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Best bush to use for privacy hedge

15 years ago

Our HOA does not allow privacy fence so we have opted to grow a hedge along our back property line which borders a road. We want to maintain it at a height of about 5' and keep it as narrow as possible but still have it not easily seen through. The hedge will be 110' long so we need something that is resonably priced.

Any suggestions on the best type of bush to use?

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Comments (5)

bindersbee
15 years ago
Evergreen or deciduous? For evergreens, you're limited a little by our climate. You didn't mention how much sun it will get but I'm assuming a new subdivision and full sun.

Also, you need to keep in mind that the more narrow the plant, the more plants it will take to complete the hedge. I just did a landscape plan for a large estate. The 120' hedge of Columnar Hick's Yew (it's in shade) on 2 foot centers at $100 per plant, well, you can see how expensive that gets fast.

Some less costly shrubs that should work for you would be Juniper or Aborvitae. There are a lot of different varieties that would work but I'd look for 'Witchita Blue' Juniper or 'DeGroot's Spire' Aborvitae. If you are buying them all at once, you might be able to have a nursery order them in for you and negotiate a wholesale price since you'll be buying so many. Retail price on a 2', 2 gallon size DeGroot's Spire at Glover Nursery is $24. You could also do a 'Graham Blandy' Boxwood.

For deciduous shrubs, you have more options, some of which include 'Fine Line' Buckthorn, 'Helmond Pillar' Barberry.

I would really encourage you to do a mix of shrubs. It will be more interesting over time and more forgiving if something happens to some of the shrubs. If you do all evergreens in a straight line, you risk 'missing tooth' syndrome WHEN (not if) a plant dies. Vary your line so it's not perfectly straight and a mix of a couple different shrubs and it will all look good.
stevation
15 years ago
Someone in my town (Cedar Hills) made a backyard "fence" out of very closely planted Peking Cotoneasters. They have let them grow very tall (maybe 8-10') but trimmed their side growth to stay narrow. It's working. But these are deciduous, so it's more open in the winter, although they are planted so close that the intertwining branches do provide some barrier even in winter.

