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Cottage Gardens

Need an Evergreen privacy screen.

13 years ago

I live in northern NJ in zone 6. Just moved into my first home, backyard is a blank slate and trying out my thumbs to see how green they are. I want to create a private outdoor sitting area. In order to do this I need something evergreen to screen my neighbor's driveway. Considering trees, shrubs, and vines. I have a 4 ft tall split rail fence that it will run along for about 30-40 ft (light will be able to penetrate all sides). I would prefer if the 'plants' would not take up too much space in the yard so that I can plant flowers and smaller shrubs in the foreground, so it could not be more than 5 ft wide. I do not want to use Arborvitae or Boxwoods and Hemlocks are lovely but too big for the space. I am using Manhattan Euonymus trained on a trellis to screen a fence along my driveway but since they tend to attract bees I'm hesitant to use it near my patio. All suggestions for trees, shrubs, and vines welcome! Thank you!

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Comments (3)

girlgroupgirl
13 years ago
I will need something similar to you, and I brought back an old nursery catalog from my Mom's (same zone as you) which is helpful. Here are some ideas:

'Degroots Spire' Thuja Occidentalis, very narrow
Thuja "Little Giant"
Skyrocket Juniper
Blue arrow Juniper
Witchita Blue Juniper
Pyramidal Scots Pine
Columnar Blue Colorado Spruce

Just a few things for you to look up!
libbyshome
13 years ago
Trainng on a trellis is a good idea.
For a tall thin evergreen, you might look to the Japanese hollies Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' or Ilex vomitoria.

Libby
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nothing really stops growing at some magical height ... most height estimates are at 10 years... and they chug right past that forever.. at the annual growth rate ... plant something that excites you .. and in 10 or 20 years ... remove it.. rather than go with something ugly because it fits ... now.. a few more facts besides height and light.. and maybe we can help better .... shade is really hard to describe in words ... what if any actual sun??? you might want to check in the tree.. and conifer forums also .... redbud is a smallish tree.. that flowers in spring.. understory aka shade tree ... though deciduous in winter .. ken
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Have you thought of trying Ceanothus thyrsiflorus? This small tree might not get as tall as you want, but can easily grow to 20ft. It grows fairly quickly and has wonderful blue flowers. This plant is a native to coastal Southern Oregon, but can take quite a bit of cold so it might do well for you. I can't imagine them being very expensive either. Ligustrum lucidum is another fairly fast broadleaf evergeen that works well as a natural or formal hedge. It does much better in Southern Oregon than in the Seattle area for some reason. Here is a picture of a Ligustrum lucidum a couple of hundred yards from my house. It was cut down this year unfortunately. Here is a link that might be useful: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
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This is an interesting question. There are all sorts of plants that could be suggested to provide privacy screening, but as Daphne notes, you'll need to purchase large specimens if you want an immediate effect. And a question can be raised as to the value of making substantial landscaping changes just to sell the house - landscape choices tend to be very personal and are often redone or replaced when a home changes hands. It is most often suggested that landscaping alterations to sell the home be primarily cosmetic unless you plan far enough in advance to have the plantings appear mature. 3 years is often the time frame suggested. Personally, I have a very hard time justifying the expense of going through all sorts of upgrades just to sell a house when the new owners are just as likely to go through and redo everything to their tastes anyway. But with the housing market the way it is, there may be some merit to this if you want the house to move quickly and at a good price. FWIW, winter is the least successful time of year to sell a house - spring and summer will generate much more activity if you have the luxury of delaying until then.
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stage_rat
13 years ago
I think you will probably get privacy the fastest by installing a trellis, even if your evergreen climber will take awhile to cover it. The trellis can be really "closed," or tightly-built, so the trellis itself is screening you off. Unless you can afford really large shrubs, you will have to wait many years for them to attain a good height for screening. You could always install some bamboo fencing in the meantime, (inexpensive, pretty easy to install) just for the seating area, and remove it when the shrubs are tall enough.

Evergreen trellis vines: I can think of climbing hydrangea, and akebia. BUT, akebia seems to be a thug/invasive for warmer zones, I don't know if you count. Here, it's not.

A note about bees: if you are not allergic or truly afraid of them, I don't think you need to be concerned about their presence. I have dozens of bees in my Agastache, and I brush past it several times a day and they don't move. But my BF got stung by walking barefoot on the grass (by a yellowjacket, not a bee). Just something to think about! (and no, he doesn't walk barefoot anymore)

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