Vox Humana wrote:
"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.

In the subject line it says - Zone 5 - WI.

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Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5