Keeping light out: Fences or Bushes

[glend (Glen)]

Install two long treated pine posts in concrete and braced, on either side of the boundary causing concern. Put a stainless steel cable between them under a bit of tension. Plenty of shape cloth fitting at Bunnings can do the job. Get some large dark tarps from Bunnings and put snap rings in the eyelets, string them onto the high wire. Simplly pull across the yard to block the light. You can draw them back when your finished. Minimal visual impact in daylight.
I have some big black tarps that i use now and then to shield the observatory, but am just using extendable tent poles to get them high enough. Now that my Leighton's Green hedge is established it does not get used very much.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by cometcatcher

Go for a screen. Shrubs can be unpredictable. I planted shrubs that the pot said only grew to 4 metres. 10 metres later and they are blocking the sky!

Or build an observatory with walls high enough to block the light. Which is what I did in the end.

I long ago came to the conclusion that the statement "Grows to x metres" refers to the first 12 months - after that all bets are off. I once made the mistake of planting a 'dwarf' lilipilly - it was 5m high and 3m across before it went. Presently I have a nice screen of lilipillys across the back fence. They're up to about 4m and I'm going to invest in some pruning gear before i have Bogan's problem.

[bojan]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

.... before i have Bogan's problem.

It's Bojan's problem, not Bogan's

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by bojan

It's Bojan's problem, not Bogan's

Humble apologies. It must be me with the bogan problem.

[AussieTrooper (Ben)]

Originally Posted by bojan

I use Ryobi trimmer (35ccm i think) from Bunnings.. it cuts branches up to 20mm thick, and I can go up to 3.5m for verticals.
I have chainsaw attachment for it, but I can't cut off the top - it is too high for me to hold the whole thing properly from the ground level, and the hedge is ~1m wide at top... so scaffolds are definitely needed for that job.. or elevator.

Bugger. May be worth cutting it back down at a lower level and letting it grow back. Leaves you without good cover for a few years though...

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

I once made the mistake of planting a 'dwarf' lilipilly ...

That's what mine are. "Dwarf Lillypilly" lol. They don't know when to stop. Now I read on the net they can grow to 30 metres in the wild! I'm forever pruning them. But they grow so fast they grow back the next year thicker than ever. They LOVE pruning! Double Oops.