Here is the straight-on view of the pool and deck - the hedge row or plants would be behind, right in front of the fence. It's been rainy here and the pool cover is dirty and it's still a work in progress - so it will look much better than this!

Here is the straight-on view of the pool and deck - the hedge row or plants would be behind, right in front of the fence. It's been rainy here and the pool cover is dirty and it's still a work in progress - so it will look much better than this!

oh my goodness - the original title is supposed to say LONG, narrow space... not the other word. So sorry! Autocorrect is not my friend today.

You are on the right track. Arborvitae would be an excellent candidate for that spot, but not Emerald Green. Emerald green gets much to wide for that space and they are multi-leader (multiple trunk) trees, so that get trashed in the snow. I'm sure in Canada you get plenty of that.

The Arborvitae you should get is Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's spire'. It is very narrow and should be maintained as a single trunk/leader. Most reputable source will ensure 1 leader, but if you get them with multiple, just prune off the extras. Because they are so narrow, you may be able to maintain a bit of space between the hedge and the deck for sun to get down to the lower 2-3ft or you could let them just fill out and eventually the bottom would be pretty sparse due to the heavy shade it would see.

Dbarac10, I think your original, unintended word is perfect-that is going to be a difficult spot to plant.

I agree thistle5, it will be a challenge. Maybe my typo was on to something ;).

Thank you so much SC77. That is a great suggestion and is what someone in the conifers forum was saying as well. Thanks for suggesting the 1 leader as well. I'm a novice at this so it was something I would have never thought to ask about.

How far do you think we should space them when we plant them? I kind of like the look of a bit of separation and don't really want a completely solid hedge. Just want an aesthetically pleasing visual barrier to all of that wood and eventually the feeling of some privacy from the neighbours behind us. Like maybe 6" or so in between each when fully mature? Would 3' on the centres achieve this? Or should we make it 2.5'? Also, how high do they usually grow?

Thanks again for your help.

I have never grown this particular cultivar, so I can't speak from experience. My understanding is that this variety (if maintained as a single leader) could be planted 3ft apart on center. They get much wider if they are not maintained as single leader, which is why you will see a broad range of widths of photos of the cultivar.

They are described as vigorous and can grow up to 1ft per year. So a 10 year specimen might be about 10ft tall. Most people get very impatient, but remember this saying "The first year they sleep, second year they creep, and the third year they leap"... You will be temped to post on year 1 or 2 that your trees are not growing, but be patient...they will get up to speed.

Finally, only plant in the spring or the fall. Too late now, so wait until late August to plant...and when you do plant, don't amend the soil with anything other than 25% compost at most. Peat, root stimulator, ect... all not a good idea.

I disagree with SC77 about being too late to plant now and waiting until August. Since you are in zone 6A I would say go plant them now and you will be fine. I live much farther south (8a) and would have no problem planting them in my yard this afternoon.

Thanks again for very good advice. I will definitely try to be patient. I think just having any sort of greenery in there will help a lot. Now it just seems like a mass amount of wood.

I think we will be okay if we plant it now, like War Eagle said. We had a nasty winter and the ground is finally thawed enough to dig. So long as we don't let them dry out back there, but in general, it is always moist and we will keep them watered generously over the summer.

I have one more question - rather than extend our line of trees all the way across the back to the corner, i'm thinking of ending it at the corner of the pool, right before the waterfall that goes into the pool (which, right now, is a few two-by-fours that look like a football goal. We will eventually build a stone wall below it on that angle of the pool for visual interest.) That corner behind the waterfall is where we keep the pool's electrical box and heater. There is about a 5x5 foot space back there in that corner in front of the equipment. (see photo below). I wanted to plant something different that will contrast the Degroots Spire and be larger and grow above the waterfall. Could even be something deciduous as long as it's not messy over the summer when the pool is uncovered. We generally close our pool at the end of September before the leaves fall. Keeping in mind that back corner is moist, can you suggest something that can go back there (and that the root system won't mess with the pool's underground pipes too much? Or should i just run the Degroots all the way to the corner?

Thanks again in advance!
Denise

There are only a few conifer species that can tolerate moisture:
-Thuja (Arborvitae)
-Taxodium (Bald Cypress)
-Chamaecyparis Thyoides (White Cedar)
-Picea mariana (Black Spruce)

From these I think your best cultivar choices would be
Thuja occidentalis 'Yellow Ribbon' - Bright yellow, would be nice contast to Degroots, perfect size for the space.
Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret' - (decidious conifer, which is very unusual.) At first glace looks sort of like an arborvitea, but the foliage is really cool in person. Turns orange in the fall before losing its leaves)
Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Red Star' - White cedars are unique, turn purple in the winter. Red Star is especially interesting, but I have heard it can be tough to grow.

**BTW... It's not about whether or not you CAN plant right now, it's about your chances of success. If you can find a local source for the Degroots and get them in the ground in the next 2 weeks, your chances of survival will be good. Any later that that and you are really lowering your odds, especially if you buy larger trees.

This post was edited by SC77 on Fri, May 2, 14 at 23:38

Thank you again SC77 for your advice. I love your suggestions and will look into them. I agree about getting the trees in the ground ASAP. We are going to the nurseries tomorrow and will plant them this week or next weekend. Otherwise we will just wait until the fall.
Really appreciate the help.
Regards,
Denise