hedge recommendation for privacy and blocking wind

17 years ago

I'm looking for a recommendation for a hedge to screen our patio from the street, and also to provide a wind break for our garden. We're at the very top of the ridge in the Oakland hills, and many afternoons there is a constant 10 mph or so wind off the bay, with gusts much higher during winter storms. The soil is very sandy/rocky -- mostly decomposed shale. I'm looking for something nice and dense that will grow fast to 8 feet or so.

Originally I'd been thinking some kind of ceanothus, but I have heard that they do not live too long. I would prefer something that will last a long time. Bonus if it's a California native.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,

-j

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Comments (10)

youreit
17 years ago
The only thing I can think of right now is Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea' (hop bush) - fast growth, can reach 10-15 ft. high and wide, takes any kind of soil, ocean winds, desert heat.

I'm sure there will be other suggestions, too. :)

Brenda
wanda
17 years ago
Ceanothus will be long lived if it is not given summer water once established.
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Thanks for the responses. Ken. I did post previously about a single dwarf conifer specimen for the front yard. Im in the burbs north of Detroit. And yes, I have no plan to buy anything I don't see with my own eyes. Which is why I initially limited my selections for blue spruces to varieties such as bakeri or fat albert that are available at Bordines or any of the many nurseries in Romeo Plank area especially since I want to start with sizeable specimens. Dax, thanks for the suggestions. Will look for these in local nurseries. The reason I intially started with arborvitae was the small footprint which would allow planting in groupings of three. Somehow that sounded better than individual plants at intervals but I might be wrong. Do you feel I am being over-ambitious with the number of evergreens? The current trees belong to the neighbour and unfortunately I don't know what they are. In 5 years perhaps, they may provide the coverage I want now but considering they are without leaves half the year, don't feel thats enough. I work all day in a windowless office, would like to come home (esp in winter) and look at my slice of nature. The burning bush while on my property is maintained by the neighbour as per prior agreement (he was worried we would chop it down) so I have little control over its shape. Agree that lack of privacy is the price to pay for living in suburbia. One could argue that I should have thought of this when purchasing the property but other factors came into play, namely proximity to the in-laws for baby sitting support................. Right now I'm more focussed on picking the evergreens for the spine. Have some ideas for the plantings in between but that will come later. It will give me room to plant shrubs/conifers that I would not have had the space for otherwise, Deutzia, pinus strobus nana, hydrangeas, viburnums etc etc What I don't want is a solid wall of green which might be somewhat claustrophobic and somewhat dull. I also realize I need to worry about how big these may get 10 years from now which is why I would never plant a colorado blue spruce but rather one of the "dwarf" varieties
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You should check out the thread "Can someone please help about vines" (I think that's it). We are talking about Lady Banks roses as a good privacy hedge. That's what I planted to cover an ugly chain link fence alone the alley behind our house. It has filled in exceptionally in just two years. Low litter, needs little water once established and is evergreen. On the other two sides of the yard we planted Yellow Oleander (Lucky Nut, Thevetia), it's a cousin of the true oleander. It's a much prettier bush than traditional oleander: deep green, very shiny leaves. Very pretty when a breeze ripples through. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of them the first winter (2006) due to the freeze mentioned above. Some have come back strong, we completely lost 3 and the rest are just not performing that well. Wish we had planted all Lady Banks. BTW, we have 450' of ugly chain link we are trying to cover. That's a lot of holes to dig!
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A lot of the clumping bamboos (most, I believe), that are hardy in zones 7 and 8 are subtropical mountain species. Which means..., they are not as hardy to extreme cold or too extreme heat as that notorious running genus, Phyllostachys (you don't wanna go there!). F. rufa seems the most commonly available in the Mid Atlantic area. It is a nice species and does put up well with our hot nights (a potential issue with many of the mountain species). It has seen temps from 4F to 109 without any burning. It is not cheap, and you will not get a privacy wall overnight, but will, eventually, if it likes its positioning. Some shade from the hottest sun is definitely a big advantage. It is well-behaved and will not be invasive, but will form a dense grove. We have Fargesia rufa (Green Panda Bamboo). Started with little pots and every year would divide each plant to lengthen 'the wall'. Growing area gets morning sun and dappled midday. It is never watered nor fed.
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Ok, sorry about that. This thread is only for the backyard where privacy is needed, and the pics are only from the backyard, I created a panorama of the backyard. In this pic I am looking at the screen-covered back porch, we have plans to re-do that back porch and create some paver or brick patio around it, but that is way far from now. I do want to throw this out there that I have been considering dwarf korean lilacs for the right side of the image ( property line) with some small line of boxwoods at their feet to cover the woody areas during when they are at their best, I mentioned that dead-looking shrub in the image is gonna go because is partially dead, I think is rose of sharon and those burgundy ones will stay in... now the original images will make sense.
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bahia
17 years ago
Natives: Arctostaphylos densiflorus 'Howard McMinn' or similar larger growing Manzanitas, Ceanothus 'Concha' or C. 'Julia Phelps',(but both are attractive to deer), Heteromeles arbutifolia, Myrica californica, Romneya coulteri, dwarf cultivars of Fremontodendron.

Non natives: Arbutus unedo, Feijoa sellowiana, Osmanthus illicifolia, Pittosporum tobira, Escallonia, etc.

You could always look up suggestions for hedges in Sunset Western Garden Book as well. Not all of these are going to remain at 8 feet tall, and most will eventually require pruning. Things like Xylosma congestum, Dodonaea viscosa, Acacia longifolia, and Leptospermum scoparium would also be fast growing, dense hedges. If you wanted to be more adventurous, some of the South African Leucadendrons or Leucospermums or Proteas could also work well, and also give some great spring bloom. Aloe arborescens can also be used as a large screen, or Echium fastuosum.
sputnikfarm
17 years ago
Why not build an 8 ft tall pressure treated lumber trellis and plant a vine or three? A trellis or fence can grow to 8 foot in a weekend ;)
aquilachrysaetos
17 years ago
Ceanothus would be lovely. Just don't water it in the summer after the first 3 years. Make sure you check the variety to make sure it gets the size you want. I have a Concha planted on my back wall. It grew very fast and has the most gorgeous dark blue flowers. It grew exactly five feet high but spread wider. Looks like an oversized bonsai. It looks like I trained it that way but that is its natural shape.
lilboy
17 years ago
I know nothing but will poke my nose in here anyway.
My neighbors have a few wisteria growing for privacy....they are very tall and bushy...smell great and have grown fast.

Frankie
mike_fv
17 years ago
This is Podocarpus growing in sand, spaced 3-4 ft apart. The hedge is 2.5 ft wide. I water monthly if I remember. Needs trimming every 2 months during summer months.

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youreit
17 years ago
Here are links to the larger pics of Mike's Podocarpus. The better to see the texture on them! :)

Brenda

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jxa44
17 years ago
I love the look of Mike's Podocarpus, but I need a privacy fence for shade. can someone suggest a green shrub that would work for me?
bahia
17 years ago
Podocarpus gracilior can work equally well in light to medium shade, but will tend to thin out if shaded by both roof overhangs, northside location and further shading by large dense trees. If you are located in zones that don't get too cold in winter, you might also try using Osmanthus fragrans, Pittosporum tobira or P. tobira variegata, P. undulatum, P.eugenioides, Mackaya bella, Myrtus communis, Myrica californica.

hedge recommendation for privacy and blocking wind

Comments (10)

youreit

wanda

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