Privacy hudge suggestions for Houston, TX

I am soon moving into a new home in Houston, TX. Behind my 6ft wood fence, there will soon be a 2 lane road and maybe some mild commericial development. I am looking to plant a privacy hedge.

- Want it to be *dense* so it will block all sight and maybe dampen noise.

- Plan to make it 8-10ft, but want it to be able to get taller if later decide its warranted.

- Will be along a back wood fence, with a resevoir behind me. No neighbor to worry about.

- Would like it to grow at a reasonable to quick pace.

- Want it evergreen. Houston has hot, humid summers and mild winters (freezes occasionally, no snow).

- Needs to be hardy. I do not have a green thumb. I will keep it watered and such, but I want something I don't have to baby along for it to survive.

- Will be planted into clay...which is pretty much what all ground soil is in Houston.

Does arborvitae grow well in Houston? Or any other dense cedar? Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Reply to
SJE
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Consider Bamboo. There is a nursery (I believe it is called Ma's nursery - in League City it believe) that has many varieties. If you want to see what it looks like, walk the trail at Hershey park between Memorial Drive and Wilcrest. I now live in Maryland but walk there when I visit friends and family in Houston.

Reply to
Paul E. Lehmann

Personally we have a 30 year old holly hedge in the front yard with the side yard a hedge of what I was told was prycanthia (I don't think it is though) The "prycanthia" got to be around 10 - 12 feet until the neighbors asked if they could prune it and nearly killed it by cutting it back to around 3 feet (I was much ticked off)

Shell

Reply to
Shell

My first thought is bamboo. It's a beautiful plant and you can buy several different clumping varieties which will give you a nicely textured hedge. You can buy bamboo in many different colors, foliage types, heights and invasiveness. Though clumping forms will be less invasive, most of them still run in Texas. Our soil never freezes so things grow and grow. Be careful to select varieties which will not take over. Clumping varieties can be kept in bounds by culming in the spring.

You can look all the terms up.

Victoria

Reply to
animaux

With the reservoir behind you as water source, a great choice is Southern Wax Myrtle,

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draws 40 different types of birds and is a dense, evergreen tree shrub. Birds will eat the fruits.

Someone mentioned Holly. Yaupon Holly,

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a bird snactuary due to its proliferation of red berries. See the URL link.

Possomhaw Viburnum,

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great native with beautiful red berries and cover for wildlife. (deciduous)

Also, Possomhaw Holly,

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is leaves, it blocks the sign pretty good, right?), The Houston Chronicle quoted me in the gardening section that this is a show-stopper.

Texas Native Shrubs,

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Texas Native Trees,
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- pictured is benny Simpson, co-founder of the Native Plant Society of Texas.

J. Kolenovsky VP Houston Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas Come join us for free native plants, trees and shrubs.

SJE wrote:

Reply to
J Kolenovsky

Thank you all for the suggestions.

Bamboo is intriguing, but I am going to need almost 150ft worth...is this a maintenance nightmare? I don't mind trimming on even a weekly basis, but I don't want something to spread out of control.

I've been reading about green giant arborvitae. Would this tree grow in Texas or is it mostly a northern tree?

Reply to
SJE

Well, it depends on your soil and pH levels, etc. They are not a widely used shrub for here. It is not a tree.

I suggest you take a look at this website and call around. Maybe take a ride out to the Houston Arboretum. You can find that info on this website, too.

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Reply to
animaux

Sounds like the Pyracantha was too close to a property line and lived to a good age..

Shell wrote:

Reply to
J Kolenovsky

Bamboo could get out of control. The root runs will show up in your neighbors yard. To eliminate that you could out down a steel root barrier in the soil.

Arborvitae is a northern plant. They get leaf thin-out and look thinned in the middle and bottom. You probably are looking in some catalogs and saw these. If you are, consider some advice. I used to do that. Ordered out of those mid and northern catalogs. I have ripped out all of those plants purchased during 1992- 1997 becuase they aren't from these parts, they aren't native, some got invasive, some got diseases, some required a lot of work and some were just plain ugly as they got older.

If I could get you to consider native plants (again, I ask this - you posted same topic 30 days ago), you will find that you'll have wildlife in your yard, no pests or diseases, little fertilizing to do (using an organic fertilzer), less maintenance and a higher quality of life. Ask Victoria or ask me. We went with natives and people drop in the street to admire the natural beauty of a habitat with native plants. Stop my my website,

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- business or my home habitat,
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and view the pix and read the data. It will be convincing enough.

J. Kolenovsky Native Plant Society of Texas, Houston Chapter VP (don't forget my invitation to you to come to our meetings and get free

Reply to
J Kolenovsky

One word "OLEANDER". Oleander loves Houston's soil and weather.

Plant it soon to get it established by summer and forget about it.

Standard varities get up to 20'. improves varities "dwarf salmon" get only

4'to 5'.

