On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 12:27:41 +0000, HA HA Budys Here wrote:

I installed a swimming pool which I want to "buffer" from an ajoining park
and backyard neighbors. I have a 15' planting bed from the respective
property lines to the edge of what will be a 3' wood "boardwalk" along the
pool's coping.

I'd like to plant a wide variety of evergreen shrubs that will generally
have an upright habit. (More height than width) I don't want a "Hedge
wall" of one single, continuious variety.

If I pick shrubs which boast the like of: "Mature size 12' wide x 30'
tall" and "20' wide x 40' tall" but plant them closer together, will they
grow tall to fill their space, or will not allowing mature width via
trimming somehow stunt their mature height?

thanks

Plants which are planted too close will eventually look as though they
were planted too close. Outer branches will be green but you may begin to
find dead space or naked branches within each plant where sunlight can't
reach. Bushes colliding with one another will have branches competing for
sunlight. Entangled branches become more challenging to prune.

Another concern about planting too close is competition for nutrients and
water.

If I were planting such a hedge, I might first consider a variety of 2-3
different species and then stagger them in a way that the taller ones are
to the back and the "holes" are filled in with shorter plants. I might put
the taller ones in back and the short ones in the foreground, or I might
stagger them zigzag fashion.

I've seen fruit trees espaliered. I wonder the effect if done with a
hedge. Might be interesting. The advantage of espalier is that the
plants all of a sudden become flattened and thus take up less space.

Topiary is work but might be fun and whimsical, especially at poolside.

Whatever you decide, give plants some space and keep them in check with
thoughtful pruning. Thinning out the dead stuff sure would help. Dirr's
book Manual of Woody Lanscape Plants is a good resource for plant
selection, growth habit and care.