Help with a screening buffer!!!

19 years ago

Help! I am in East Tennessee (Knoxville) and just found out that the county is taking a 2 lane road behind our property and making it into a 3 lane with sidewalks to accomodate property up the road that just was zoned industrial and commercial. (THis is a real sore subject since my husband and I just bought the home in April and were not told of all the upcoming development! We came home this past Wednesday to an 8 foot section behind our fence completely wiped out!)

We bought the home for the privacy of mature 40 to 70 foot trees that line the road but the county is taking out every bit of that! I am needing to get a planting of something to screen and try to buffer out the traffic noise.

It needs to be evergreen, hardy, pretty tall (no less than about 30 or 40 feet) and a fast grower.

My landscaping has lots of hydrangea varietys (Oak Leafs, Annabelles, etc.) , Little Gem Magnolias and Crepe Myrtles. I want to eventually add Nellie R. Stevens Hollys and I wanted any suggestions that I can use for the backdrop to all of this that will make it in our heat.

Thanks in advance!

Booo

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Comments (13)

nanadeb1
19 years ago
I too would be a little upset with this development.

Some folks don't like Olendars, but if you don't eat them, they make great privacy fences. Fast growning and make pretty flowers.
Twinkle
19 years ago
Leyland Cypress, a staggered double row. Grows fast, and is used a lot around here for highway buffers.
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Hey, great post! You obviously have really thought this one out. I can't site empirical evidence, but I would not be at all worried about pollution from the street in your residential area. When I lived in Japan I was impressed at how well they mixed agriculture with urban landscapes, and couldn't help but wish we were better at that in the US. Next to a six-lane highway might be one thing of course, but here in the Southwest for example people get permits to cut curbs, allowing road runoff to irrigate their fruit trees growing in the right-of-way. I have to admit that in northern climates salting of the roads could severely impact your plants, but you don't have to worry about that. I bet the physical impacts of the roadside, such as trash blowing around, pedestrians picking the fruit, kids on bicycles, might end up being more annoying than the chemical or cultural impacts of that area. Maybe your border/buffer could help limit some of those? Good luck...
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One rarely sees wax myrtles in my area (North Bexar County), possibly because they do not respond well to the alkalinity of our soil and water. Even the ones offered by nurseries are frequently yellowish, if they've been there a while. For your area, however, that just might be the way to go. From the photos I've recently seen, they make a most attractive screen, where they do well. I have to list Blue Point Juniper near the top of the list of my gardening failures. Mine just didn't get enough sun, which shouldn't be a problem for you. Above and beyond that, however, I had some distressing and time-consuming problems with various parasites which caused dead areas in the foliage. As I recall, the Blue Point doesn't grow back where it has been pruned. I think a little research will confirm that it can be troublesome to maintain.
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Iris GW
19 years ago
I don't think Oleander is hardy in zone 7.

Wax myrtle is a nice evergreen tree/shrub. You could plant a double layer (the outside one, like Leyland cypress being a fast grower and the inside one being something that is slower, but more attractive to you). There is no doubt that leyland is fast and thick, but I don't think that it is very attractive.
LoraxDave
19 years ago
I know this must be very disappointing and frustrating!

I really like Wax Myrtles. I think one problem in East Tennessee Zone 7 could be damage due to ice or snow. Wax Myrtles tend to break fairly easily, unfortunately. They do grow fast, though, no doubt about it. I have three growing in a muxed border screen. I rooted these from cuttings I took from a very vigorous Wax Myrtle I found in a parking lot island. LOL. One of them is 7 feet tall and probably 6 feet wide only 3 years out from sticking the cutting! Very dense also.

Actually, I think Nellie Stevens hollies would make a good screen. They don't grow as fast as Leyland Cypress or Wax Myrtles, but they are probably fast enough.
lovemyshovel
19 years ago
I can really relate. I am from that area, Loudon to be exact. Where are you? Hate to break it to you but the saying around that area is, if a developer takes a county commissioner to breakfast at Hardee's you can kiss half the county goodbye. If you live near Loudon or Tellico Lake, all of that land was taken by force from farmers, given to developers and sold at 1000% appreciation to retirees from outside the area! But that is off-topic.

Leyland cypress will work there, but they are unattractive for you and considering all the beautiful plants that can grow there, I recommend against it! If you just want a solid wall like that, hollies grow quickly and work as well, and are more interesting.

