Unless you are planning to sell the house within about ten years, you'll regret planting white pines. They really aren't a good screen.

Mad gallica is right--they are a terrible screen. They grow fast, drop their lower branches so you see anyway what you were trying to screen, and the upper, needled branches throw dense shade under which little grows. But people are tempted to buy them because they can get an instant screen, which only lasts for a few years.

Well I am beside myself then for solutions; any suggestions as to what would be good?

Davey--Tell us: sun or shade or mixed; soil wet or dry or average; what are you trying to screen--neighbor, highway, or ? Do you have to deal with salt spray? Any other info? I assume you want evergreens--or do you?

I have had some spruce trees growing along the border since 6 years ago but they keep growing higher but not filling in the gaps horizontally; they were recommended by the nursery that planted them; they were planted about 4' apart and grew to about 8' now but still have significant gaps. Last year the neighbor's installed an above ground pool just behind the spruce trees right next to the property line and now two of the trees look very bad; one is clearly dying mid to lower section is all brown.

The area is sun/part shade, I would say soil is fairly dry as it is on top of a down slope; and no there is no salt spray. I don't have to have evergreens and would like a natural look to it; but would like the screen to totally hide the base of the pool during nicer weather when I am out on my deck; right now the side of the pool is in clear view.

I don't know how tall your screen must be. And I assume you don't want a fence or you would have already done that. The Cape doesn't have deer problems that I know of--hope someone will correct me if wrong. So you might consider Hicks yews, a great hedging plant, or arborvitae. Both are evergreen and fast-growing (but deer candy). A wonderful plant for the Cape is bayberry. Native, dense, wonderful green foliage, and berries. Not evergreen. Or rugosa roses, if the screen does not need to be too tall and there is enough sun. The list of deciduous shrubs for hedging is long. You might pick a viburnum as many species have both flowers and fruit, and they grow fast. I had several Viburnum trilobum shrubs (American cranberry bush) for a number of years--fast-growing, covered with white flowers in spring and the most gorgeous berries in late summer, starting yellow-gold, then turning red. Somewhat sloppy growth habit. About 10' tall. Native. Hope this helps.

I like all of ginny's suggestions, V trilobum is very fast growing. Mine tends towards legginess, but that can be corrected by cutting back a few branches every year.

Bayberry is very nearly evergreen, the leaves persist through much of the winter, it does prefer full sun but will tolerate some shade - I've seen it in the woods here. It tends to spread out wquite a bit, a real plus in your situation.

Deciduous shrubs that have a bushy texture (not like lilac, but something with lots of twigs) are generally less expensive than evergreens, provide dense screening, and grow faster than most evergreens. I'm thinking of something like kerria japonica, which looks something like forsythia but prefers part shade. It's bright geen stems are lovely in winter, too. It's quite wide-spreading and mine's at least 8' tall.

The yew is a good choice, it's one of the fastest growing conifers and does like more shade than most others.

This may all hinge on what's available at your local nurseries - I'd imagine you want these gaps filled in NOW, so the sooner you get something planted the better off you will be. I'd start looking around asap, and see what you can find. Another source for larger shrubs is Sylvan Nursery in Westport - a bit of a hike but might be worth it if you can't find anything locally.

I would worry about why the two spruces next to the above ground pool are dying. Is the neighbor spraying or draining treated water onto the soil by your trees? If so, you may not be able to get any reasonable replacement to grow there.

Claire

I meant to mention tha you should check those spruces for spruce spider mite if you are seeing die back on the branches. Hold a piece of white paper under a branch and shake the branch - if you see lots of tiny dots on the paper, spider mites are causing the die back.

I thought I was going to lose my spruces a couple of years ago from these minute pests, they defolite spruces really quickly at this time of year and again in fall. They are especially prevalent where insectides have been used. The good news is that they can be knocked off with a sharp stream of water - if this is done daily, it interrupts the life cycle and stops the defoliation.

Thanks for some great advice; I do like the idea of using the American Cranberrybush ie since I like a wild, natural look.

I will check my spruce tomorrow re: mites; that hadn't occurred to me.

And they attract birds for the fruit, tho the "cranberries" are so tart, they are just about the last thing the birds will eat in late winter. Supposedly they are edible for people too but I'd double-check on that before you serve them at Thanksgiving.

I don't think you're going to have a lot of luck with eastern white pines in the Wellfleet area. They are highly intolerant of salty air and soil. That's why as you're driving through Plymouth heading toward the Cape, you see them abruptly disappear from the scenery. By the time you reach Rte 6, scrubby oaks and Pitch Pines dominate the scenery. By the time, you reach the outer Cape, you only see Pitch pines because they are one of the few trees that can tolerate such a saline environment not to mention the high winds of the area. Their toughness is laudable even if they are the ugliest member of the pine family.

If you are determined to plant some evergreens in that area, I would plant an Eastern Red Cedar. They grow fast and are branched low and thick. I see them quite often in extreme situations along coastal areas so they are probably your best best. They should be readily available. If you have to go with pines, stay away from all five-needled pines. Some pines like eastern white pine grow their needles in bundles of five. All members of this group are salt-sensitive. I would recommend Bosnian pines if you can find them. I've seen them for sale at Morrison's in Plymouth. You might also try Austrian Pines. You may even try some of the native Pitch pines. They will be a bit thicker than what you are used to seeing while they are young and especially if you give them some fertilizer.

It's possible you could use some deciduous trees for your screen although the lack of them in the Wellfleet area doesn't bode well for their long-term success. Another problem is that a lot of deciduous trees that tolerate salt are invasive. Having said that, a large thick shrubby-like tree like Amur maple or Autumn Olive might work in your situation. Some of the more standard trees like Green and White Ash and Sycamore maple are very good at tolerating salty environments but they may not handle the winds out your way. You might consider a crabapple. They are tough as nails and provide the extra bonus of being an ornamental.

Isn't there a garden center right on Rte. 6 as you enter Wellfleet? You can probably get an idea of what may be tolerated in your area from the types of trees they sale. As I recall, there is also another nursery on Rte. 6, just outside of Truro or maybe in Truro. You could also get some advice on your situation from either nursery.

This question is actually another good reason to go on local garden tours. You get to see what grows well in your area, ask questions of homeowners, etc. A great learning experience.