"Spitz Mcgee" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a 4 to 5 foot high x 100' long "mound of dirt". It helps to
block the view of a busy rural highway. I want to start a evergreen
privacy hedge on the top of the mound. I would like it grow this hedge
as tall a prudent but keep the hedge fairly narrow. I am worried about
pests, diseases, and maintance. Also I would like to start the hedge
this year and have very little money. I hope have some good privacy in
five to seven years when I hope to sell the house. Any advice would
help.


Beyond buying a lottery ticket and hoping for the best, we don't know where
you live, so it is hard to give specific advice.

In my area, (zone 6) one of the most common plants for a tall privacy hedges
is arborvitae. You can often get 4-5 foot high plants for around 20 each.
Planted four to six feet apart, you would have a reasonably dense, narrow
hedge in about 5 years. Costco has them in stock now for a good price.
However, at one every six feet, you would need about 17 at a cost of over
$350.

Another fast grower would be Leyland Cyprus. However, these can grow very
tall and put your property into deep shade.

Although it is a matter of taste, I find such hedges rather ugly. They sort
of scream "spite fence" or "KEEP OUT." The other problem is that often one
or two plants will die after several years. At that point you have a choice
of putting in another 5 foot plant for $20 or pay upwards of $100 for a
matching-size plant. Now your uniform hedge looks bad - like it has a
missing tooth, unless you can locate and pay for the larger plant. The
other problem with a single species hedge is that if there is a disease or
insect problem, you can lose your entire screen. This has happen in our
region. Many commercial properties and apartment complexes have berms with
white pines on them. Now all the pines are dead or dying and it looks like
hell. The cost to remove 100 feet of mature pines and replant would be
substantial.

I would recommend that you drive around your area, looking at commercial
properties, up-scale subdivisions, golf courses, and parks. See what they
have used for screening. Unfortunately, nothing is going to be very
inexpensive. If it were me, I would consider using a mix of plants that
included evergreens, shrubs, and trees with an underplanting of sturdy
perennials.