screening trees for tight spot

14 years ago

Hi, I am new here, but have been reading and reading information about evergreen screening plants until I am confused. I have had two landscape companies look at the problem area and got two very different suggestions but both recommended a type of arborvitae.

I live at the bottom of a hill in a tight suburban area on a corner lot near the local train station. I get constant foot traffic and if I think its a nice time to step out and sit in the garden, 50 people think it is a nice time to take a walk down our very pretty road. I have two dogs and the foot traffic, especially when it is a dog walker drives them nuts.

I have a limited budget and my 1/3 acre piece of heaven can be wet, and gets full morning sun through the afternoon depending on the season, but lots of sun. There are existing plants, forsythia, dogwoods, rhododendrum, and maybe wild cherry trees in a little tangle at the corner of the lot where the two roads meet. And an old old maple just up the hill from the pretty corner.

The front of the house is 37 ft from the road down the hill and 45 to 55 feet from the perpendicular road that runs next to a rail road track. The utility company cleared all the trees that hid the tracks and put up large yellow concrete blocks, so that is now my view in addition to being a major thoroughfare for pedestrians.

I think the arborvitae will grow too high too fast. One guy suggested 5 ft american arborvitae and planting them fairly far apart and putting a specimen Colorado Spruce but keeping far from the old maple really cornering me in. The other fellow a more lowkey type suggested transplanting my dogwood and forsythia to one bare location along the railroad side and planting 17 green giant arborvitae up to and around the pretty corner and saving the rest for the fall on a new budget. I like that idea, but woah, there are power lines out over the road a bit (I have had the maple cut back) and that is the narrower piece of property.

I am so confused that I wonder if I should just go to a nursery and have them install a few bushes myself and forget about a privacy screen. I don't especially like all the trees looking the same in a row anyway, but what bushes would be good in these spots that seem to be good for arborvitae. The laurels need protection from wind. The Wichita blue juniper which I love don't seem to do well in our area.

Any suggestions either for which of the landscaper's ideas sound better or which sort of plants I could just put in myself from a nursery?

Thanks for any suggestions even ones I haven't thought of.

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Comments (19)

gardener365
14 years ago
Corylus americana
Physocarpus opulifolius
Euonymus bungeana

Dax
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
HI!!!

WELCOME!!!!

what i said at the link .. though we would have to check the water tolerance of the juniper ..

what is the soil type??

any chance at a picture??? though your words are very specific.. i am having a hard time wrapping my brain around all those variables ....

some posts and string .. will make a trellis to grow some fast annuals or clematis ...

what is your budget ... small to me is under $100 bucks ... but if you are dreaming about hiring out the job.. then your version of small is not mine.. can you give us a better idea???

green giants sound way to big ...

i also abhor a straight line of all of one thing ....

is putting up a section of wood fencing near your seating area an option???? why are you fixated on the property line.. when there is space between you and that line.. you have created a box.. and now you are stuck thinking ONLY about the box.. the lot line.. think outside the box ... what other options do you have???

pic???

