I'm no expert, but I'm thinking the quickest and easiest way to hide the lower 4 feet (or more, up to say 8 feet) of this ugly fence at the side of a grassy area at the front of our house is to scatter a row of ornamental tall grass seeds. Which ones would do the job? Has anyone got any cheaper/faster solutions?

I would put large pots of bamboo, it grows so fast. You really need to keep it contained because it is so invasive.
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Thanks, I went for something really cheap, cheerful and quick to do! - 10 laurel plants for £4 each, half an hour for me to plant them. We can scatter some wild flower seeds there for £5 as well

Most bamboo is fast growing and there are running types that are highly invasive, traveling via underground rhizomes but there are also clumping types of bamboo that are not invasive. Upon googling, I found this article that says it will grow in UK zones H7 - H1c. Just be sure that the type you choose is not invasive. Scroll down this page for information and types that should do well in your area: https://bambooplantshq.com/bam...

Our database listing for one possibility:
Qingchuan Arrow Bamboo (Fargesia rufa)

It looks like the ugly fence problem has been solved, just not as quickly as brazzerie would like. You could paint it white.

I guess you folk haven't noticed my post on Mar 13, 2021 at 7:46 AM CST? The cheal and nasty
hardy laurel only cost me £40 and only took me 30 mins! It's not our main garden, just a grassy area at the front and to the side of the house. We didn't even know it was ours when we moved in! I just wanted something better than bits of concrete - the laurel can't be any worse than that

brazzerie said:I guess you folk haven't noticed my post on Mar 13, 2021 at 7:46 AM CST? The cheal and nasty
hardy laurel only cost me £40 and only took me 30 mins! It's not our main garden, just a grassy area at the front and to the side of the house. We didn't even know it was ours when we moved in! I just wanted something better than bits of concrete - the laurel can't be any worse than that

Hmmm... I had noticed the laurels. My advice was patience (while the Laurels grow) and white paint. Nothing is instant unless you plant larger plants to begin with. I was going to suggest a couple Arborvitae in 5 gallon pots for instant beautification but you had already planted the laurels. If you think laurels are cheap and nasty, why did you plant them?

You have set your course; wait for the laurels to grow. You can toss some flower seeds there but they won't get that tall and will have to compete with a lot of other plants for water, root space and nutrients.

Ah I see! Sorry, it's because you said not as quick as I'd like - when I said I was looking for something quick I meant quick for mme to do - we don't mind it taking a long time for it to grow. Also cheap and nasty was the wrong expression, I meant cheap and cheerful! £40, 30 minutes and better than concrete when it grows does the job