What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for privacy screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be preferable.
Thanks, SW
What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for privacy screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be preferable.
Thanks, SW
Where do you live? What climate zone?
Midwest. Zone 5.
What are you doing that you need privacy?
Thanks. I'm new to gardening/landscaping and this put me on the right track. Here's one of the many links I found.
Another question. I just bought this house in September and the previous owner planted six pear trees where I want to put the Arborvitae. I believe they are dwarf varieties and while they are small at the moment, a couple were bearing fruit last year. Would the pear trees survive being moved, and when would be a good time to move them? Would winter when they are dormant be the best time? It's mild now with high temperatures in the 40s and 50s. If the ground freezes around here it usually does not stay frozen for long.
Thanks, SW
In my case, I the privacy fence would give the neighbors privacy for the things they do that I don't want to know about.
If you took pictures you could probably sell them on your web site.
SW, This is still a good time of year to move the pears. It is not so much whether the ground is frozen or not that deterimes winter to be best time to plant.move trees, but the fact that there will be both a reduced workload on the root system ( no leaves to feed) and consistant moisture in the ground ( no as much worry about constant watering).
So far as good screening shrubs, there are literally dozens to choose from, including the ones that Presly mentioned.
Arborvitae are wonderful, but since they are a tall NARROW shape, you will need more to cover the same amount of fenceline. Spruces (Picea) are good .. they cover more fenceline BUT they will take longer to fill in. I have seen White Pine used for very long hedges, but they get HUGE ( as well as do the spruces).
There are many Hollies that will do well... i.e. Illex Merservae ( i know.. poor spelling) Var. "Dragon Lady" can grow to 20 ft tall x 8-10 feet wide and has these really SHARP needles on the leaves to deter trespassers.
With all these choices, you have to ask yourself these questions:
How FAST do you want the screening effect? How BIG do you want the screen to ultimately get? How much are you willing to SPEND? How much TIME are you willing to invest in maintaining the screen?
Think about those questions and We in the group will be better able to make more accurate suggestions.
Anthony B. Zone 6 Ky. Certified Nurseryman Ky. Nursery Landscapers Association
You haven't seen my neighbors.
On one side of the yard in particular, fast growth is the most important consideration. My side yard slopes away from the house, so a taller fence is not an option at the bottom of the slope. An ultimate height of 30 feet or more would be ideal.
This is an interesting link. If you scroll down, you'll see pictures of Green Giant Arborvitae when they were planted at a height of 7 feet, and 2.5 years later when they were 12 to 13 feet.
I did a search on Dragon Lady holly and it looks like a possibility for other parts of the yard. How fast does it grow?
I don't know how much to budget because I don't have any experience in this area. I suppose the first step is to determine how many plants I'll need, and I'm still working on that.
Thanks for the information on moving the pear trees.
Thanks, SW
Make sure you read up on arborvitae in your state... or talk to your state extension service. There are some real problems with it when certain pests or environmental conditions are common. Make sure you look at arborvitae hedges in your area with your soil conditions and your environmental exposures, so you're not replacing them again later.
Another possibility to consider. A row of similar plants, when one dies or doesn't do well, looks really bad. Even if you replace the dead or dying plant, it still looks funny. A mixed, meandering border doesn't have that problem; nor does it proclaim "property line here" the way a row of something does -- the meander, even though it takes up more room on your property, can suggest that your property is larger than it is, particularly if you can frame a distance view that does not include the neighbor's buildings.
Kay
Summer Wind, A few answers to a few questions:
Most Arborvitaes that I have handled in the past will typically be most widely available as 8' shrubs. You can expect to pay between $100-130 a plant.
If you can find a nursery still open this time of year, go ahead and plant. Otherwise, wait till spring. In either case, watering properly will still be an issue come summer. Green Giante Arborvitae will reach a height of 40-60 ft with a spread of
12-18 feet
Dragon Lady will get about 12-15 feet tall and 8 feet across... It can grow
2-3 feet a year once established ( most shrubs take about 3 years to become fully established).Most common size available is a 15 gallon potsize at a height of about 5-6 feet and about $120 a plant.