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
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Ok, so first, I wouldn't worry about her pruning anything that overhangs her side. That is her right, and your plant can still do its job if it is pruned. In fact, if I were you I'd keep it pruned so that you control its pruning, not her, and since it would be your plant. You can prune the branches short to encourage bushiness rather than cutting them at the trunk. Second, one reason I was interested in a photo was that I couldn't picture this wall, whether it went up or down or retained something or what. This still hasn't quite told me what I would like to know, namely whether trees planted could damage the wall. Is it her driveway on the other side, and if so, is it at the same level as your ground? I'm wondering whether tree roots could blow out the wall on her side. You said it was her wall, and that could be your liability. I would get rid of the euonymous, and the ivy, which will kill any tree you try to plant there. The wall is attractive, so there is no worry about limbing things up, but you don't actually need to limb up all around a plant; just the branches that grow out to your sidewalk. Think of the plant as growing in a fan shape, two dimensionally. In front of the wall you just take out branches growing forward and backward, but above the wall you can cut short as I described above. You can use a number of strategies here, remembering that plants are living things that need to transition into and out of the ideal size you need. You can interplant both fast and slow-growing things, taking out the faster growing ones as they outgrow the space and the slower-growing ones get to size. For example there is a wonderful Ilex cultivar called Mariesii that would take time to grow in, but would serve once it gets there for many years. Grow it to size in the company of a fast-growing Physocarpus that you grow in a fan shape. Another strategy is to use maybe two fast-growing shrubs, planting and culling on a staggered schedule so you always have some coverage. You can also plant a broader canopy tree right where that big weed is (borage?) to use the airspace you have to block the view - you don't have to do it right at the property line. This is just to say that fastigiate is not your only option. But if you want to go fastigiate, I think I would look into some specimen conifers that are attractive in and of themselves - say a gold and a green or blue variety of weeping norway spruce or something, maybe with the shooting-upright type of junipers, maybe a juniper gold cone - because putting something you like to look at in that spot will enhance your experience of your space. The weeping conifers can even keep their skirts if you just trim them to the walk. KarinL
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You say the garden bed is just under 2m wide - is this the air space you have to work with as well? Most trees with a height of 6-8 metres would have a width to match. If you are planting near a boundary, then nearly half of the width (and root area) will be on the other side of the boundary and the owners will have the right to demand that overhanging growth is removed. I am definitely not a lover of pine trees of any description, but the pencil pines sound like the logical choice. The other consideration is time. It's going to take quite a bit of it for any tree to reach 6-8 metres. You might like to consider roll down awnings on these windows to provide shade and privacy until the trees are tall enough to take over the role. I would also suggest that insurance is taken out to cover any future damage by invading tree roots to the neighbouring property. While there are many trees which are not regarding as having invasive root systems, old or damaged pipes which leak are an open invitation to any tree to "come in and have a drink". This step is more important when you are (a) planting near a boundary and (b) encouraging the tree to find its own moisture supply.
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Why not run a trellis on top of the fence and use vines to cover it . Then you would still have space for maybe aa small patio for the BBQ and a couple of chairs or a small outdoor kitchen type layout. Check what vines are evergreen in your area ,the bonus is they will also cut down on road noise .
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your basic problem is you hope for a quick solution ... that isnt going to happen rowing trees or shrubs .... i quickly solved a similar issue with window films .. extremely easy to apply with soapy water and a squigee ... so the trees i planted could a decade to row to height ... https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=window+films&iax=images&ia=images i ran across this site.. cruising the web ... not cheap.. but would solve the issue rather quickly.. what we call.. checkbook gardening .. and nothing wrong with that ... but if that isnt in the cards .. look to the plants they suggest to use https://www.instanthedge.com/hedge-varieties/ ken
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
What pretty shrubs these are! Thanks for the ideas. Might plant them myself on the road next to the railroad track mixed with some forsythia that is already in my garden. Still thinking I want something evergreen for the front of the property next to the maple tree. When I step out my family room door I look that way and see two streets, rail road tracks, big yellow concrete blocks and everyone walking from 3 directions.
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
ken,

I am going to attach several pictures that I have in my computer, but they are not property pictures. Still you can see the small picket fence I have to keep my dogs from running onto the railroad tracks and you can see the large maple and behind it the barren pretty spot in the snow. I guess in as tight a spot as I feel I am in, I did think of the property line as the border of my box. I had toyed with the idea of roses, but the roots from the maple killed my first effort. Then I toyed with maybe just planting sunflowers this year. In my area folks spend upwards of 30 thousand on landscaping. I am trying to keep it to $2000 and some landscapers won't deal with me and I am not able to do the digging myself easily (bad knee) though I do dig and garden, this is big.

The reason I want the property line that is visible in these pictures to be screened is that I like to sit outside of my kitchen and enjoy a solitary cup of coffee and there are always people walking up and down the roads. We are a friendly neighborhood at times, but at other times folks may make a comment about a messy weed patch still waiting to be dug up, and frankly, I would just prefer not to have no choice but to interact. I still have a pretty section out side of my fenced area where I garden and talk to neighbors. This plot is just outside my door.

I will look at your link more closely and if these photos don't help, I will download a couple others this pm.

Karin
/Users/lelanyadurbin/Desktop/view from the picnic table southwest.jpg
/Users/lelanyadurbin/Desktop/looking east to northeast.jpg
/Users/lelanyadurbin/Desktop/Looking west with front road to left

Uh oh. How do I do this? Just drag them?
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
you will need a photo hosting site like photobucket.com .. to get us the pix ... use the GW search for lots of posts about how to do it ...

carp .. for 2000 .. i might drive from MI to your house and do the job.. lol ...

why did i think boston.. or MA.. where are you ... might not be worth it with gas prices .... lol

ken
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
I hope one of these times my pictures go through.

Here is a link that might be useful: property pics
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
In my continued searches, using links you have sent me and branching off of them so to speak, I have found these plants: Techny Arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis 'Lutea' / 'George Peabody', Ilex glabra
( Shamrock Inkberry ). Do you know anything about them? Also, why don't the professionals mention them? Are they too rare? I just get the feeling the Green Giant and Emerald Green Thujas are easy to find.
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gardener365
14 years ago
Techny was the first thing that came to my mind, however I was having a difficult time grasping your landscape - corner lot - railroad tracks in front - on a steep hill - I just couldn't see it in my mind all at once.

