What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be preferable.

Thanks,
SW

Where do you live? What climate zone?

"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news
What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be preferable.

Thanks,
SW

"V_coerulea" wrote in message
.. .
Where do you live? What climate zone?


Midwest. Zone 5.

"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news
What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for
privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be
preferable.
Thanks,
SW

What are you doing that you need privacy?

--

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

The most common plant for this purpose in zone 5 is arborvitae. (Thuja sp)
If the soil is right for them, some people also plant hedges of tightly
growing trees, such as blue spruce, which usually keep branches down to the
ground - they can be sheared to keep them low and thickly growing. I think
it might also be possible to plant hedges of juniper virginiana, a native
tree juniper of the east and midwest. These can also be sheared to be lower
than their normal height of 20 feet plus.
"Travis M." wrote in message
news:xRItf.1616$PR5.717@trndny02...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news
What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be
preferable.
Thanks,
SW

What are you doing that you need privacy?

--

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

"presley" wrote in message
...
The most common plant for this purpose in zone 5 is arborvitae. (Thuja sp)
If the soil is right for them, some people also plant hedges of tightly
growing trees, such as blue spruce, which usually keep branches down to
the ground - they can be sheared to keep them low and thickly growing. I
think it might also be possible to plant hedges of juniper virginiana, a
native tree juniper of the east and midwest. These can also be sheared to
be lower than their normal height of 20 feet plus.

Thanks. I'm new to gardening/landscaping and this put me on the right
track. Here's one of the many links I found.

http://www.djroger.com/green_giant_arborvitae.htm

SW

The most common plant for this purpose in zone 5 is arborvitae. (Thuja
sp)


Thanks. I'm new to gardening/landscaping and this put me on the right
track. Here's one of the many links I found.

http://www.djroger.com/green_giant_arborvitae.htm

SW

Another question. I just bought this house in September and the previous
owner planted six pear trees where I want to put the Arborvitae. I believe
they are dwarf varieties and while they are small at the moment, a couple
were bearing fruit last year. Would the pear trees survive being moved, and
when would be a good time to move them? Would winter when they are dormant
be the best time? It's mild now with high temperatures in the 40s and 50s.
If the ground freezes around here it usually does not stay frozen for long.

Thanks,
SW

"Travis M." wrote in message
news:xRItf.1616$PR5.717@trndny02...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news
What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for
privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be
preferable.
Thanks,
SW

What are you doing that you need privacy?

In my case, I the privacy fence would give the neighbors privacy for the
things they do that I don't want to know about.

"Vox Humana" wrote in message

"Travis M." wrote in message
news:xRItf.1616$PR5.717@trndny02...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news
What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for
privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be
preferable.
Thanks,
SW

What are you doing that you need privacy?

In my case, I the privacy fence would give the neighbors
privacy
for the things they do that I don't want to know about.

If you took pictures you could probably sell them on your web
site.

--


Travis in Shoreline Washington

"Summer Wind" wrote in message
. net...
The most common plant for this purpose in zone 5 is arborvitae. (Thuja
sp)


Thanks. I'm new to gardening/landscaping and this put me on the right
track. Here's one of the many links I found.

http://www.djroger.com/green_giant_arborvitae.htm

SW

Another question. I just bought this house in September and the previous
owner planted six pear trees where I want to put the Arborvitae. I
believe they are dwarf varieties and while they are small at the moment, a
couple were bearing fruit last year. Would the pear trees survive being
moved, and when would be a good time to move them? Would winter when they
are dormant be the best time? It's mild now with high temperatures in the
40s and 50s. If the ground freezes around here it usually does not stay
frozen for long.

Thanks,
SW
SW,
This is still a good time of year to move the pears. It is not so much
whether the ground is frozen or not that deterimes winter to be best time
to plant.move trees, but the fact that there will be both a reduced workload
on the root system ( no leaves to feed) and consistant moisture in the
ground ( no as much worry about constant watering).

So far as good screening shrubs, there are literally dozens to choose from,
including the ones that Presly mentioned.

Arborvitae are wonderful, but since they are a tall NARROW shape, you will
need more to cover the same amount of fenceline. Spruces (Picea) are good
... they cover more fenceline BUT they will take longer to fill in. I have
seen White Pine used for very long hedges, but they get HUGE ( as well as do
the spruces).

There are many Hollies that will do well... i.e. Illex Merservae ( i know..
poor spelling) Var. "Dragon Lady" can grow to 20 ft tall x 8-10 feet wide
and has these really SHARP needles on the leaves to deter trespassers.

With all these choices, you have to ask yourself these questions:

How FAST do you want the screening effect?
How BIG do you want the screen to ultimately get?
How much are you willing to SPEND?
How much TIME are you willing to invest in maintaining the screen?


Think about those questions and We in the group will be better able to make
more accurate suggestions.

Anthony B. Zone 6
Ky. Certified Nurseryman
Ky. Nursery Landscapers Association

"Travis M." wrote in message
news:%uXtf.3001$i%4.859@trndny08...
"Vox Humana" wrote in message

"Travis M." wrote in message
news:xRItf.1616$PR5.717@trndny02...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news What would be a good fast-growing tree or shrub to use for
privacy
screening. An evergreen for year-round screening would be
preferable.
Thanks,
SW

What are you doing that you need privacy?

In my case, I the privacy fence would give the neighbors
privacy
for the things they do that I don't want to know about.

If you took pictures you could probably sell them on your web
site.

You haven't seen my neighbors.

