Evergreen screen for privacy?

18 years ago

I need help! I live in southern Oregon and I'm trying to find a fast growing tree to plant in along a fence, 1500' worth. I've bought Thuja 'Green Giants' but the BRONZE color is not working. I'm thinking about leyland cypress Emerald Isle 'Moncal'...The other leylands seem to turn into monsters to quickly!!! I need something that hold its green in the winter and grows fast...The fence is along a group of track homes. The houses are to the south so I won't be blocking out the sun. Thuja plicata or occidentalis cultivators or?

Thank you

Comments (10)

Embothrium
18 years ago
Calocedrus decurrens. Not fast but superior otherwise-and native to southern Oregon. 'Moncal' is unlikely to appear much different from the others in time, the more vivid green seems to be the main feature.
manzanita1
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you bboy...Where I raised we have quite a few. I love them but the wife wants something a little faster. How about Thuja plicata 'GROVEPLI' SPRING GROVE. Does this bronze in the winter as bad as the Green giant? Or ?

Thank you again!
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I know we don't have dimensions yet, but I put this list together, just to give you a variety of options. The list below includes a few that might get wider than you want, but maybe worth a look: Colorado Blue spruce, Picea pungens: http://www.thetreefarm.com/spruce-columnar-blue http://www.thetreefarm.com/spruce-blue-mountain Weeping white spruce, Picea glauca pendula: http://www.thetreefarm.com/spruce-weeping-white Norway spruce, Picea abies 'Cupressina': http://www.thetreefarm.com/spruce-norway-columnar Pine: http://www.thetreefarm.com/pine-arnold-s-sentinel http://www.thetreefarm.com/pine-bosnian-columnar http://www.thetreefarm.com/pine-swiss-stone-blue-mound http://www.thetreefarm.com/pine-mugho-tannenbaum A few wildcards, just for fun. These are wayward growers, they won't grow straight up, part of their charm, but maybe not the look you're going for: http://www.thetreefarm.com/spruce-the-blues-weeping-colorado The serbian linked below probably wouldn't like full sun, but how cool! http://www.thetreefarm.com/spruce-serbian-weeping On spacing, take the mature width, near the bottom of each page from the links and divide by 2. If a plant reaches a mature width of 10 feet, divide by 2 and plant at least 5 feet apart. I might add a foot to that so you can water, weed and mulch around the trees. Don't plant right on the property line or right up against a fence or corner. For example, if the tree you like is 10 feet wide at maturity, plant it 8 to 10 feet back from a fence or corner, so you can get around it to do maintenance. A few other random thoughts. The pandemic has created some price gouging, on all fronts. Prices seem higher to me than last year. You'll have to shop around to see who has what, in sizes you can afford and can physically plant yourself unless you plan to have the nursery do it. Having the nursery plant seems wildly expensive, but you'd likely get a 100% warranty on the tree for a year. If you plant yourself, you'll probably get a 50% warranty for the first year. I don't think there is any substitute for going to the nursery and seeing the trees in person. I would also look and ask for fresh stock. Conifers can take a long time to show damage. Last year's stock went through that 70 degree temp swing and may look fine now, but might not in 6 months. Conifers are best planted in spring here. It might be worth waiting until next year to get fresh, healthy stock. I've also seen a trend of nurseries not up-potting when they should and trees really need to have their roots spread out at planting. We're getting to the end of prime planting time for conifers. That doesn't mean you can't still plant, but just be aware that planting in the 90 degree temps coming next week is less than optimal. Another consideration is shading the trees a bit at planting. A tree fresh in from the pacific northwest is likely to burn here, so you may have to erect a shade structure till they get acclimated, just like any other plant. The Tree Farm is a great place to see multiple specimens of a tree you're interested in, some have slightly different habits that you can't see from a website. O'Toole's generally has good, reasonably priced trees, but maybe only 1 or 2 of each. Barb
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eric_in_west_seattle
18 years ago
Sounds like what you need is bamboo.

If interested I can refer you to sources in your area.
Embothrium
18 years ago
The yen for an instant hedge that is also tidy is nearly constantly expressed on this site. As a rule you can't have it both ways, fast = unruly. Bamboo does have the advantage of each culm growing to its full height the first summer and then stopping.
Mary Palmer
18 years ago
Bamboo makes a great privacy screen! It involves low maintenance sometimes called 'Gardening'. There are some great suppliers in your area. If you have access to a tractor or rototiller you have all you need for rhizome control, if you wish to keep it thinned out, a reciprocating saw works great. Feed the thinnings to livestock.It is a grass after all...
If you are not into gardening and don't have the equipment or access to it, choose a slower growing more expensive evergreen. It's hard to believe anyone REALLY NEEDS 1500' of solid screening.
Embothrium
18 years ago
Mixed planting is best, except where planning to shear or wanting a formal effect--something not called for nearly as often as it is undertaken. A border of assorted trees and shrubs will be more effective a screen and have more interest, plus if a particular variety doesn't take or fails later the same level of misfortune will not occur than as if the whole planting was made up of this one kind.
eric_in_west_seattle
18 years ago
I always think in terms of sightlines. If you are trying to block a view of something 100 feet away from a sitting area, you can plant something really tall and broad 90 feet away or something much shorter and narrower only 10 feet away.

The mixed planting can incorporate trees/shrubs/bamboos at varying distances and placements from your common viewing areas.

Does that make sense?
I'd still plant a few clumps of bamboo, regardless. There are some amazing and uncommon varieties.
annzgw
18 years ago
Have you considered Prunus caroliniana or Prunus laurocerasus or are you wanting a conifer?
memom27
15 years ago
Reading this post in 10/08. Wondering what you finally planted and how's it doing? I'm looking for a similar solution. Regardless of poster who wondered about a 1500' screen, I can see you needing it. I need one about 1400' just behind the dam of a pond to screen the timberland that's just been cut over.
WindyOaks, SE Georgia
homernoy
15 years ago
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

Evergreen screen for privacy?

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Evergreen screen for privacy?

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