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Landscape Design

Privacy screen recommendations needed

6 years ago

Hello all:

We have been in our home for 4 years now. When we originally moved in, we had no neighbors. the neighborhood is filling up and we also have two small children...time for a privacy hedge. I know it is not immediate, and that is ok. I would ideally like to keep the hedge at 6'-8' tall and 6' wide or less.

i am not opposed to any suggestions or ideas Maybe something taller along the back where the side of my neighbors house meets my backyard and something with more color along the side yard?

i took these pictures while standing in the middle of my backyard at 8:00 am Zone 6, full sun

Back property line. Green giants and white pine were planted by the neighbor. I would prefer to NOT continue with giants. They only have 4' of property along the side.

If you look closely you can see the propert stake marking the corner.

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Yardvaark

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Here's three versions of a scheme.

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Comments (6)

Me Me
Original Author
6 years ago
Yardvaark - that is awesome. I actually read many of your comments on this exact topic and took your suggestion of overlapping pictures...I see now why you said to take overlapping pictures. Very interesting.

what species (if that is the correct term) would you recommend?
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Just keep in mind accessibility. How easy will it be for you to get in there and trim these trees as often as required? Can you even fit a ladder in that space? Even the most narrow of the columnar hornbeams will get 10-20' wide over time and will require at least annual, if not twice annual, pruning to keep a very narrow profile. And you will still have issues with air circulation unless the lower limbs are removed to at least the height of the top of the fence. Just an aside but I use this tree frequently in my design work as it makes an excellent narrow growing privacy screen. But really not anywhere near as narrow as your space dictates unless you are prepared to maintain them routinely.
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A common mistake in privacy screening is to put it right up against the house. That's what they did at the place I am living in now. Sure, it screens the view into your house, but it also screens you in so that when you look out, all you see is foliage right in your face. Tall plants spaced away from the house are great for privacy, and evergreen trees are the best. There are some that grow in your zone. Those would probably need to be watered to get them established though. Nothing wrong with a nice looking fence either.
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PRO
Yardvaark
6 years ago
Genus is general. Species is specific. Sometimes "cultivar" is involved, which is like an exact individual -- such as "King Tut" ... of which there would be innumerable copies/clones. But I'm not going to be the one to best guide you on plants for your area. You might consult knowledgeable locals or the GardenWeb forum for your geographic area or the shrubs forum. You can show the picture and inquire as to what might be used. (Some of the panicle Hydrangea cultivars can make gorgeous flowering hedges in the sun. It's something to look into.)
Me Me
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you again.
laceyvail 6A, WV
6 years ago
Technically, you are not planting a hedge but a shrub border. In zone 6 you have a large group of shrubs to choose from including many cultivars of Viburnums (some, like V. pragense or V. 'Cree', evergreen), Magnolia stellata cultivars, Kolkwitzia, lilacs, etc. Most experienced gardeners would advise you not to plant a single species but a range of shrubs for four season interest including flowers, berries, and fall color.
PRO
Yardvaark
6 years ago
"Most experienced gardeners would advise you not to plant a single species but ..." I believe this is because, to a large extent, "experienced gardeners" generally think that more plants -- even hoarding plants ---- is better (and more "interesting") than a simple, strong landscape design statement. Many gardeners look for ways to morally justify their desire for more varieties of plants. The decimation of a single variety is actually a fairly rare occurrence ... unfortunate if it happens, but is not very likely with tried and true plants.

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