I would also think you could get some good use out of laurels. They're evergreen but broad-leaved, which is rare in this climate. My plain English Laurels are wanting to grow quite tall, and I need to trim them back down to 4' or so. I also have some 'Otto Luyken' Laurels that seem more vigorous, but they don't grow so tall. More spreading and 2-3' tall. When I say they're more vigorous, it's because some of the English Laurels get a slight yellowing in the leaves, but I think that's pretty common for them.
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I think you should have an arbor swing if you want one. There are 1001 ways you could design your back yard that would look great. The possibilities are literally endless. A backyard should be a haven from the stresses of everyday life and if a swing relaxes you, you should include one. I would definitely angle the swing between the end of the privacy fence and maple rather than back it up to the fence. This adds to the idea of creating a "room" that incorporates the porch. I also think the shade from the tree will be peaceful in the summer. I don't think you have the room you need for an arbor swing in front of the fence. I would leave the magnolia for now. Work on other things and move it later if needed. Now for the fence. Although a row of hedges sometimes works, I think a backyard should be more varied, lush and carefree. There are so many great plants to choose from and add interest, why limit yourself to just one? I personally would start by adding a small flowering tree or a very large shrub about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way down the fence. It's not just the fence that you want to block, but also the house. A pretty tree would draw your eye away from the house. Dogwood, Plum or Sweetbay magnolia come to mind. I would make the beds 4-5 ft. except I would curve it out even more where the tree is. I would continue the bed all the way around past the swing and a little past the maple. Along the fence I would choose something along the lines of azaleas, Korean boxwood or Juddi viburnum. Use variety, but in any one place plant several of the same shrub and stagger them. You do not need shrubs that are 6 ft. tall to hide the fence. If you landscape it right you won't even notice the fence because the landscaped bed will be so alluring. In front of the shrubs I would use a vareity of perennials. Choose 3-5 varieties that you like and plant them in groupings of the same type. You don't want a hodge podge of too many different things because then you loose the impact of each kind. Definitely plant hostas around the maple. Use ones of different sizes and colors. In summary: Plant a tree in front of the fence to be a focal point. Use punctuated variety with your plants. Create an entire sanctuary in your back yard, not just a view blocker. Use curves everywhere...bed outlines and plant placement. Almost forgot the roses. I would wrap another bed directly around the porch if there's room and enough light.
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Hi Francine, I would look at cheap, fast growing, dense shrubs common to your local area. If you can find a local wholesaler who also sells retail (because of the bad economy, many will nowadays--ask!) you can get great deals. Also try looking at your local Craigslist. Sometimes you can find people who want to get rid of some shrubs, if you are willing to dig them up you can get them for FREE. If you post a request to Craigslist you may be able to find some. Another angle to try is local garden clubs. Dedicated gardeners are often pulling stuff out and replacing it--you could ask around there for discards. Recommendations would depend on what climate you are in, which you don't say. Roses are not evergreen, so you would have a period of time when they provide no screening. In a colder climate they need more care than you may be willing to provide, unless Rugosa roses are appropriate for your climate. But they would probably be more expensive than common green shrubs. Also I'm assuming you have permission from your landlord to plant stuff. Good luck with your project!
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Wax myrtle and wax leaf ligustrum are both fast-growing plants that will get 10 feet tall or taller. Wax leaf ligustrum has dark green glossy leaves and beautiful blooms in the spring, but you won't want to plant it if you are allergic to it. Wax myrtle is so tough, it's planted in coastal regions as a windbreak for hurricanes. Hibiscus grows fast, but doesn't take well to pruning. Keep in mind that anything you plant will take a couple of years to get established and really start growing well, then they will take off. I suggest something like Fakkahatchee grass inbetween them in the meantime while they are getting established. Not hard to take it out once they are large enough, and you may just want to leave it as an understory plant. Lemon grass is also a possibility. It spreads extremely rapidly. I started with one sprig a year ago and had to thin mine this year it was spreading so fast. You can actually buy sprigs of that in asian food stores, put them in water to get roots, and then plant them out.
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Ok, sorry about that. This thread is only for the backyard where privacy is needed, and the pics are only from the backyard, I created a panorama of the backyard. In this pic I am looking at the screen-covered back porch, we have plans to re-do that back porch and create some paver or brick patio around it, but that is way far from now. I do want to throw this out there that I have been considering dwarf korean lilacs for the right side of the image ( property line) with some small line of boxwoods at their feet to cover the woody areas during when they are at their best, I mentioned that dead-looking shrub in the image is gonna go because is partially dead, I think is rose of sharon and those burgundy ones will stay in... now the original images will make sense.
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cyclewest
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We have English Laurels. Most are at about 4 feet, with some over six feet tall, maybe two or three feet wide. We've had a lot of die back, not sure if it was the cold or lack of watering/fertilization. My neighbors and I are going to tag team them into shape so they are consistently the same height, and I'm going to put a programmer on my soaker hose to get them watered. Other than that, they are evergreen, very thick, nice smell when in bloom. I'm hoping we (and the Laurels) will be much happier when we start giving them the attention they deserve.
bindersbee
15 years ago
All broadleaf evergreens struggle a bit with the dryness of our climate. The dry winter winds pull the moisture out of the plant through the leaves (desicating). To maintain their health, they need some protection- meaning not in the direct path of wind OR in full sun. Laurels in full sun will go downhill quickly. Also, in the winter, you need to water them once per month unless we have snowmelt. If there's no snow OR the snow stays continuously frozen, water your evergreens.
gingerflower
15 years ago
My parent's neighbors have red twig dogwood that are very very tall and keep them very private from the street. They are gorgeous year long, but I don't know just how long it takes them to grow. Good luck!

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