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Landscape Design Design Dilemma

Help! Need 8 ft privacy flowering hedge alternatives to Mock Orange

3 years ago

I am in Northern California. I am planting English Laurel on one side for a privacy hedge. I was going to plant Mock Orange https://www.gardenia.net/plant/pittosporum-tobira-nanum-mock-orange on the other side of the yard, but nursery is out of stock.

Pittosporum tenuifolium (Kohuhu) is in stock. Is this a good alternative or do you have other suggestions?

Can you suggest other flowering 8 ft hedge. I don't want it to grow too tall. https://www.gardenia.net/plant/pittosporum-tenuifolium-variegatum

Featured Answer

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

3 years ago

English laurel will need regular trimming to keep it down to 8 feet, if that’s the height you want on that side.

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juliacali
Original Author
3 years ago
@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK I want a different hedge on the opposite side of the yard so looking for suggestions of a flowering hedge. Someone suggested Cherry Laurel. Is that like English Laurel?
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We had a similar situation in our backyard. We planted arborvitae, which did very well along our side fence, in pretty dense shade. However, in the past few years they have been decimated by deer. If you don't have a deer population passing through, arborvitae should work well. We used Canadian Hemlocks along our back property Line, which also has a significant amount of shade and competes with other trees. They grew quickly, but after their third year, they were attacked by wooly adelgid (an aphid-like disease), and in spite of our efforts to save them, they are looking pretty bad, and I need replacing. I'm told that Hemlocks are not susceptible to disease, but my experience was not good.
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Did I understand you right that you have a swimming pool in your yard? What are the county regulations about having a 6-8 ft. fence around that pool? Some counties are very strict about that. Having a wood fence that high would solve your problems. Maybe the neighbors are hoping for an invitation for a dip in your pool. They probably don't mean any harm. Privet hedges grow fast but not overnight, especially in these high temperatures as we've had this summer so far. Have you just had the pool installed? Our county requires a 6-8 ft. fence and it must be kept locked at all times. This protects you as a homeowner as well as wondering children that may accidently drown.
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I would like to suggest that you quickly fire or otherwise cancel the guy who is going to remove the wall. Then STOP, as Mad Gallica suggests! Then there are just a couple of things to do while you wait for spring. First is to measure your lot and draw up a plot plan that you can use for testing designs. This isn't hard to do, if you have a measuring tape, a straight edged ruler, and some graph paper (use 4 squares to the inch, it works best). Basically you'd want to include all the existing trees and structures, the location of the driveway & walks, utilities and the septic system components. Make copies of the base plan and then get some colored pencils and try different arrangements for "blocking" masses of plants. This will really help you to figure out where you really need borders, how wide you want them to be, and how tall the plants should be. Selecting the plants should come much later in the process. At the same time, go get a copy of one or more of Gordon Hayward's books; The Welcoming Garden is a good one. It describes how to get from square one (where you are) to having a house in a garden. It's got lots of useful techniques for deciding things like placement and depth of borders, selecting a style you'll be happy with, and how to make your design complement the locale. These little "passtimes" might get you interested in gardening to an extent you can't even imagine at this point. If that happens, we'll be here - egging you on. And by the way, welcome to the forum! Nice to see someone who has a blank slate - so many possibilities ahead of you.
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Since you like scent...how about night blooming jasmine? I can attest that it is a fast grower. I put a 3 gallon pot in the ground in June or July and it is easily 4 to 5 feet tall now. I saw someone else's who had trained it into a small tree (looked similiar to a Crepe myrtle but busier on the bottom) and had about 10 closely planted to block their neighbor from looking in at them when they were in the pool. I plan on trimming mine in the spring so it grows taller than wider too. And I think they are fairly easy to root from cuttings too but I'll have to let you know about that for sure! Mine is flushes with the flowers about every 4 weeks or so and is extremely fragrant but it's usually around 9 pm so unless you are regularly out there at that time, it shouldn't be too intense. Or maybe alternate red firespike with every other one?
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Just anther name for English laurel.

Very few hedging plants will stop growing at a given height so you might need to be prepared to do some periodic pruning to keep to your 8' requirement.

Pittosporum tenuifolium can get massive but there are smaller or more dwarf cultivars available. 'Tasman Ruffles' is a particularly attractive one.

I'd also consider some CA natives. Pacific wax myrtle (Morella californica) or California/wild lilac (Ceanothus species) are possibilities. Waxleaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum) is another possibility but many think the flowers carry a very unpleasant aroma. And there is also purple leaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea') as a possibility as well.

You can check out the Sunset Western Garden Book for other ideas. They have a entire listing of hedging plants.
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juliacali thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I know you’re looking for a different hedge on the other side. I just wanted to point out that if you want the English Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, also to be 8 feet high it will need constant maintenance to keep it that height.
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juliacali thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
juliacali
Original Author
3 years ago
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) I'm also looking at white nectarine trees and someone suggested Atomic Nectarine. Any suggestions for white nectarine trees?
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Nectarines are not suited to my climate so I can't say much about them. But the Atomic Red looks like a nice ornamental tree as well.

Did you intend to use these as a privacy hedge? I'm not sure how well they'd fit that requirement!
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juliacali thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
juliacali
Original Author
3 years ago
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) I'm going to plant it somewhere else and not intended for privacy. Can't figure out which species has sweet white nectarine trees. There are so many varieties.
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Fori
3 years ago
Flannel bush makes an interesting informal hedge if you like natives.

If your location allows it, nothing is finer than a hedge of citrus. It's possible that I'm a little obsessed with citrus, but I don't think you can find a better smelling flower or prettier foliage than an orange. Or lemon. Or maybe lime or kumquat...
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juliacali thanked Fori
juliacali
Original Author
3 years ago
@Fori I am open to citrus. Can citrus be used as a privacy barrier. Which species would you suggest.
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