Still no edit button I see?
That should be a 2000' long hedge, planting space is 4-5', between the fencing and ditch.
I'd like to put Thuja plicata but unsure if such a narrow swatch will allow them to grow a decent size without falling over.

Thanks Ken, the hedge will be 100% on my property, the soil is sily loam (likeclay but drains a bit faster) water in ditch a lot- it's a wet area (Thuja seem to do best in the area when it comes to evergreens BUT I'm open to alternatives).
I'd like to keep my actual location private but it's a mountainous Zone 6. No I didn't speak with any government office- I'm not sure they will have this answer. I'd rather ask people someone dedicated to conifer cultivation discuss...

I'd like to keep my actual location private

==>> of course.. but z6 north IL is a bit different from z6 NC ... or MS... or KS... etc ...

i dont want your address.. i want to know night humidity... day humidity.. declination of the sun ... elevation.. etc ... there are simply so many variables.. that MIGHT matter ...

also.. if i had a state.. i might be inclined to google up your state conservation district ... and see what they offer online ...

baaaaah ... lol

all this and that said ... trees put their roots where they are 'good' for the tree .. they arent so stupid.. to grow down into water they dont want ... ah.. 'advantageous' is the word i was struggling for .... the key.. in my world.. is planting small.. and letting a small plant.. get itself established ... in its spot ..

now.. if you are bringing in 10 foot ball and burlap trees... that will take 5 years to get re-established.. i could see all kinds of problems... like slipping down the hill.. falling over .. etc ....

anyway ... you want peeps in a similar circumstance to you but you want to hold back pertinent info .. your choice.. but the more you give us ... the better the replies ... [e.g. my name inplies adrian MI .. but if you tried to find me on that.. you would have to search about 20 square miles .. and good luck with that ]

GOOD LUCK ....

ken

ps: another e.g. ... one of our friends here.. is z5 KC .... he can not grow half the stuff i do.. due to that little river nearby ... and night humidity ... and it might be important in regard to whether plicata is proper ... unless you are sure of that part ....

weed, lots of conifers appreciate moisture,,,,,thuja plicata(like you said),,Green Giant,,

dawn redwood,,bald cypress,,,,,they would probably send their roots into ditch

And for the most part,those that don't, would send their roots elsewhere

you may have to do some lower branch trimming later on to clear fence

ron

Fireweed. Metasequoia is great if your are zone 6ish, probably most of zone 5. Whaas who frequents these boards can tell you about its limits up north.

Your Thuja choice seems decent to me. I worry about longer term if its roots will grow down into the damper areas. Maybe others can speak from experience.

Would it be possible to make a mixed planting? I would hate for you to start losing the whole thing 20 years from now. Either from insufficient root development of some Thuja bug. if your zone is too cold for Metasequoia then Taxodium (Bald cypress) is great. heck, plant all three. no one bug or winter or drought will get them all.

And again..........trees actually "know" how to grow their various parts. Once again....trees actually "know" how to grow their various parts. They've been at it a long time. For an example, the genus we now call Thuja is millions of years old. One wonders if they'd have made it this far and this long without our help. And yes, that is a joke.

A little narrow perhaps, but that sounds like an ideal siting for T. plicata.....or dawn redwood, for that matter.

+om

Is the area particularly windy? How deep is the ditch? I'd think a "clayish" soil would be good for keeping trees upright. Lots of trees grow on rocky hills or along retaining walls just fine. Water in the ditch is likely to be a bigger problem. Is your area warm enough for baldcypress?