Hedging plants

Particularly fast-growing hedging plants include the ubiquitous Leyland conifer (X Cupressocyparis leylandii), its close relative the Lawson cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), and Western red cedar (Thuja plicata). But remember that they keep on growing, and growing, so you'll be out there hedgetrimming every August once they've reached the required height.

Perennial climbers for fast foliage

Amongst the woody-stemmed climbers, the grapevines and their relatives are some of the most vigorous. They all prefer sun, and the grapevines need some sort of support to twine their tendrils around. If you're lucky with the weather, the decorative versions of the wine grape (Vitis vinifera) may well produce fruit too. Although the grapevines sometimes colour up in autumn, choose one of their Parthenocissus relatives for reliably rich reds. These include Virginia creepers and Boston ivy, which cling to rough surfaces and quickly cover a wall.

Evergreens for all-year colour

Conifers come in all shapes and sizes, and colours too, but choose with care. Too many can be quite dull, and you may tire of the same scene all year round. Apart from the many sorts that reach for the sky (such as Juniperus 'Skyrocket'), there are some that grow to manageable heights before ceasing growth, and others that make useful sideways fillers, such as Juniperus 'Grey Owl'. This doesn't grow very tall, perhaps 30cm or so, but its spreading branches of dense greyish-green needles quickly span a metre or more.

A fast-growing broad-leaved alternative to a conifer is Escallonia macrantha, which only takes a couple of years to grow into a dense 2m high shrub, with rosy-red flowers in the summer as a bonus.

Other trees and shrubs

There aren't many trees that rocket upwards without overwhelming, so you're better off choosing smaller trees that soon reach maturity. Ornamental crab apples (Malus), hawthorns (Crataegus), rowans (Sorbus aucuparia) and some ornamental cherries (Prunus) reach 4m after five years and won't grow much taller after that. The butterfly bush (Buddleia) is also a fast gap filler that's easily pruned annually to keep manageable.