Determining the number of plants for a privacy screen or hedge is simple. Measure the length of the line to be screened then divide by HALF the expected mature spread of the shrub. Ex. say You go with the Giant Arbor with an average mature spread of 16 feet.. 24(length of line) / 8 (half of 16)= 3 plants planted on 8 ft centers ( trunk to trunk distance)
The reason you go 1/2 the spread is so that the screen will look like one nice solid mass when mature and not like just a row of shrubs.
You are much welcome SW
Anthony B.
Thanks for the very useful information. I tried calling local nurseries and they are all closed for the holiday. What do you think of mail order nurseries like this one?
SW
Summer,
There is nothing at all WRONG about buying mailorder for certain plant items like perennials or tropicals, however, there are a few things to bear in mind shopping mailorder:
1) Size of plants... In order for the shrubs to be shipped at a reasonable cost, you will seldom find anything larger than maybe 4 ft tall. This would mean you would have to wait between 3-5 ears for your screen to fill in2) Condition of plant matierial.... With Nursery bought shrubs, every step of the shipping process is moniterd and desighned to get the product to the retailer in best possible condition. with mail order, this is not possible. The mail order house will do evrything they can before the plants leave thier nursery, but once it gets put on the postal truck . . . .
3) Shipping costs....Bottany store is rare , it's shipping isn't high at all in your area, but most other mailorder nurseries do have occasionall steep shipping charges.All this said, I think you found a pretty good solution for your privacy screen and a good source for the green giants. Go for it.
I am assuming the smaller sizes will come bare-root... That will take slightly more advanced gardening skills but I think you can handle it. I would go with the 3 gallon shrub myself. they will have a better developed root system and won't require the extra attention to avoid the roots drying out during the planting process.
You seem to have things in control.. It is rare that folks will actually ask advice and do research before executing a project like this. Seems like you are on your way to becoming a gardening addict ;)
If you have any other questions, post away!!
Anthony B.
Thanks. I really have garden fever. My new house is less than two years old, but the previous owner did quite a bit of yard work in the short time he was here. There is still a lot to do, however. He put retaining wall flower beds around the house, so I will need many bedding plants for this Spring and I'm going to grow my own from seed. I have some seed left over from my old place and I also bought some this weekend. Here's the list so far.
Perennials
Lavender Shasta Daisy Primrose Spearmint Phlox Coreopsis Columbine (Burpee Harlequin Mix) Poppy
Annuals
Marigold (Burpee American Giants Mix) Marigold (Ferry Morse Crackerjack Mix Colors) Cosmos Zinnia Impatiens (Burpee Butterfly Hybrid Mix) Impatiens (Burpee Flavors Hybrid - Blueberry)
Vegetables
Tomato (Burpee Super Sweet 100 Hybrid Cherry) Bush Beans Peppers (Burpee Carnival Mix) Lettuce (Black-Seeded Simpson) Lettuce (Ferry Morse Ruby Ruffles) Swiss Chard Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Carrot (Nantes Coreless) Onion (Burpee Evergreen Long White Bunching)
Any suggestions for shade-loving annuals, other than impatiens, would be appreciated. I have a lot of seed starting to do, but it should be fun.
Thanks again, SW
"Summer Wind" wrote in > Is 7 feet a reasonable height for Green Giant Arborvitae at most nurseries,
I'm not sure about Green Giant, but one problem that is common to arborvitae is that in years with particularly heavy snow or ice, inner branches can come "loose" out of the hedge and they don't spring back when the warm weather returns, meaning that they have to be pruned out. Many people solve this issue by tying up their arborvitaes in the late fall with twine - however, for a long hedge, that translates into a lot of maintenaince. However, if you are in a region where heavy snow or ice are rare, it might not be an issue.
Summer, The amount of shade loving annuals is rather limited compared to sun-lovers. the more common ones other than impations are : Begonias, Coleus, Lobelia, Browallia, torenia and Streptocarpus
many sun-loving annuals can also benefit from afternoon shade.
I like doing a mix of annuals and perennials for my shade beds.
I understand completely your 'planter's fever' and though it may be very very hard to do, especially when the garden center season begins, you should do your best to take your time and PLAN what you want to do. And research, too... lots of research.
Remember, instant gratification often results in long term dissatisfaction.
Anthony B.
Thanks again and I'll be buying more seed.
One more question about the Green Giant Arborvitae. How far from my fence do you recommend planting them so they won't intrude into my neighbor's yard within a few years?
SW
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