Recommendations on living fence around 1+ acre yard

[metcalfz]

I have a flat clear backyard that I'm wanting to enclose. It's about

125 feet wide and 300 feet long. I looked into putting up wooden privacy fence, but the cost was around $12000. I just finished planting a row of giant cedars at the very back, which will eventually block off a side road that goes back there. I don't know what to plant down the sides. I'm thinking something that can make a formal hedge would look nice, then I could plant some specimen trees inside that. I want something that can be trimmed or stops growing at about the 4-6 foot range. I'm in zone 6. I wouldn't mind trimming them up a couple of times a year, but weekly isn't an option on something that large. Arborvitae seems out of the question, we had 14 deer in the yard at the same time a couple of nights ago. Privet looks nice, but researching that makes me think it's a maintenance nightmare. Canadian Hemlock is ok. Suggestions are welcome.

[William Wagner]

Heavy snow can be hard on Japanese Holly. It has berries birds like and pruning not too demanding.

Bill

[metcalfz]

The sky pencil Japanese Holly? Those don't look too bad. I was searching around for pictures of them and found a place in my hometown that sells them bare root for $3 each. I'd be looking at around $1000 to do the 600 feet with them. Not cheap, but not too bad. The last several years have had mild winters here, but once in a while we'll get

6-12 inches of snow that hangs around for a week or two. Nothing major.

[William Wagner]

If you have a few years. Plant 200 feet than move them in 3 years. Roots left behind will send up new life. Repeat as needed;))

Cost in time vs cost in dollars.

Sky pencil Holly I do not know.

PS Consider planting a male holly.

Bill

[James]

I don't recommend a privet hedge. They are nice but require a lot of trimming to keep it full. If you don't, they get leggy. I wish I had planted some sort of evergreen that quit at a certain height and I have about 300 feet of the stuff. I've never bited the bullet to change that.

[David Hare-Scott]

...snip...

Privet looks nice, but researching

Privet is a declared weed around here, it makes 1000s of berries in autumn which fall on the ground and are also carried by birds and by water. If the environment is suitable for privet you will soon have an ocean of privet seedlings and so will your neighbours. The tree is really tough, the seedlings are really tough and did I mention that you will soon have them everywhere...

David

[presley]

[dr-solo]

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[metcalfz]

Nice site, I hadn't run across that one in my searches so far. Thanks.