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Tall (12-15 ft), fast growing privacy tree

8 years ago

Recently purchased a home in baton rouge LA and it has a very small outdoor area that I am converting into a New Orleans style patio/courtyard with the help of an 8 ft privacy fence. The only problem is that the 2 story house behind me looks directly into the courtyard.

Thought about bamboo and bananas but both seem like a lot of work to prevent escaping into neighbors lawn, so thinking about more of a tall skinny tree that would break the line o sight.

Do not need complete block, just break up the view... Any suggestions. Would like it to get to 10-15 ft this summer.

Any suggestions.

area is only about 20 ft wide so would like to prevent "fat" tree... Tall and skinny is best (or can be pruned into skinny)

Featured Answer

alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama

8 years ago

Sky Pencil Holly would be ideal, but it won't be 15' next year.

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Comments (13)

hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
8 years ago
12-15' would be a medium shrub rather than a tree. Consider these:

Savannah holly, Dahoon holly,
banana shrub, sweet olive, Japanese viburnum, sweet viburnum, Japanese
yew, ligustrum, cherry laurel, loropetalum, Russian olive or elaeagnus,
pineapple guava, needlepoint holly, Nellie R. Stevens holly, wax myrtle
and yaupon holly.
rollwave034
Original Author
8 years ago
All of those are pretty slow growing and very "bushy"/ thick. I have limited horizontal space.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
just about anything that will get to the height you want.. need... will slowly swallow the whole yard... if its a small as it sounds ...

also.. anything FAST GROWING ... is fast to the size you want.. even faster to 3 times what you want.. and simply will never stop .... anything that will get to 10 to 15 this summer.. will be 30 in 3 more years ... and keep in mind.. the year of planting ... they are growing roots.. so dont expect 10 feet of growth on anything planted ...

and since you want this solved by next summer..... can i suggest a pergola ... a permanent structure .. it surely need not be as fancy as those at the link ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=pergola&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI46P924WWyQIVxKQeCh1fJg5s&biw=889&bih=745&dpr=0.9

ken

how about corn ... lol ... that can grow to height in one season ... lol ...
edlincoln
8 years ago
Not much would grow to 12 feet in a summer, and the things that would are likely to be really aggressive. Like the holly idea. What about a passion fruit vine climbing a trellis?
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
8 years ago
Slow growing has virtues, one of which is that you are not out there cutting it back all the time, once it reaches the size you want. There are trade-offs with every plant. It is important to understand that.
Embothrium
8 years ago
You were on the right track with the bananas and bamboo. Bananas grow in a tight clump, as do clumping kinds of bamboos - keeping them on your side shouldn't be that big of a deal.
wisconsitom
8 years ago
Not sure about the zone 9 location, but there are some very nice clumping palm species that are used everywhere one cares to look in Florida for screening. Maybe not quite a zone 9 thing, but close. These are not the big tall "palm trees", but rather, low-growing, multi-stemmed wonders. Wish I could recall the nomenclature ATM.

+oM
rusty_blackhaw
8 years ago
The Shoal Creek Vitex has been named a "Louisiana Super Plant":

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/research_stations/Hammond/Features/super_plants/spring_2011/Shoal-Creek-Vitex--Louisiana-Super-Plant-Spring-2011.htm

I grew an "ordinary" Vitex agnus-castus near Houston and it was a vigorous relatively-fast growing tree. If you can find a sizable specimen you might have a ten or more foot tree the first year.
viper114
8 years ago
a clumping bamboo would work....no runners
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
8 years ago
Go to a nursery and buy some mature Cabbage palms, they'll look like poles at first, but once they fill out they make a decent screen.
wisconsitom
8 years ago
I like this idea^. Then, if your humidity is high enough-and I'll bet it is-you can plant or have grow there any number of epiphytes in the "boots" of the cabbage or sabal palm.

+oM
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I would choose a Chindo viburnum. Very fast tall grower. You don't want anything that grows 12 in one season, trust me! But Chindo does grow up to that in maybe 3 seasons, especially in your climate.

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