Privacy Screen with Plants

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I am getting a neighbor and I don't want a neighbor. But good fences create good neighbors, right?

Instead of building a fence, I am looking for recommendations for tall fast-growing trees that could give us some privacy on our otherwise clearcut lot (former farmland). Our zone is 8a (7b) and part of the area is morning sun/afternoon shade and part of the area will be full sun. The total area could be upward of 250ft linear feet and will run directly behind the swing set below and beyond (the proposed build is between the swing set and the tree line).

My research had initially pointed me to Austree or Cherry Laurel but I always like hearing other options. Leland Cypress/Thuja aren't as appealing due to their shorter lifespan and I have similar concerns about the Austree.

Any recommendations?

Featured Answer

Sara Malone Zone 9b

5 years ago

When I need a screen I generally plant some fast growing plants to give me quick relief and then in/around/behind/in front I plant a mixture of slower growing, more interesting trees and shrubs. When I needed a quick 'fence' years ago I planted 20 Leyland Cypress much too close to each other. Then I planted a mix of evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs directly in front in a staggered 'hedgerow'. I then took out every other Leyland once they really grew into each other and then finally cut down the remaining Leylands. Today there is an interesting group of contrasting colors, textures and shapes that completely blocks the view of the neighbor's house. I could have kept the Leylands but they were planted right on the asphalt driveway and would not have been very long-lived in that situation.

Another good trick is to put up a fence that is see-through (lattice or the like) instead of the row of fast-growing plants and then grow vines on it, plant the mixture of interesting plants In front, etc

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Comments (7)

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Dig Doug's Designs
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
some screens that are good in VA zone 8A:

Chindo Viburnum, Illicium anisatum, Elaeagnus fruitlandii, Osmanthus fragrans, River Birch, Magnolia virginiana australis, Bald Cypress, Yaupon Holly, Magnolia grandiflora, Live Oak, Carolina Laurel, Persea borbonia, Deodora Cedar, Yoshino Cryptomeria, Lusterleaf Holly....
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
i dont do your zone .... so i will leave specific suggestions to others ...

first.. i would not recommend anything advertised as fast growing... fast to grow... fast to problems.. usually structural ... at least... you are not planting near a house in a small yard ... i have oaks growing 3 to 5 feet per year in my MI ...... once they get going.. i dont know why you need anything faster than that ...

second.. start thinking in tree time .... i know you want it done last year ... but if you start thinking in accomplishing this in 3 to 5 years ... and forward .... you will make better decisions ...

third ... NEVER PLANT A MONOCULTURE .. one problems rolls around and your whole planting is at risk .... and it usually happens the year after you are finally happy with the result ...

4th ... if you limit your project out at the property line.. you will be waiting a lot longer than if you can plant some larger trees in the lawn between the house and the property line ... one well placed tree between the most looked out window ... and the new house.. will block that house from that window a decade faster than 50 trees out at the property line ... sooooo... dont limit the plan to such ... have a wider approach to it all ...

lastly.. you dont talk about size ... but too many peeps think bigger is a better way to start.. but due to the increased stresses ... often.. small trees get established faster .. and out grow larger transplants ... so its a false economic narrative ...

if this is DIY .... good primer below.. if you need such ... proper watering might be the biggest challenge .. for the first 2 or 3 years .... i single drip irrigation line.. that is hose based ... can be a cheap and very useful investment .... lawn watering is seldom proper ...

good luck.. nice dog ...

btw.... where is the property line between the playscape and the tree line.. how many feet????

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub
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Your back alley entry - backyard combo is a unique hybrid of standard house layout. The landscaping will have to adjust accordingly. This makes the space designed and intended for your private outdoor use semi-public. I am gathering the privacy you most need is for the back screen porch and the back patio slab. First off, no you may not plant a tall hedge along the alley to make the backyard private, mainly because you can't block the view of traffic in the alley. If it is one way I might consider it. Now I want to see if I can work your HOA fence to your advantage. If you like this idea it might be worth haggling with the HOA about it if need be. Start the fence on the house corner on the left behind the screened porch. Put a gate in it and run it across the side yard. Head halfway to the alley, turn left and run the fence to the edge of the driveway. Your screen porch and back patio are now enclosed in their own room. Leave enough space, four to six feet, on both sides of the fence for planting. Ditch the tiny beds between the screen porch, patio slab and drive. They are useless. Leave the driveway side of your new backyard enclosure fully open to the drive. Privacy for this side will be planted across the driveway along the property line. If the HOA refuses this fence layout, the same general line of planting beds will do the same. Grasses are a good choice for your location for some very quick privacy. I would not however do them as a hedge of sorts. That would be dull. The two small trees I see planted, one in each side yard, will need to be relocated to better suit this layout most likely. What looks like a birch tree can be an anchor and specimen plant for the outside of your planted fence and privacy enclosure.
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Embothrium
5 years ago
Arborvitaes are very long lived, Leyland being a conifer shouldn't be inherently short-lived either. Where premature failures develop with the latter is cultural issues such as bound roots causing them to blow over after the tops get heavy enough. Or disease problems in unsuitable climates.
Ken "Fruity Paws" (N-Va 7a)
5 years ago
Since you're 8a, I assume you're coastal (tidewater area). No matter what variety you're looking at, look at the root structure and height. Virginia isn't hit by many tropical storms, but the coast does catch it's share of brushes. And hurricane gusts (as well as straight line winds of squall lines) will lay down the most common screening trees/shrubs especially as they get taller. If the soil gets and retains wetness/soggy in any heavy rain at any point, then any tree there is likely to be compromised.
viper114
5 years ago
Thunja green giant...tall and fast

growing
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
One piece of missing information is the width you are willing to take up with plant matter. Another is the height you want. For instance, Thuja Green Giant, one posted recommendation, can grow to 40’ tall and 20’ wide. The photos don’t suggest that you have that kind of space to use, and keeping plants that want to be so large to a reasonable size is a lot of work. Likewise, the Austrees can develop quite a bit of width and height. Until you know if the next door house is likely to be 1 or 2 story and how close to the lot line of is likely to be, it can be tough to decide on the best screening size. Also, any part of the plant that grows over the property line is fair game for the neighbor to prune/remove in every jurisdiction where I have lived, so you want to plant where most of the plant grows on your side of the property line.

A few more questions:

-How much pruning are you willing to do on a row of plants that is so long? Fast growing plants will either need considerable pruning (a couple of times a year) or a few such as the willows, you might be able to maintain them wih stooling (cutting to the ground periodically), though that will leave you with no screen for a few weeks each spring. Pruning 20’ plants is typically done with a lift truck; do you have the $ and access for that?

-Are deer an issue in your area? That is another consideration since favored plants may be eaten to the trunk, as high as the deer can reach, and lollipops won’t give much ground level screening.

-Are you looking for year round screening which would require an evergreen or something that grows so densely that even when leaves have fallen there is still privacy, or is a deciduous plant that only gives privacy during the growing season adequate?

If the neighboring house will be two stories, look at a narrower arborvitae/Thuja such as Emerald Green that stays uner 5’ in width, but still gets reasonable height. Or consider a fence for ground level privacy along with trees whose tops will provide privacy such as medium sized deciduous trees. They will fill much less of the ground level space in your yard.

Privacy Screen with Plants

Sara Malone Zone 9b

Comments (7)

Dig Doug's Designs

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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