Need fast growing screen for property in the shade/Z5

18 years ago

We have a woodsy area along our property line. Our neighbors got a dog a few years ago and in the winter when the leaves are down he barks at us everytime we set foot outdoors.

I need some fast growing shrub to plant that won't get over say 20 ft. It need not be evergreen...just needs to be able to do well in the shade twiggy and grow somewhat fast.

I wondering about those privacy shrubs you see in all the catalogs...like Thuja, hardy privet, candian hemlock, washington hawthorn. Can they grow in the shade?

What are the pro's and con's of these varieties?

Thanks for any info. :)

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Comments (5)

Iris GW
18 years ago
Canadian hemlock would get over 20 feet, not sure how long it would take. They grow in shade. I would never recommend privet because it is so invasive in my area.

You could certainly call a local nursery or master gardening hotline and find out what does well in your area.

One thing to consider is a mixed border to give you more interest and less risk should some bug or disease come along.

I sympathize with you, I had the same thing happen. We moved. Now to some degree we have it here too.
hoe_hoe_hoe
18 years ago
Have you considered bamboo? You probably don't see much of it in Michigan, but that doesn't mean it can't work.

I compiled a quick list of some that should
have a pretty good combination of cold and shade tolerance. The first few won't get more than about 6or7 feet tall, but unless your neighbor has a really tall dog, they might work for you.:

Indocalamus tessellatus

Sasa palmata
Sasa tsuboiana

Shibataea chinensis

Yushania chungii

Fargesia nitida
Fargesia murieliae

I encourage you to do your own research. Bear in mind if you do that the minimum temps you will encounter are for leaf kill. If in some winters you get 10 degrees or so colder than the minimum temps you are reading about, that still shouldn't kill the plant. You may have some dead twigs to prune away in the spring, but the plant will send out new growth. Bamboo is definitely fast growing- whether you see a cane that is 10 ft or 70 ft- that represents 1 yrs growth! However, it does take a few years before it really gets going.
Bamboo, of course, does spread far and wide by underground runners unless you contain, root-prune, or buy a special "clumping type" which just stays in place and gets fatter year after year. The last three bamboos suggested are clumpers.

