Where are you?

We need that info for an appropriate suggestion.

Mike

i dont understand the pic either ...

are you planting at the base of the wall that we only see the top of???

or is that the foundation.. and the wall is now built upon that???

if so.. how about a pic of that spot

ken

Sorry for the confusion. We are located in Atlanta, GA and the house on the left is our house. So we want to plant something 2 to 3 feet from that retaining wall. Behind the wall are the neighbors and their wooden fence. We do not want to plant at the bottom of the retaining wall in between the wooden fence. There is not enough space there and it will take a lot longer to get t he privacy screen we desire because the retaining wall is about 7 feet tall. What you see in the picture is just the last row of cement blocks.

How close you can plant to the wall depends on how the wall was built. Hopefully it was engineered and constructed correctly - in most areas of the country, there is a limit to the height a retaining wall can be (usually anything in excess of 3') without approved, engineered drawings. And there is also a limit to the height most interlocking concrete block walls are suited for, again typically right around 3' (unless a specialized, industrial type block).

If the wall has been designed and constructed correctly, then you can plant quite close to the edge without fear the plants and their root systems will eventually damage or weaken the wall. Elderberries are not evergreen, so you might want to eliminate them. Privet is invasive in your area and I doubt Italian cypress are happy in Georgia humidity. Broadleaved evergreens tend to get rather wide so pruning into a hedged form may be required unless you select a very columnar variety, like 'Sky Pencil' Japanese holly. Camellia sasanqua is quite easily espaliered to form a very 2 dimensional screen but it will need some sort of support system to accomplish this training method.

I have no idea how well American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis, do in your area but they are a classic, tall, narrow evergreen screening choice.

Yes, the wall was engineered and built well - do you think I can plant Thuja occidentalis about 2 feet from the wall?

If you are secure in the structural integrity of the wall, then yes, 2' from the wall is not an unreasonable placement.

Thanks

look at T. o. degroots sprire ... look for single leader plants.. and try to maintain them that way ... they will outgrow many of the other arbs.. like emerald green etc ... height wise ...

and i would diversify the planting .. perhaps the holly gal mentions ...

i would also plant at the bottom ... why not ..

i would go no more than 4 footers ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=Thuja+occidentalis+%27DeGroot%27s+Spire%27.&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI59iW_ampxwIVB0KSCh3LTgG7&biw=870&bih=745&dpr=0.9

Thank you all for the suggestions and comments. I am leaning towards the Thuja Occidentalis or DeGroot spaced about 3 feet from each other.

What size should I be looking to buy them? I was thinking 5-6 feet at the time of planting or is that too much for this kind of tree?

Thanks

the smaller the plant .... the faster it gets ESTABLISHED.. and the faster it gets on with its real annual growth rate ..

3 to 4 feet max ..

are you doing this yourself or hired out???

see link on how to plant

i would aim for mid sept for planting ... or early spring ... or the best time for your area ... not august ...

ken
https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I am planning on doing this myself. If I have troubles sourcing the plants then I will hire someone that can get them.

My wife seems to like the idea of creating a hedge using American Holly. There will be some trimming maintenance for me but it looks like it will give us a heavily screened hedge, privacy, quick growth and my wife likes it :)

Thank you for all your comments and help

how in the world do you trim the side away from the house ... jet pack???

harry potter and levitation???

better think that one out ...

you can mail order reasonably sized plants .. if you dont insist on instant gratification ...

ken

Hollies are in general on the slow side. But the arborvitaes aren't likely to shoot up either. It all depends on how long you are willing to wait - maybe you need a fence, with planting in front, instead of just a hedge by itself.

I can walk behind the wall and use my long trimmer. I think I can also walk on the wall if needed and do the trimming. No jet pack :( as much as I love the idea :)

You might consider Yardvaarks idea (landscaping forum) of growing vines

to give you privacy until your shrubs grow up. I believe Yardvaark lived in your area at one time.

I like the American Holly idea...berries for birds, Christmasy look, takes better to pruning then many conifers. Be aware American Holly has more of a tree look then many other hollies.

I've also always preferred Eastern Red Cedar to arborvitae because it has blue-gray berries, but I'm apparently the only one.

In the short run you can put a trellis against the wall and have vines climb it like josephene_gw suggested. Be careful to pick a vine that isn't an invasive species.