Need suggestions for privacy hedge/screen

15 years ago

I have a dilemma and am somewhat new to garden design, maybe some of you can help me with suggestions? The east end of our property borders our neighbor's yard and they have an unsightly carport. When we moved in 2 years ago there was no foliage there whatsoever and our 2 lawns butted against each other with a cement curb in between.

I did the only thing I could do at the time and planted 4 japanese privets in a 15-gall size in a row. Since then, they have grown nicely, but I have gaps on either end and they are not nearly tall enough (see photo). I want to supplement the row and am thinking of a few compact trees spaced out to fill the heighth a bit. I like crape myrtles but wanted evergreens.

What would look nice and grow reasonably fast so as to fill in this area? Also, I should mention that I'm not terribly fond of really structured and formal shrubs, but prefer a bit more natural look. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Property border

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Comments (5)

jakkom
15 years ago
Unfortunately just saying you are in zone 9/CA is not that helpful. Conditions vary widely in our state, so it would be more helpful to others if we knew what Sunset zone you are in, or at least a general geographic area.

If you put in trees, will it shade your privet overmuch? What are the soil conditions? What's the watering like? The best time to plant is in the late fall, not at the beginning of our dry summer season. Evergreens are wonderful (I have many) but they drop litter year-round instead of all at once - some are worse than others - will this be a problem for your lawn?
hosenemesis
15 years ago
Your neighborhood and yard are very pretty.
Why not two more privets? Or at least one on the end nearer the street-- it won't matter too much if it is smaller because it will look like they are descending in size as you move toward the street.
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As much as I like tea olive (_Osmanthus fragrans_), I would not recommend its use as a privacy screen in a full-sun, exposed location in Western North Carolina, halfway between Asheville and Charlotte. In recent years, we've had comparatively warm winters in this part of the Southeast; but there's bound to be a future winter in which _Osmanthus fragrans_ will be badly burned or killed to the ground by cold temperatures. It is, indeed, a fine plant and one to be enjoyed in a sheltered location; but at some point it will prove unreliable in a harsh, unforgiving exposed Piedmont location. Don't consider using it as a hedge unless you want to see it decimated. If you take a look at _The Southern Living Garden Book_ or similar books, you will find that there are several _Osmanthus_ varieties that are much hardier than _Osmanthus fragrans_. Like _Osmanthus fragrans_, they are evergreen with fragrant fall/winter flowers. These hardier strains of _Osmanthus_ would be more likely to have longterm success in a Western North Carolina landscape than the more tender _Osmanthus fragrans_. However, one wants his/her _Osmanthus fragrans_ to be near a frequenty trodden pathway or near a window where its fragrance can be enjoyed. Planting tea olive out in a hedge along the roadside would be a waste of its many attributes. Leyland cypress is an abomination. Avoid it like the plague. _Eleagnus pungens_ or _Eleagnus pungens fruitlandii_ would be a superb choice, requiring no maintenance and providing food for our songbirds. These species of _Eleagnus_ are not the Russian olive you're thinking about. A spectacular choice would be golden bamboo or black bamboo. I have a grove of golden bamboo on one side of my house and a grove of black bamboo on the other side. They provide a lush, evergreen, Oriental appearance and an abundance of privacy. Your roadway would serve as a "bamboo containment wall" on one side. Just let the bamboo colonize freely on the other side, creating a natural effect.
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My favorite shrubs for hedges are the hollies. There are many of them available and some get quite tall while others remain more compact. Their tiny flowers (so small you hardly notice them) are amazingly fragrant, and the birds love the berries, although they generally don't eat the berries until later in winter. Hollies are amazingly heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant and wind-tolerant once established. Dwarf Burford holly makes a really nice privacy screen along a fence line with the proper spacing, particularly if you let them reach their natural pyramidal shape and don't prune them. The use of the word "dwarf" is deceptive because they are dwarf only in comparison to regular Burford holly which is a huge monster. The dwarf Burford hollies we planted about 10 years ago are about 10 feet tall and each plant's spread covers 6' to 8' feet in width. We spaced them pretty far apart so they could reach their mature size without crowding one another. Another lovely shrub that is underused is Abelia. These are semi-evergreen, small-leaved shrubs that flower in spring. Their growth is quite dense and they are very drought-tolerant once established. I have a chaste tree in the backyard butterfly garden and the wildlife love it, and so do I, but it is deciduous and won't provide much privacy in winter. I've linked the website of Sooner Plant Farm for you because their website is amazingly informative. It has detailed into on many of the types of plants mentioned here, and photos for many of them, as well as many, many others. After you spend a little while looking at all the plants on their website, you'll have all kinds of ideas about what you could plant for a privacy screen. I second the idea that a mixed hedgerow is healthier because one disease can wipe out a monoculture of one plant variety. Also, diversity attracts more wildlife like birds and butterflies, for example. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Sooner Plant Farm
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Pureguava, just to get the ideas started, how about the Arborvitae? I am not sure that 15' is possible, however. I have had a garden on distant property since 1996. Not long after I began there, a young couple moved in across the back fence. I can make a guess as when they planted the small Arborvitae. It would be sometime after Lowe's bought Eagle Hardware. The guy worked for both companies and they moved from the home about 10 years ago. So, sometime between '99 & '03 they planted Arborvitae. By 2010, with very little water and on the north side of that fence, those plants were a good 10' tall. In 2012, the current homeowner took most of them out. There are still 3 that must have been difficult for him to get to because he had a shed built near the fence with the Arborvitae between. They are probably struggling there but still look okay from my side, anyway. If you plant Arborvitae, be aware that they can be winter-damaged from snow. Tie them! Gee, the folks over there did a very poor job of caring for those quick growing shrubs! Steve Here is a link that might be useful: Evergreen Trees, Colorado State University
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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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rebeccag3
Original Author
15 years ago
To jkom51: We are in the Central Valley where it is hot and dry. I'm not sure the sub-zone? I am concerned about shading the privet too much, as I still want to encourage them to grow up, up, up. Also, the soil is some clay/loam mixed with some amendments over the years. Not the worst I've experienced with pretty good drainage considering some clay in there. The line of plants are on drip irrigation. I don't mind litter from evergreens, as I think it can be charming in a well-planted neighborhood like ours. Plus, it's better than a ton of deciduous plants which would grow up to give a great block of the neighbor's ginormous Suburban guzzler, but then would leave it exposed once again come winter! Arrrrrrrrggghhhhh........

To "hosenemesis": Thanks for your nice compliment and suggestion. I have recently planted some escallonia in other parts of the front yard and was even considering filling in the ends with them. I've seen my neighbors mix up the plants in a hedge with success. I just don't know what to mix with privet. I'm unsure of the rules of how to mix plants in a bordering bed?? The nursery people suggested more privet but in shapes like cones or spheres, however, that gets pretty formal looking for my taste.
Laura thegardenpages
15 years ago
I alternated brush cherry with my privets. I also have clay, alkaline soil.
They make an interesting color and leaf combo. The only issue may be with the cherries. If you don't trim the flowers you'll get them on your car.
How about some sort of a cypress? Or, a nice native?
wanda
15 years ago
You might like Toyons (Heteromeles arbutifolia), AKA CA Holly. A native evergreen with dark green broadleaved foliage and bright red berries in winter that also attract birds, beside being decorative and festive.

Need suggestions for privacy hedge/screen

Comments (5)

jakkom

hosenemesis

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Need suggestions for privacy hedge/screen

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jakkom

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rebeccag3Original Author

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