Need 8 ft. shade privacy hedge. Ideas?

14 years ago

I have oleander growing all along the side fence of my backyard. It has recently gotten the disease that has killed off most of the oleander in our area. It is still in o.k. shape for now, but we need to replace it with something that will grow to about 8 feet and we would like to interplant it with the exsisting oleander untill it is large enough to block the view of my neighbors yard. The nursery salesman suggested wax leaf privet, but as we need coverage for 72 feet the price would be a bit steep planted at 4 feet apart. Do you think putting up trellises and planting honeysuckle would work with the oleander still there? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

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ladywindsurfer
14 years ago
maya__
As a gardener with several Oleander plants, I was surprised to learn that a fatal disease, OLS, is infecting plants in AZ & So. CA. The plants are so toxic, that I never considered any insect would be interested!
The suspected vector, the Glassy-winged sharpshooter, a leafhopper, is native to the SEUS and probably transmits other diseases in this area, but not OLS, so far!
Are you removing and destroying the plants, as soon as the disease is recognized?

Unless you have a source of cheap materials, wouldn't erecting trellises + plant material, be as expensive as planting shrubs?

Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend Wax=leaf Ligustrum or Honeysuckle, as both are invasive pests in this area and I spend many hours each year removing seedlings from the garden.
Why not a combination of plantings?
Some narrow trellises, 4-6' wide x 8' high. I would recommend an evergreen, woody vine, that I use and like very much: Trachleospermum jasminoides, known in the South as Confederate Jasmine and used as a groundcover or a climbing vine on trellises, arbors and pergolas. Blooms in early springtime here and is very pleasantly aromatic.
I acquired an attractive variegated leaf form last year and am testing it for hardiness in my Zone.

Some shrubs that I use for shielding the off-premise Uglies, are Camellia japonica & C. sasanqua, Pieris japonica (green and variegated foliage types), Aucuba japonica (Variegated Gold-Dust plant), Mahonia bealei & aquifolia, Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Variegata' & 'Goshiki' (both very slow growing), evergreen Rhododendron, native & Japanese Hollies (Ilex species & cultivars), Callistemon sp., Illicium floridanum & I. parviflorum.

To hide "bare legs", in cases where necessary, I have used Indian Hawthorn, Dwarf Loropetalum, 'Otto Luyken' Laurel, evergreen Azaleas, Carex and other evergreen perennials, plus dwarf varieties of Chamaecyparis pisifera and Yew.

Since there is concern about the disease affecting economic crops there, maybe there will be a cure for it in the near future. Let's hope so!
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Box is not the same as privet. Buxus sempervirens (box) is a lower growing small leaved evergreen. It CAN grow to 8 feet - after about 50 years and if unpruned. Privet (Various Ligustrums) is deciduous in colder areas and has larger oval leaves. It is a very greedy feeder and will deplete the soil making it difficult if you want to have any kind of flower bed in front of it. There are lots of plants suitable for hedging without resorting to privet. And since you only want to fill a 15 ft length you would not need many plants. Viburnum tinus, Hibiscus syriacus, hollies, beech, hornbeam, yew, Escallonia, various roses, some of the Berberis, bay (if it's hardy for you) and many different conifers can all be grown as a hedge. But would you consider just going for a mixed shrub border rather than a hedge? It would be less formal but you could have a selection of evergreen and deciduous and go for shape, foliage, flowers, fragrance, berries etc as you wish. In front you could put in some perennials and bulbs. Stick in some bird feeders for the winter. The neighbours would be screened and you would be adding an attractive and interesting area to your garden which you could enjoy from your patio. It would not need the regular clipping that a hedge would require. The neighbours could enjoy it from their side and you wouldn't have to go round to their property for maintenance.
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Need 8 ft. shade privacy hedge. Ideas?

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ladywindsurfer

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