Good luck!
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I haven't replied to this thread because you laid down some very specific criteria in the original post. However, you might find my experience with the GG's interesting nevertheless even though I'm in z6b. I planted 21 of them as a screen a couple of years ago. They were 7ft tall when I planted them and after 2 1/2 years, they are now 12-13 ft tall. I've been extremely happy with them. They have survived 2 very bad years of drought (including this year on the South Shore), high winds, and heavy snow without a problem. I couldn't be any happier with them. I also like their wonderful scent. Here are some pictures when I planted them and last October when they were 1 1/2 years older. The pictures are misleading in that they are actually in full sun even though there are trees around and forest in the background. My property is actually to the right of the GGs. I put them up to screen out my neighbor's pool (shown in the picture) and their house.
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I don't have any experience with bamboo but I believe there are some types that are very aggressive spreaders and some that are not. There used to be a nursery in Arkansas that specializes in bamboo. I wonder if it's still there. If you decide to go with vines, the native coral honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens) would attract a few hummingbirds and butterflies for you to watch from your sunroom. There are several named cultivars of that same species. 'Major Wheeler' is supposed to be one of the best bloomers so I will leave a link for that one below. It wouldn't have the same wonderful fragrance of Japanese Honeysuckle but it won't be nearly as invasive either. It has a VERY long bloom time. I'm fairly certain lonicera sempervirens would create a screen must faster than most shrubs, stay the size you want, and do well with a few hours of afternoon sun like you mentioned. Vines tend to extend a ways above their support and then just grow back down on themselves. For instance, if you wanted your screen to be about eight feet tall, you might want five foot supports; taller supports for a taller screen. That was a really rough guesstimate so you'll want to get some more opinions. Gardenweb has a Vines Forum or you might try asking in the Perennials forum since it has a lot of visitors. Here is a link that might be useful: 'Major Wheeler'
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You will see, if you read this entire thread, that there is no such thing as the PERFECT TREE (or plant either, for that matter). All have good points and bad. You need to do adequate research and then decide what you want and what you can live with. Of your list, I can speak to three from personal experience. A Natchez Crape Myrtle would be a nearly ideal size for your home and the amount of space that you have to give it. They, of course, bloom (white) in the summer, have nice fall color, and if pruned and trained properly are at their glorious best in their sculptural leaf-bare selves in the winter. Their bark looks like a giraffe's skin before it peels, and the trunks, as they get larger take on the look of human muscle. Your own organic sculpture. They grow fast (a five gallon plant can easily reach 15 or more feet in three years) and are very drought tolerant once established. On the down side, they require consistent pruning, especially in the first few years, but this is not extremely time consuming. Simply choose three or four (or whatever) trunks that you like and keep limbing them up until the lowest limbs are above your head level. Remove other trunks and suckers that inevitably come up around the base of the tree. If the higher limbs fail to branch at a good height, cut them off ONCE and then remove all but two or three branches that form at the cuts the following year. Do not EVER just amputate limbs, or worse, trunks, because someone tells you the tree will bloom better unless you just like the look of a tree that looks like an upside down witch's broom. Give it some fertilizer to make it bloom, and congratulate yourself all winter on the beautiful structure of your un-maimed tree. (Sorry. I just can't help myself. Crape murder is a personal pet peeve of mine.) Anyway, the other downside of Crape myrtles is the blooms can damage the paint on cars parked below them. On very hot days, the blooms just seem to become one with the paint. (Position the tree away from the driveway. End of problem.) And, they create a fair amount of bloom litter over concrete. Careful positioning can solve this, or just be willing to sweep. River Birches are beautiful, multi-season trees. Their peeling bark is a big plus, and the grace of the trees swaying in the breeze is one big reason they are so popular. They are fast growing, and in this case, they tend to be brittle because of it. Expect alot of limb drop in high winds or ice storms. Although most people think of them as small trees, at least some of them can surprise you and get to be quite large. Be sure you know what you are buying. Also, in very moist soil, they can become invasive. I have planted several Red Maples over the years and have a very hard time getting them to establish. This may be because of my incredibly tight clay. I don't know. Check around with folks in your area before plunking down your hard earned money. Most maples are notorious for having very...
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diggingthedirt
18 years ago
Holly and yew are both good in shade, but neither grows especially fast. Fragrant honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) takes shade, as do some viburnums.

Euonymous kiatschovicus 'Manhattan' - not the invasive winged E. will take lots of shade and grows very fast - I've got a tall hedge of it that I grew from snippets from my sister's plants. It prefers some support, especially if you want it to get tall - mine weaves its way around a wire fence (I planted it to hide said fence) and up through the branches of nearby trees. It might work for you.

Amelanchier, Redbud, Gray Dogwood, Kerria are just a few of the many plants that would do well. Google will have many more.
elaine_mi
18 years ago
I have the same issue and posted a question re hemlock this morning. I can tell you that they'll grow in shade, but I'm not sure how much babying they need.

I have a wonderful viburnum in shade - burkwood is the variety. This is an evergreen viburnum, beautiful leathery foliage, fragrant white flowers in the spring.

Hydrangeas are another possibility, I have some late panicle and Annabelles and I may add some oak leaf hydrangeas. This is considered a fabulous shrub.

You can't predict what neighbors will do, can you? But at least we can plant a green barrier!
Elaine
websl_comcast_net
13 years ago
To solve the dog barking problem I have used "Bark Stop" electonic device. Get the version with better batteries so you don't have to change them often.

Need fast growing screen for property in the shade/Z5

Comments (5)

Iris GW

hoe_hoe_hoe

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