This is still a good time of year to move the pears. It is not so much
whether the ground is frozen or not that deterimes winter to be best time
to plant.move trees, but the fact that there will be both a reduced
workload on the root system ( no leaves to feed) and consistant moisture
in the ground ( no as much worry about constant watering).

So far as good screening shrubs, there are literally dozens to choose
from, including the ones that Presly mentioned.

Arborvitae are wonderful, but since they are a tall NARROW shape, you will
need more to cover the same amount of fenceline. Spruces (Picea) are good
.. they cover more fenceline BUT they will take longer to fill in. I have
seen White Pine used for very long hedges, but they get HUGE ( as well as
do the spruces).

There are many Hollies that will do well... i.e. Illex Merservae ( i
know.. poor spelling) Var. "Dragon Lady" can grow to 20 ft tall x 8-10
feet wide and has these really SHARP needles on the leaves to deter
trespassers.

With all these choices, you have to ask yourself these questions:

How FAST do you want the screening effect?
How BIG do you want the screen to ultimately get?
How much are you willing to SPEND?
How much TIME are you willing to invest in maintaining the screen?


Think about those questions and We in the group will be better able to
make more accurate suggestions.

Anthony B. Zone 6
Ky. Certified Nurseryman
Ky. Nursery Landscapers Association


On one side of the yard in particular, fast growth is the most important
consideration. My side yard slopes away from the house, so a taller fence
is not an option at the bottom of the slope. An ultimate height of 30 feet
or more would be ideal.

This is an interesting link. If you scroll down, you'll see pictures of
Green Giant Arborvitae when they were planted at a height of 7 feet, and 2.5
years later when they were 12 to 13 feet.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...458162113.html

Is 7 feet a reasonable height for Green Giant Arborvitae at most nurseries,
and how expensive are they? Could they be planted now, or will I need to
wait until after the danger of frost? I've read that they are relatively
maintenance-free, and I find that appealing, as I won't have a lot of time
to invest in pruning them.

I did a search on Dragon Lady holly and it looks like a possibility for
other parts of the yard. How fast does it grow?

I don't know how much to budget because I don't have any experience in this
area. I suppose the first step is to determine how many plants I'll need,
and I'm still working on that.

Thanks for the information on moving the pear trees.

Thanks,
SW

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 16:38:06 GMT, Summer Wind wrote:
The most common plant for this purpose in zone 5 is arborvitae. (Thuja

Thanks. I'm new to gardening/landscaping and this put me on the right
track. Here's one of the many links I found.

Make sure you read up on arborvitae in your state... or talk to your
state extension service. There are some real problems with it when certain
pests or environmental conditions are common. Make sure you look at
arborvitae hedges in your area with your soil conditions and your environmental
exposures, so you're not replacing them again later.

Another possibility to consider. A row of similar plants, when one dies or
doesn't do well, looks really bad. Even if you replace the dead or dying
plant, it still looks funny. A mixed, meandering border doesn't have that
problem; nor does it proclaim "property line here" the way a row of something
does -- the meander, even though it takes up more room on your property,
can suggest that your property is larger than it is, particularly if you
can frame a distance view that does not include the neighbor's buildings.
g

Kay

Summer Wind,
A few answers to a few questions:

On one side of the yard in particular, fast growth is the most important
consideration. My side yard slopes away from the house, so a taller fence
is not an option at the bottom of the slope. An ultimate height of 30 feet
or more would be ideal.


Is 7 feet a reasonable height for Green Giant Arborvitae at most
nurseries, and how expensive are they? Could they be planted now, or will
I need to wait until after the danger of frost? I've read that they are
relatively maintenance-free, and I find that appealing, as I won't have a
lot of time to invest in pruning them.

Most Arborvitaes that I have handled in the past will typically be most
widely available as 8' shrubs. You can expect to pay between $100-130 a
plant.

If you can find a nursery still open this time of year, go ahead and plant.
Otherwise, wait till spring. In either case, watering properly will still
be an issue come summer.
Green Giante Arborvitae will reach a height of 40-60 ft with a spread of
12-18 feet

I did a search on Dragon Lady holly and it looks like a possibility for
other parts of the yard. How fast does it grow?

Dragon Lady will get about 12-15 feet tall and 8 feet across... It can grow
2-3 feet a year once established ( most shrubs take about 3 years to become
fully established).

Most common size available is a 15 gallon potsize at a height of about 5-6
feet and about $120 a plant.


I don't know how much to budget because I don't have any experience in
this area. I suppose the first step is to determine how many plants I'll
need, and I'm still working on that.

Determining the number of plants for a privacy screen or hedge is simple.
Measure the length of the line to be screened then divide by HALF the
expected mature spread of the shrub.
Ex. say You go with the Giant Arbor with an average mature spread of 16
feet.. 24(length of line) / 8 (half of 16)= 3 plants planted on 8 ft centers
( trunk to trunk distance)

The reason you go 1/2 the spread is so that the screen will look like one
nice solid mass when mature and not like just a row of shrubs.


Thanks for the information on moving the pear trees

You are much welcome SW

Thanks,
SW


Anthony B.

"Anthony B" wrote in message
...


Most Arborvitaes that I have handled in the past will typically be most
widely available as 8' shrubs. You can expect to pay between $100-130 a
plant.


Thanks for the very useful information. I tried calling local nurseries and
they are all closed for the holiday. What do you think of mail order
nurseries like this one?

http://www.botanystore.com/page/page/2353857.htm

The prices are certainly right.

SW