small road. Currently there's a loose hedge of brambles running the length of this road-border. Although this is a quiet road (maybe 5 cars an hour) it means people in the cars can see in and people can see and hear the cars. Not a huge deal but something I'd like to remedy if possible.
It can get quite marshy if it rains a lot (this despite being on a slope) and ideally I'd like something that would help absorb some of this water. I know Willows grow fast and are thirsty trees but I'm not sure of how well they would obscure / mute sounds. Assuming willows are like normal trees I'd eventually have bare tree trunks for a few feet, before any canopy / coverage, or am I wrong?
Bamboo, we've already planted elsewhere and it basically forms a thick, year round visual and sound barrier which is great. I'm not sure it does well in damp soil though, and it costs quite a bit more than willow. I also don't know how quickly it would grow / spread in that location. Would it be much slower than willow?
Given that the height to produce an impact would only need to be 5-6ft and given that I'm looking for results ideally within a couple of years, what plant / tree would people recommend?
It can get quite marshy if it rains a lot (this despite being on a slope) and ideally I'd like something that would help absorb some of this water. I know Willows grow fast and are thirsty trees but I'm not sure of how well they would obscure / mute sounds. Assuming willows are like normal trees I'd eventually have bare tree trunks for a few feet, before any canopy / coverage, or am I wrong?
Bamboo, we've already planted elsewhere and it basically forms a thick, year round visual and sound barrier which is great. I'm not sure it does well in damp soil though, and it costs quite a bit more than willow. I also don't know how quickly it would grow / spread in that location. Would it be much slower than willow?
Given that the height to produce an impact would only need to be 5-6ft and given that I'm looking for results ideally within a couple of years, what plant / tree would people recommend?