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Texas Gardening

privacy screen trees/shrubs options

17 years ago

I planted some crepe myrtles behind our house to help cover the view of our neighbors but decided that an evergreen would work better. So now two things...I will need to dig them up and re-plant( they have only been in-ground for 4 months?) I am looking for something not too bushy because our yard in not too deep and it is a landscaped bed as well. Also..I like the tree formation not hedge..would need about 8 feet of height( eventually) to really do the trick. Wax myrtle has been suggested by landscapers but I am looking for other possibilities as well but am taking that into consideration too.Another big deal is the prices that the nurseries want for any somewhat sizable tree...I have checked Houston Garden Centers and there is one more place I will check..any suggestions?? I am just north of Houston in Conroe...Thanks! You guys here are great!

Trish

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Comments (6)

kingbingo
17 years ago
I would go with a large oleander.
wannabgreen
Original Author
17 years ago
Forgot to mention...I have kids and pets...oeleander is nice but I would prefer them only for the front yard because of toxic tendencies. :0(
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Leyland cypress are beautiful, but they get HUGE (can be 15 feet wide and 60 feet tall), and they are bagworm magnets, at least here. They grow so fast that they'd work you to death trying to keep them pruned any smaller. Not to mention the fact that you'd need a cherry picker to do it. If you want a conifer look, I'd suggest Arborvitae, Emerald (or Emerald Green), also called "Smargd". It is 10 to 15 feet tall, but narrow, about 3 feet, and absolutely carefree. It will grow in any light exposure from full sun to full shade (I have them in all). You could also go with hollies. Burfordii is nice and the size you want. It has beautiful form and color, and the berries are a nice bonus. Foster Holly would be another possibility. Some other possibilities are Banana Shrub (Michelia figo), Camellias, Gardenias (they won't like competition from other trees), Ligustrum, and Cleyera (one of my personal favorites for hedging).
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That is Hydrangea paniculata 'Quickfire', and it blooms from about the first week of July until a hard freeze in the fall, changing from that bright white to a deep rosy pink. There's a fall photo of it in the thread I linked above. I'd plant a couple of small to medium sized shrubs (there's a Hydrangea 'Little Quickfire' that might well work for that) in front of the hawthorn to fill in below the tree's branches and the break up the straight line. In planning how close to plant, I look at the ultimate width of the plant and divide by two. So with your Diablo ninebark, leave 5-6 feet on each side (12/2=6). I like to plant some a bit further forward and some a bit further back so that visually they overlap more even though there's still enough space between them.
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all_wet
17 years ago
Wax Myrtles. Native, will grow up to 30', and can be pruned as a hedge.
msdoodahs
17 years ago
Nandina domestica? Tough as nails, nice color in the fall/winter, berries for Christmas decorating, and food for the birds, too. Some people hate it - not me!

I think it eventually gets to 8 ft or so.
wannabgreen
Original Author
17 years ago
I have some but it is too short and would take forever to get to that height cause it was in our front beds and we kept whacking it back...Yep definately tough! We even have one in a pot leaves and what little dirt on its roots that was left after digging up and looks great even after the cold! Maybe if I can find some that is on the taller side I wouldn't mind. I didn't realize it would get that tall.
Nandina that is!

Trish
whitneymac
17 years ago
I know you said that cost is an issue, but we've bought some live oaks at both Lowe's and at Cornelius on 1960, and the Cornelius ones are well worth the extra $$- they doubled in size quickly, and the Lowe's ones look puny still!

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