Privacy trees in containers?

14 years ago

Hi, our back neighbors have a pretty wide open view into our garden and house which I would like to try to shield with trees. Problem is that the space that needs planting is behind the guest house and is only approx 4-5 ft wide and cemented.

So, I am able to build planters for the space or get large pots, but would anyone have any suggestions on what to plant that would do well in a container and grow tall enough and quickly enough to provide us a bit of privacy?

Here's some photos of how it is now (you can see the concrete alley where it would have to be planted).

Please, any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
No photos attached :-)

You can grow any trees in containers, provided the containers are of sufficient size and you provide necessary long-term care (repotting, root pruning, fertilizing, watering, etc.). Container culture provides an automatic dwarfing ability, so trees will not grow as fast or as large as the same type planted inground. Large evergreen shrubs would work as well. Also bamboo, which makes an excellent tall privacy screen and is well-suited to containers.
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katrina1
14 years ago
Yes, how perfect: Lots of people avoid planting bamboo for its tendency toward being lots of work to maintain and to keep from becoming a forced workload on the neighbors; just to keep the stuff from over taking their property.

But if you have a cemented place where any tree you plant must be in containers, then that is a perfect situation where you could plant bamboo without the extra work it takes to keep bamboo from becoming too invasive.

I know that there are some clumping varieties of bamboo, which are reported to not be as invasive.

Still it is much easier to grow the bamboo in a container that will restrict the invasive root growth potential of the more commonly seen bamboo.
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mariadevola_gmail_com
14 years ago
oops, sorry, here's the link to the photos...I don't know if it would help to see it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40084083@N05/

I was thinking about bamboo, but read that container grown bamboo will get rootbound in only 3-4 years and need repotting, which sounds like strenuous work (maybe its not as difficult as I imagine).

I don't have a lot of width available for the planters (2-3 feet) but I could make them up to 4 ft deep. Would that be large enough to grow a substantial height tree? I think that it would need to be at least 15-20 feet to block the neighbor's 2nd story window.
Thanks again.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
Any plant would need repotting on a regular basis.
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katrina1
14 years ago
Yes the bamboo will need to be repotted, until it grows to the heights you desire.

After that point all you will need to do is to root prune them and at the same time refresh their potting soil without having to increase their pot size. Usually the root pruning if done just prior to the pots becoming rootbound, will be safely done if the root ball ends up two inches smaller than before all around the rootball.

Early on, the new pots you put them in every year or so, will need to be about 2 inches larger all the way around the then present rootball. At those times if you find that some roots have begun to wrap around the rootball, they will also need to be pruned back so that all the roots will be the same width spread as the pot from which you just removed the tree. If done correctly, that should leave you with 2 inches of empty space all around the tree's rootball when it is placed in it's new larger pot. That two inches of space is where you will fill with fresh potting soil.

Also note that you will also need to have raised the tree just enough in the pot to also allow it to sit high enough on at least 2 - 4 inches of fresh potting soil, which can layer the bottom of the pot or which can fill in around broken clay chips or some lighter material if you want to provide a better drainage situation in your larger pots.

Once the tree is postioned in its larger pot, then simply add enough more potting soil to bring its level up to just barely cover the tree's root flare.

Check the trees' soil moisture daily in the dry seasons, and water the trees with at least 5 gallons of water each time the surface of the soil dries. Or you can install a drip watering system into the pots which will be better for the trees and will make less work for you.

It also helps to cover the top of your pots with mulch to help moderate the potting soils temperature and moisture levels.

Insulated pots are also good to use if your trees will be in positions exposed to direct heat in the summer, or cold in the winter.
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