Need Tall & Narrow Hedge Ideas - Seattle (7b)

11 years ago

Hi All,

I'm feeling kinda lost on what to plant along the back of my property for a tall privacy hedge. I've read at least twenty threads on hedges, maybe more and I'm as unsure as ever about what to plant.

Here's what I want:

A tall (up to 15' or so) and narrow (3-4' max) hedge that is very dense. Evergreen is essential. I love the look of English boxwood but I don't need my hedge to look nearly as "perfect". I'm not at all a fan of hedges that are conical in shape with gaps in between. I don't mind having to shear the hedge once or twice a year but that's about it. I want something that keeps its shape well for a while between trimmings. So in short, I want a narrow and dense green wall that keeps its shape well. (Have m cake and eat it too!)

Here's what I'm working with:

Behind my little house a giant three-story condo complex sprung up. My back yard has a steep slope upwards of about five feet before it ends at the alley between my yard and the condos. There's a "landing" space of roughly 3-4' (it varies) at the top of the slope - this is the planting site, so width of the hedge is *very* important. The area gets very little eastern sun, partial southern sun, and partial western sun. Some areas along the planting site are shadier than others but all areas get at least partial sun. The hedge will need to be about 60' wide to build a wall across my back yard.

I've considered Thuja, Cypress, and Juniper. My guess is that slow to moderate-growing to is better for me because I don't want to trim often. Am I wrong? How far apart should I plant to make the wall?

Thanks for the help!

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Comments (8)

gardener365
11 years ago
Juniperus virginiana 'Taylor' spaced 2' apart. I have some of these, I like them.

Dax
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
anything that grows.. rather quickly to 15 feet [kinda the point of a privacy hedge].. WILL NOT STOP AT 15 FEET ...

and i myself.. never figured out how to repeatedly trim something at 15 feet ... short of a big checkbook ...

all height estimates are at 10 years.. double for 20 years ... etc ...

ken
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Leyland cypress is SO not a good idea for this situation! A 3' width is just not sufficient for a lot of hedging plants and especially Leylands. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep a plant that grows as fast and as wide as a Leyland to a very narrow profile and you need to make sure you have sufficient access. I'd also be concerned the aspect doesn't provide sufficient sunlight - while Leylands will tolerate some shade, they tend grow quite a bit sparser under these conditions. And they tend not to be very long-lived under many situations. Pruning these for hedging purposes is generally recommended at least 3 times a year (spring, summer and fall) and in the classic shape - narrow on top, wider at the base, sort of a lopped off A-line - to ensure the base gets sufficient light. I've seen some stunning Leyland hedges but they tend to be in rather open areas and the best looking are professionally maintained with very frequent attention. It's a lot of work. Mobile home parks typically offer very small properties to landscape - space is tight. And with all the dark gloomy days this area receives for many months of the year, a big dark wall of high maintenance foliage would just be depressing. I'd also avoid any thorny plants as a hedge right along your drive, so nix the holly or pyracantha too. An attractively designed screen or trellis graced with a few flowering vines sounds like the best option to me. It offers the narrowest solution, will be less intimidating in a small space and can provide both light and color.
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ps: the fence looks like it will need work/paint over the years ... be sure to plant things ... so that you will have access to such ... in fact.. if you had a budget.. now might be the time to go vinyl ... nothing would be worse.. than a few years down the line. you have to cut up whatever your grew .. to get at the fence .. annuals and perennials will give you some impact next season ... while in the meantime .. the conifers can get moving ... something as simple as sunflowers.. will give you a sight block next summer ... in other words ... you have IDd your goal ... a sight block .... but i am suggesting you come at it.. from multiple directions .... finally ... as to height ESTIMATES ... understand not many things stop at some magical height .. with conifers .. its usually a 10 year estimate... and you can usually presume.. at 20 years ... it will be twice as big .... they can all be tamed thru pruning ... but you should understand or figure out.... what you are signing up for.. in the future .... you should also consider.. one section of wooden fence .. for immediate gratification ... closer to the patio .... else you will be waiting many years for any impact from confers ... i dont really know z7 .. so i leave specific plants selection to others ... good luck.. and think outside your box .... ken ps: the fence looks like it will need work/paint over the years ... be sure to plant things ... so that you will have access to such ... in fact.. if you had a budget.. now might be the time to go vinyl ... nothing would be worse.. than a few years down the line .... you have to cut up whatever your grew .. to get at the fence ..
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strobiculate
11 years ago
Arbs be my choice. Junipers a possibility, depending on exact locations and conditions, you may able to grow some of the irish junipers.

Numerous cypress to choose from. If chamaecyparis, a hedge of some of the moderate growers may be a show stopper. Tendency to pyramidal growth, but some pruning and close planting would give you the wall effect.

How ambitious are you. You can espalier anything...know a place on PA that had a blue atlas cedar espalliered against a barn wall...pruned about once a year. Takes a bit to establish, but memorable.
flora_uk
11 years ago
If you are really into pruning you could do a pleached barrier. There's a very successful whitebeam pleached hedge near me which increases the height of a 6 foot stone wall to about 15 feet.
famartin
11 years ago
I've heard Sequoia sempervirens makes a good hedge, but haven't tried it personally.
Embothrium
11 years ago
We're USDA 8 here, not 7. The top favorite for a skinny green screen is Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'. Local bamboo specialists also sell a lot of plants to people who have priced the cost of fencing beforehand.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
Agree with bboy - the 'Smaragd' arborvitae (aka 'Emerald' or 'Emerald Green') is the privacy hedge material of choice around here. Pretty inexpensive, you can obtain at a relatively good size to start, needs minimal attention and seldom will ever attain much more than 15' regardless of age. Much better suited to the Seattle climate than junipers too :-)

I am also a fan of controlled bamboo as well . Perhaps not as dense a privacy screen as you may want however.
Embothrium
11 years ago
Although the plant is everywhere here now if you want to see a known example of it used as a row the South Seattle Community College arboretum has a memorable planting of the 'Smaragd' at the rose garden. The tallest ones there had reached 17' by around 2005. It wasn't common on the market here until the 1980s, there may not be a lot of fully developed ones around. Multiple examples of the older 'Fastigiata' over 30' tall are known in Seattle, with taller ones having been seen elsewhere.

Need Tall & Narrow Hedge Ideas - Seattle (7b)

Comments (8)

gardener365

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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