I planted one gallon Oleander last April that is now 4'to 6' tall. Trim tops to promote

filling in. Oleander will bloom through the summer, and is evergreen.

Josephs nursery in Pearland is a good nursery at wholesale prices.

Go to Maas nursery in Seabrook to get ideas, great place just a bit pricey. I always ge something.

But go to joseophs in Pearland for bulk purchases.

Good luck.

Matt

Reply to
meanbeagle

Oleander; as long as you don't have an aversion to poisonous plants. Ligustrum if you need something less toxic.

Best regards, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

Reply to
J Kolenovsky

Ligustrum problems:

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leaf spot on privet/ligustrum =

We again are seeing a lot of this leaf spot in the clinic just as we did as last year. Almost all ligustrums have this disease to some extent. Symptoms are characterized by a light tan spot with a dark brown border. Occasionally, severely infected leaves will drop but for the most part the disease does not cause significant damage. It may be of concern to homeowners but the disease does not merit a full blown spray program like Entomosporium leaf spot. General leaf spot control practices and good cultural care are usually enough to keep this disease in check. Infection is favored by free moisture on the foliage, such as after rain or from overhead watering. Avoid overhead watering and keep the area around the plant clean of debris. Infected leaves should be removed and thrown away. Selective pruning to increase air circulation will also reduce disease incidence. For those folks who insist on spraying, Daconil 2787 and Fung-Away are labeled for leaf spot control on ligustrum. Target protection of new, expanding leaves this spring. Clients should follow label recommendations for rates and method of application.

zxcvbob wrote: Ligustrum if you need something less toxic.

Reply to
J Kolenovsky

Oleander is poison if you eat it. I never ate it. Ligustrum is a noxious weed which is on every DO NOT PLANT in Texas and many other states. Please, with all the myriad offerings, do not plant any ligustrum.

Reply to
animaux

Good choice. I also use it as a screen. Not only does it grow fast and hide unsightly areas, it blooms profusely in May and June. For a "stick-it-in-the-ground-and-forget-it" large shrub, oleander can't be beat. It's so tough that they plant it on freeway medians.

Reply to
Secret Asian Man

Yes, plant it and it'll be dead in 2 years with OLS.

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exists in texas.

Secret Asian Man wrote:

Reply to
J Kolenovsky

I don't know that all Oleander will be dead in two years. I've had a beautiful stand for 4 years and it looks fine. Yes, there is this OLS to be concerned about, but oak wilt is also there. I suppose your position is correct in that if one plants something for a screen, and in a few years has that thicket, it is a waste of time if it then dies just as it's getting beautiful. In that, we agree. OLS may be more prevalent in Houston. In this area of Texas, it's found in parts of the region which over use Oleander. It's deer resistant, so it's everywhere deer are found browsing in gardens.

Victoria

Reply to
animaux

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leaf spot on privet/ligustrum

============

And, if you want whitefly, PLANT PRIVET. I can't imagine a privet privacy hedge in early to mid summer. The white fly would rise in clouds whenever someone brushed it.

Jim Lewis - snipped-for-privacy@nettally.com - Tallahassee, FL - Nature encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reply to
Jim Lewis

Arborvitae is a northern plant. They get leaf thin-out and look thinned in the middle and bottom. You probably are looking in some catalogs and saw these. If you are, consider some advice. I used to do that. Ordered out of those mid and northern catalogs. I have ripped out all of those plants purchased during 1992- 1997 becuase they aren't from these parts, they aren't native, some got invasive, some got diseases, some required a lot of work and some were just plain ugly as they got older. =============

Yes. We in the south are often teased by those northern catalogs only to find that our summers are what does them in. Even "natives" that grow naturally in your area, if purchased from a northern nursery, will do more poorly in the south. =============

If I could get you to consider native plants (again, I ask this - you posted same topic 30 days ago), you will find that you'll have wildlife in your yard, no pests or diseases, little fertilizing to do (using an organic fertilzer), less maintenance and a higher quality of life. Ask Victoria or ask me. We went with natives and people drop in the street

================

A while back I had to search the web for native nurseries for a client and I seem to recall several from TX; there's bound to be a nursery that specializes in native plants in or near your area. That's where you will get plants that will do well.

I might suggest Ilex vomitoria (NOT that non-flowering male hybrid monstrosity sold by the Home Depots and Lowes "nurseries") as a good hedge. It is native to TX, I think. I seem to recall a bonsai grower from central TX who called it a "weed" there.

Jim Lewis - snipped-for-privacy@nettally.com - Tallahassee, FL - Only where people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

Reply to
Jim Lewis

If you want a wonderful hedge, yaupon holly is hard to beat. I have many, many dwarf yaupon holly bushes around our home. The birds love the berries and you cannot beat the form of the dwarf.

I wouldn't call them weeds, but they are certainly found everywhere in the brush in Texas. A most delightful plant.

All states in the U.S. have a Native Plant Society chapter.

Victoria

Reply to
animaux

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