Techny would be an excellent screener. It's kind of common, or, it's easy to order. I'll link you to a nursery with great prices.

Dax

Here is a link that might be useful: Evergreen Nursery - Evergreen Privacy Screens
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the link Dax. I posted a link to pictures of my yard two posts before yours. Maybe the images help? I think my soil is more loam than sand or clay and certain areas of the yard get very wet in heavy rains, but not by the fence. I am going to check prices at local nurseries.
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severnside
14 years ago
...corner lot - railroad tracks in front - on a steep hill - I just couldn't see it in my mind all at once.

It read like the opening scene setter in a potentially good novel to me :-)
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
Sooo embarrassing to be outed as a frustrated novel writer :)

I am going to post the link again to my yard.

Do you think a mix of the Techny and George Peabody arborvitae might work just for the weedy area in front of the maple? Then wait until I can afford more Technys for the rest.

Here is a link that might be useful: property picx
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gardener365
14 years ago
It looks like there is plenty of depth space in those weeds in front of your maple. 'George Peabody' aka 'Lutea' is quite a taller tree, fyi. You might consider something else such as 'Golden Globe' which grows quick. It'll also meet the Techny's real well in size & appearance. Then the other photos I see look like ideal ground for Techny.

Dax
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
What is really frustrating is the discrepancy in height of the George Peabody at different websites. Most say 10-12 feet but some are saying 25 feet which makes all the difference. I couldn't find the golden globe. I think I want a leafier open branch feeling interspersed with the thick screen of the arborvitae.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
i am going to assume you sit in the Adirondack chairs ...

why not 4 panels of wood fence.. 2 set at a 90 degree angle or so .... to the other 2 ... with your back to the road .... making a little patio on the side opposite the road ... a nice sheltered patio ...

then get rid of about 60 % of what is in that yard..

and replant with a multitude of new plants ...

in about 15 years.. when the wood starts rotting.. you will have a nice natural screen all set to go ...

ken

{{gwi:660805}}
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
Yeah. I investigated fencing, but we have strict setback regs. I can ask the township whether just a couple of panels counts, especially if I left a few inches between them but they are super strict around here. I have pretty much decided against a line of privacy trees. Don't need the box after all. I want to clear out the weeds and plant a couple of trees to block the view, probably Techny's and maybe a fat albert. Decided not to do the whole privacy screen thing and just piece together simple screen in one area. Can be a bit creative and spend less!
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
my idea was at least 6 to 8 feet in from the fence at the angle.. though the drawing did not show that ... so that you can plant some things in the bed along the fence ...

you peeps that have to ask the local governments permission to use your own yard mystify me ... out here in the country.. we are allowed to use our personal real property as we wish.. go figure on that .. i dont think i will ever move back into the city/suburbia ...

anyway ... i am trying to think outside that box i mentioned ...

is there enough sun to grow clematis or morning glory [pole beans]on a trellis the size i drew??? how about removable canvas panels.. that you hook on when you want to go out for the afternoon ... all the while.. getting those plantings growing ....

ken
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karin55
Original Author
14 years ago
Not only do I have to get permission from the local government, but this server does not allow me to see photobucket, so I have not seen the drawing. I will check tonight when at home.

Meanwhile, I really like your ideas! I took a stroll yesterday evening and tried to envision panels and cutting back the wild stuff. I have someone coming in today who can help me with the heavy work (for a price, of course). Then I modified my original idea and kept to the budget. Canvas! great idea! Also the end of the lot closest to the picnic table near the gate of the fence, well, I was thinking of putting a pyrimidal trellis and planting clematis, so great minds and all that. Now that the box seems to be crumbling, I have been looking at outdoor plant racks and large box containers for raised gardens and looking at everything from different angles. When all done I can I will post pics. Thanks again!
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karin55
Original Author
13 years ago
Thought I'd post a picture of the yard now. Decided to go with a mix of Nellie Stevens hollies and Ilex Chesapeakes. Looks good. Tore out the old, transplanted some forsythia and rhododendrum and now can just enjoy the growing time till the trains are hidden. Still thinking of putting a panel of wood I have near the Adirondacks and am planting a Cecil Brunner rambler up my old maple. Lots of fun work. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Karin

Here is a link that might be useful: finished project
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ghostlyvision
13 years ago
That looks wonderful...and that big tree looks like a human sculpture (probably reaching for the sky, if I could see the upper branches lol).
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screening trees for tight spot

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