Edible, evergreen hedge in zone 7b - Southeast - Full sun.
rikken66
7 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agorikken66
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Suggestions for Fast Growing Tall Evergreen Hedge/Screen
Comments (16)Thanks everyone for the feedback!! I bit the bullet and just finished planting 3 Leyland Cypress. I know it will be a chore to keep them in check if I do hedge them and I have the enough garden space to allow the growth. Actually, I think this is the first time I have planted something this large. They will add some dimension to the garden which is a plus. I do have one more question: When I took them out of the pots and removed the ties and burlap, they were in heavy clay type soil and not a lot of roots. They were in 3.5 gallon containers. The growth is about 3 feet high and wide. I loosened and removed some to most of the soil. Is this normal to have so little roots?...See MoreMixed wind screen/wildlife attracting backdrop for winterberries (7b)
Comments (4)They aren't too common up this way (I'm in Priceville (I live a mile or so from I-65 at most and just under a mile from Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and the Tennessee River). The Juniperus Silicicola is listed as tolerant of clay and growing near areas that I would imagine flood when given a really heavy rain, which is what I was concerned about. Other than those times, I don't have standing water for days or anything. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/junsil/all.html#35 SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Southern redcedar almost always occurs within 30 miles (50 km) of seawater or in areas with shallow water tables [31,39]. Although it usually occurs on sandy, moist but not saturated soils, it occasionally occurs on acidic clay soils in Texas [31,39]. Southern redcedar may be found on soil types that include Alfisols, Entisols, Inceptisols, Spodosols, and Ultisols [39]. Southern redcedar occurs on calcareous hammocks, coastal hammocks, brackish flats, shell middens, dunes, bluffs, and secondary woods, and will colonize dredge spoil islands [4,5,6,39]. Southern redcedar is found inland in river swamps and along stream and creek margins in low woods [36]. Southern redcedar is abundant in hydric hammock communities in Florida, most often occurring with cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) and live oak in areas between pine flatwoods and freshwater marshes [35]. Southern redcedar occurs in oak (Quercus virginiana, Q. marilandica) scrub and in live oak forests that are established on the backdunes of barrier islands off the east coast of the Florida peninsula [19]. Overstory associates not listed in Distribution and Occurrence include spruce pine (Pinus glabra), live oak, laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), American holly (Ilex opaca) [21,39]. Understory associates include yaupon (Ilex vomitoris), southern bayberry (Myrica cerifera), devilwood (Osmanthus americanus), Carolina laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana), beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), bumelia (Bumelia spp.), tree sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia), and greenbriers (Smilax...See MoreEdible, evergreen hedge in zone 7b. Full sun.
Comments (3)I have little to no personal experience with growing or eating most of these, but here are some plants to look at: Arbutus unedo. 'Compacta' gets to about 6' but the straight species is taller. Edible(?) fruit. Mahonia spp While the most common garden type I've seen is low-growing, there are others, perhaps less commonly found in commerce, that grow much taller. Edible fruit Clumping bamboo - Bamboos come in a range of sizes and hardiness, so you can most likely find one that works, but be sure to look only at clumping, not running bamboos which are difficult to contain. Edible shoots Many common needled evergreens can be used to make teas: spruce/Picea, hemlock/Tsuga, fir/Abies, and pine/Pinus. They are nutrient rich and so make sense as a survival food, but I honestly can't say that I've felt any inclination to try them. You might want to add information on where you are since 7b in the southeast US is quite different than 7b in the southwest US. For example, the taller Mahonia I've seen were growing in Utah, and I know that at one point at least one was offered by a New Mexico nursery, but I don't know if it would be happy in the SE US. Other growing info would be useful as well; is this for sun or shade or part sun? Are you willing to prune on a regular basis? Do you want evergreen for privacy or the winter green color? If for privacy, there are some densely twiggy deciduous large shrubs/small trees that might work for you such as hazel (edible nuts if you can beat the rodents to them) though they will need pruning....See MoreZone 7(b) Clumping Bamboo Suggestion For Road Screen Needed
Comments (6)You're expecting too much from a clumping bamboo hedge (or even a running bamboo hedge), I'm afraid. First, bamboo is not going to provide much if any noise reduction from road traffic regardless of whether it's clumping or running. I grow about 80 varieties of bamboo and the ones that form hedges simply don't buffer the sound noticeably. Maybe if you had a hedge that was 50' deep you would get some sound reduction, but not enough to warrant the cost. Second, to simply get a visual privacy barrier with clumpers would also be quite expensive because clumping bamboo does not spread quickly, and only expands a bit every year. That means to have a barrier now -- rather than 10-15 years in the future -- you would to plant rather large clumpers very close together, probably in a couple of rows. I wish I could be more encouraging, but I would hate to see you spend tens of thousands of dollars on bamboo and have unrealistic expectations....See Morefloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agorikken66
7 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agorikken66
7 years agorikken66
7 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years agorikken66
7 years agorikken66
7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agorikken66
7 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoLogan L Johnson
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agorikken66
7 years agoLogan L Johnson
7 years agoEmbothrium
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
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Sara Malone (Zone 9b)