But this could be an opportunity to do something really lovely interesting for your side of the view. Just about as quick would be a mixed tree/shrub border.
This could include smaller trees eg bradford pear, crape myrtle and redbud, and large shrubs that will grow well under them, such as
kerria, weigela, euonymus (alatus needs full sun so zig zag them from taller stuff), rosemary (it can get pretty big!), american box will grow slowly but thrive, abelia, taller azaleas, cherry laurels, nandina (grows fast!), viburnum, etc. including variegated and purple variations along the way.
Where the shrubs leave low empty spots, fill that peonies, skimmia, dwarf spirea and barberry, smaller azaleas, etc.

Good luck!
weaver2282
19 years ago
I just moved in to my first house and only one problem exists that really iritates me... my neighbors!!! They love to look out their bedroom window, which unfortunately looks directly into my backyard!!! I am needing any info on a good screen trees or tall shrubs to create privacy since my fence and their 2nd story window are only 12 feet apart. I think the plant needs to be fast growing and ever green as well as pretty dense to screen. I think their window is 18-25 ft up but it directly looks over my fence! I have clay ground but I am willing to do anything. I live outside of Houston ... any ideas??
art777
19 years ago
Doesn't anyone do fences ,anymore?If you find out what the law is for height-get the highest the law will allow-thwn buy a book called "planning your garden" (McCoy) at Borders or Barnes &Noble-6.00-it deals with that.In front od the fence(hopefully which is eight feet high which will cut out noise and trespassers-) THEN plant your stuff,and all the tree advice was good.But fence first!You will then have a gorgeous border-and can plant colorful shrubs next,and florals..Marilyn.....
art777
19 years ago
Doesn't anyone do fences ,anymore?If you find out what the law is for height-get the highest the law will allow-thwn buy a book called "planning your garden" (McCoy) at Borders or Barnes &Noble-6.00-it deals with that.In front od the fence(hopefully which is eight feet high which will cut out noise and trespassers-) THEN plant your stuff,and all the tree advice was good.But fence first!You will then have a gorgeous border-and can plant colorful shrubs next,and florals..Marilyn.....
ilikemud
19 years ago
I'd plant Cryptomeria, it will grow as quickly as Leylands and they are not suseptable to the fungus/bactirium that are going to wipe out the overused Leylands. I planted some Arizona Cypress for a screen and they are doing very well-look like Leyland but has nice blue foliage.
gardnpondr
19 years ago
Boo, I am sooooooooooooo sorry! :( I know how flustrating that can be! We had a couple with a breeding dog business move in behind us before we moved out here and built us a home. Those dogs would bark ALL NIGHT LONG! and they just had to put their kennels right on our property line! The kennel was a trailer. The dog trailer was nicer than the one the family actually lived in.
Good luck with your trees!!!!!! You could also do you a waterfall with at least a 700-1000 GPH pump in it to buffer the noise.
michal_ms
19 years ago
These are great suggestions. How nice it would be to have an unlimited gardening, landscaping budget. You folks are lucky! I've got two acreas to deal with, and I needed a fast "neighbor" screen. I did go with Leyland Cypress and plan to sheer it into a tall hedge. Almost nothing evergreen grows faster - just put the water and fertilizer to it!! Bye, bye neighbors! And Leylands are cheap, so you can plant lots and lots of them.

I also planted 1 gal. Virgina pine and Loblolly pine all over a steep hillside (25 pines in all). I screened the bottom of the hill with 7 gal. Southern Magnolias. Now I would just love a big beautiful brick fence across the front with a gate for the driveway.

Sweet peace and privacy, and it would be most welcome. My neighbors are getting on my nerves, because they just can't mind their own business. A brick fence across the front is expensive! So that will have to wait for more gardening funds. Definitely NOT this year.

Michal
creatrix
19 years ago
Unfortunately, plants don't do much for noise. A Fence would be the best option for that, as well as the water feature.

If you decide on Leylands for speed, mix in some VA Redcedar and Crypotmeria to be ready when the Leylands either get sick or blow over in a storm.
palmloco_22
18 years ago
Oh man can I relate to this one! We paid a premium for the lot we buit on just so we would not have anyone behind us. Now, there are two giant two story homes looking directly into our backyard and the back windows of our house! We built a pool in our backyard because we wanted a private retreat. So much for that.
And it would not be so bad if they were nice people who enjoyed nature as we do. But they are rude, nosey, and they drive me nuts! They threaten constantly to trap and remove the harmless and local wildlife that have lived here since way before they came along!
I've had enough. The Wax Myrtles are going up. No more ms nice guy!
Why can't we all just get along?

Help with a screening buffer!!!

Comments (13)

nanadeb1

Twinkle

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