Hedges for noise reduction and privacy
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apple_pie_order
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
Advice from Bay Area landscape experts: highway noise reduction
Comments (18)tinan, I doubt that noise is as easily abated by plantings as you may think. CALTRANS engineers are experts and even they have a hard time abating sound. Sometimes sound-deflecting walls are built only to find the sound, instead of being deflected upwards, goes in unexpected directions and creates headaches for another neighborhood which previously had no problems at all. Land topography has more impact on noise deflection than anything else. If you walk along the Bodega Head trail, at certain sections the ocean noise is thunderous; yet 50' away without any change except for a shift 10' inland and a protruding cliffside edge, the wave noise drops by two-thirds. No trees or level change are involved at all; it is all topographic noise deflection. Take a side path below cliff level and suddenly you can't hear any ocean noise, everything is silent. Certainly trees "en masse" will deflect noise. But you'd have to own a half-acre lot to plant enough trees to mass thickly enough to create a viable deflection wall on a level property. Walk around a freeway underpass, and you'll probably find that in certain spots almost underneath the freeway (it needs to be solid, not the type with separate roadways) the car noises stop. Sometimes they merge into a deep booming noise that is more pressure than noise, a rather odd feeling. All of us live in a geographically hilly area. This means that cell phone reception gives carriers nightmares and that noise from our maze of freeways travels upwards and outwards in a variety of directions, funneled by geography and climate. I can occasionally hear train whistles from the Amtrak lines two miles west - but not always, only at certain times. If sound were a simple thing, I would ALWAYS be able to hear them - the tracks don't move, and neither does my house (unless there's a rupture in the Hayward Fault, LOL). But I can't, even though I know that the trains blow their whistles at the same crossing twenty times a day....See MoreHelp!! Privacy/noise screen
Comments (1)Privet leaves and berries are poisonous, although this plant is widely used. As a screen, it does form a dense hedge, but is deciduous and provides less screening in the winter. You might want to plant an evergreen such as arborvitae or one of the upright junipers like 'Spartan'. These will give you year-round screening....See MoreLooking at Noise and Privacy Barrier Options
Comments (5)Thanks very much for this input! We have looked at stucco and other types of walls, including fencing with a hedge behind. We were hoping to get by with one or the other, but are now leaning toward both. Since I wrote that note, the landscaper has decided laurel wouldn't be a good choice after all due to the snowload. We did spend a little time researching laurel, and it sounded a little scary as if it could take over. Luckily, we own a chain saw.... Otto Luyken was the variety all right. He's now recommending Simplicity rose bushes, but I think we'll steer clear of those too. We're leaning toward a mix of trees and bushes to come up with a visual barrier rather than a sound barrier.....Excited to put up something, but don't want to plant a disaster-in-waiting, like 200 feet of crushed or dried up hedge. Since we have some red cedar already, incense cedar would be a good match, too. Thanks again, appreciate the suggestions and warnings....See MoreEvergreen Privacy Shrub Hedge
Comments (8)Deer LOVE loquats (at least the leaves). Deer WILL nibble on Photinia if there is not much else green in your (or your neighbor's) Winter landscape. I purchased some Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' because have read that they are deer resistant but they are not in the ground yet, so not sure. Osmanthus 'Goshiki' (forgot the species name on it), is deer proof but not sure it is a fast grower. Magnolia grandiflora is deer proof BUT, they DEER LOVE THEM during the rut and will mark them if they can get close (and they are much taller than your height requirement). 'English' Laurel and Bay Laurel are also highly resistant, as is Boxwood. My Holly (including; Nellie Stevens, Inkberry, Japanese), Fargesia bamboo, and rhododendrons are completely ignored. Butterfly bush too, which should be evergreen for you, (it is largely evergreen here). Others? Consider,Yuccas or Ornamental grasses too. These have worked for me, but not sure all are reliable in your area. Good luck!...See MoreMy House
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoYardvaark
4 years agoMy House
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4 years agoMy House
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4 years agoDaniel OConnell
4 years agoMy House
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4 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
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4 years agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
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