Deer tolerant evergreen privacy hedge
indiana627
10 years ago
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10 years agoRelated Discussions
Need tall evergreen, shade tolerant, inexpensive, thick cover??
Comments (6)I have a similar situation, except my shade is created by big old black walnut trees so I have the Juglone headache to contend with. The only imperfect solution I found is Arborvitae - some varieties are listed a being slightly shade tolerant. I started w/ 'Brabant', but they thinned-out quickly, so I moved them closer into a zig-zag row, which meant I needed alot more plants - but the following season I couldn't find any more in our local area. So, I instead added 'Dark Green/Nigra' to the row, knowing they'll also struggle. They do have more bugs due to the shade, and I need quick privacy so mail-order wasn't an option (plants are smaller). Good luck!...See MoreEvergreen hedge opinions
Comments (4)I think 'screening' is the operative word here, as 'hedging' implies a more formal approach that typically involves routine pruning to keep in size. And screening - allowing the plants to assume a natural size and shape without significant pruning - lends itself very nicely to a mixture of plants, more so than hedging does. A selection of several species suitable to your location and the specific site would work well. Traditional hedgerows usually include deciduous material as well that offer fodder and protection for wildlife, but often require a depth of planting area more than just a single species hedge involves. But they offer the advantage of foliar color, flowers and fruits and berries and will provide privacy screening during the growing season as well - a time when more screening ability is usually desired. I say mix it up!...See MoreFast Growing Evergreen Privacy Hedge
Comments (3)It depends some on your dog, but I wouldn't count on a hedge to keep a dog in. At the least it will need a wire mesh fence in the inside of the hedge to keep the dog contained until the plants grow together. Even a well grown, mature hedge may have some gaps near the base which a dog could slide through, so it may continue to need a wire fence for the first two or three feet. This request may be a bit of a problem: "shaped like a box (not spherical and not pyramidal)" since in order to maintain dense foliage near the bottom of a hedge, you will need to taper it some so that the upper parts of the hedge don't shade out the lower parts of the hedge. To maintain a boxy tapered shape rather than a more rounded shape will require pruning to give you flat sides. Do you have deer? If not, there are forms of Thuja occidentalis that will stay shorter and will grow together to make a good hedge. I don't personally have experience with how they take to pruning since I like my plants unpruned for the most part. I have 'Sunkist' (green-gold) which will be easy to maintain in the 6'-10' range for quite some time based on mine as they seem to have slowed considerably at about 5'. I bought plants in the fall of 2007 at about 3'. As individual plants they are a bit floppy in heavy snow/ice situations, but that may be less of an issue with a hedge. 'Techny' is dark green and grows to 10'-15', and I have seen photos of it pruned into a hedge. I planted mine at about 4' in the fall of 2007 and they are about 6' now. I imagine that you can find other selections of this native evergreen that are dwarf in size compared to the regular species (which grows to around 40'.) If you have deer issues they aren't a good choice, but in my heavily wooded rural area, they haven't been bothered. spring 2010 From evergreen shrubs spring 2014 From evergreen shrubs Another possible choice to look into is a really hardy Rhododendron, though they will have a more rounded form and IMO don't look great pruned into boxy shapes and will make a more gently flowing shaped hedge. They will have the added benefit of spring flowers if you don't prune them. In really cold weather they don't provide a lot of sight privacy since the leaves tend to curl up, but most folks don't require a lot of privacy when the temperatures are below 15 degrees. The link below will take you to a search page from the American Rhododendron Society which allows you to put in height preferences. On left side of photoPJM rhododendrons in 3/4 shade (so not as dense as full sun,) about 5' at 6 or 7 years in the ground from >1' when planted. From evergreen shrubs You could ask this question on the shrub forum or the conifer forum for other suggestions beyond what you get here. It also might be worth visiting local nurseries (not big box stores which often have poor or inaccurate info and plants that may not be hardy here) to see what they have in stock that would fit your requirements. They could most probably order more to complete your hedge as it will take a rather large number of plants. Here is a link that might be useful: Rhododendron Plant Search...See MoreBest evergreens for a thick privacy hedge...
Comments (3)Thuja 'Green Giant' is a hybrid between Thuja plicata and Thuja standishii and zone 5 is about their limit, I believe. Do you know of any 'Green Giants' growing in Green Bay? You may also need to consider how salt tolerant the plant is if it can be sprayed by passing snow plows/car splashing. Junipers are generally considered more salt tolerant than Thujas are and since they are more "prickly" they may make a better fence as well. tj...See Moreginny12
10 years agoUser
10 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
10 years agoflora2b
10 years ago
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