anybody ever grow a privacy screen?

[Nanker]

White pines grow 1 to 2 feet every year.

[NoSaint]

 

 

Or the neighbors are nudist and it's a scary sight.

 

or he wants to be better covered while watching them.

[Buffaloed in Pa]

White pines grow 1 to 2 feet every year.

This is what I told him ,they will grow 3ft a year.So will Norway spruce.Norways hold their shape better and won`t lose their bottom branches. I`ve planted hundreds of both.

 

My issue is we live in a corner lot and our side yard abuts a main road. That's where I want to plant my hedge. But it's a long stretch--probably need 20 trees-- and seems like the salt from the road is going to be an issue (plus deer).

 

I can be patient, but I have a toddler and was hoping a hedge could be a natural fence to keep her in the yard.

 

Will have to check out that nursery. Looks like clearfield county, which isn't too far from me (Pittsburgh). Thanks.

Thats the one.

[mead107]

I see Home Depot has something that looks like the stone noise barriers you see along highways. 4 or 5 feet tall 6 or 8 feet long. It was with the fence options.

[boyst]

Leyland cypress are small and affordable. 20 ft in a few years.

 

Arborvitae are more expensive and grow fast as well.

 

Royal empress when trained as a tree 25 ft in 2 yrs

 

From GF. If you want to know about any in specific, let me know. She said Leyland is the way to go, and just layer your wall for the best look.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Spoke with a landscaper tonight. He recommended Norway Spruce. He said they are very salt resistant.

 

He also mentioned canaan firs.

[birdog1960]

Leyland cypress are small and affordable. 20 ft in a few years.

 

Arborvitae are more expensive and grow fast as well.

 

Royal empress when trained as a tree 25 ft in 2 yrs.

 

From GF. If you want to know about any in specific, let me know. She said Leyland is the way to go, and just layer your wall for the best look.

thanks very much! royal empress a no go with the wife. she's very picky about what she considers good looking . guess who wins in that situation? could you ask your gf a question on which would be the best size to buy for an arborvitae. in 3 years will a twelve foot arborvitae or cypress be much bigger than a 5-6 foot one? sounds stupid but because of the root balls i'm not sure of the answer. not to sound disrespectful but is your gf a landscaper or designer?

 

thanks again for your help.

 

.

[birdog1960]

Spoke with a landscaper tonight. He recommended Norway Spruce. He said they are very salt resistant.

 

He also mentioned canaan firs.

norway spruce look really nice. might be good option for us. good luck with your project.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Probably planted a thousand things in my 9 yrs here. Look up pine grove nursery in pa. if you want great prices on seedlings,it`s a friend and his prices are the best.

 

Have you ever seen box elder trees (ash leaf maple: acer negundo)... Man those things are the beast!... Let alone the bugs that get attracted to the female trees (ones with "helicopters"). They are so hideous and fast growing, I don't even think they can be bonsaied!... One of the few trees that can't? They used to be used for wind breaks and to hold the soil down. Probably one of the fastest growing trees. One big one fell down on right my back property line in 2007. I cleaned it up and left the split trunk right along the property line (left/right)... I now have a fence of about 6 trees that suckered on up the old tree! Incredible! It is a male tree, so the box elder bugs do not hoard up on it during dry years!

[boyst]

thanks very much! royal empress a no go with the wife. she's very picky about what she considers good looking . guess who wins in that situation? could you ask your gf a question on which would be the best size to buy for an arborvitae. in 3 years will a twelve foot arborvitae or cypress be much bigger than a 5-6 foot one? sounds stupid but because of the root balls i'm not sure of the answer. not to sound disrespectful but is your gf a landscaper or designer?

 

thanks again for your help.

 

.

I asked her.

 

She is not a landscaper, she is not an official designer. She has always had a green thumb and is very in to growing things. Shes designed many landscapes and yards for people, including my parents which is an edible landscape - from blueberries, pansies and many herbs and spices, to a few neighbors, and others. It is no disrespect, do not worry, but I put her knowledge over the people at Lowes any day. And, if you did not know it, to be the Manager in the Garden area you must have at least a 2 year degree in a horticulture field, and go through a lot of training. Home Depot, all of them are the same. She has actually interrupted the manager at Lowes a few times to tell her that the idea is a bad one and why - for instance, telling a woman with two kids about 2 and 3 that a certain plant will make a good house plant...except it was highly poisonous. The lady didn't buy the plant and the Lowes manager had to look it up.

 

Either way, she will know what you need. The Royal Empress is just a quick grower, blooms pretty, and is a nice tree. I personally liked the ideas of getting the arborvitae and mixing it with some blueberries. Rabbiteye grow tall and dense and are very good. If you cross breed, as well, you'll get better yields, too. But, I'll ask the gf.

[LancasterSteve]

Norway Spruce is one of my favorite trees. If it has room to grow, that spread will be 30'+

 

We planted 21 Blue Spruces on the SW portion of our lot. Both Norways and Blues are beautiful trees. First planting in '96. 13 Blues, 8-10 foot tall and in '97 another 8 Blues, 10-12 footers. They are all over 20-25 foot now. Grew into one another very nicely to form the windbreak from the southwest winds and the snows that used to drift in our yard. They were dug and B&B in Canada one day and the next I had them all planted. I brought in over 40 yards of soil that we spread into a long berm because this ground here in Lancaster is all clay and spruces don't like wet feet. Salt will kill spruces, so stay far back from roads. I also mixed in about 19-20 big bales(6 cubes) of peat moss. Can't buy those anymore either. The nursery men backed the truck up to the berm and pushed the blues at each point along the berm were I wanted them planted. Good thing I had everything set to go with planting them as each ball & burlapped spruce had a ball that easily weighed over 500 pounds.The Canadian men that balled these spruces knew what they were doing as they saved much of the root system. There wasn't much we had to do are far as planting. We stood them up and secured each one with a couple of guide wires. In about a months time more that half the ball on each tree had sank into our soil/peatmoss base. I left the wire guides on for two summers as a precaution but by that time the root system on each tree had established itself. Besides the natual beauty of our "Blue Spruce fence", every spring and summer our trees become the homes to many species of birds.

Too many wood or plastic fences; they are all over subdivisions everywhere, so I commend you for thinking of planting a natural fence. Ask what is available at nurseries in your area. Ask how tall? I planted a few other bushes that said "dwarf" that grew to 10 feet !! I knew beforehand and was OK with it but ask questions so you don't have any disappointments later. Some handle wind better,some need a little protection, some are magnets for flying insects. And most of all start with a good soil foundation and after planting only fertilize on the top of the soil where the edge of the ball would be. Never close to the base of any plant and go lightly on the fertilizer, as a little goes a long way. Too much will burn a plants roots. I only fertilize my trees and schrubs once a year, late May, early June; after that it is too hot to fertilize.

 

On the other side of house is a big side yard. For privacy and to break it up a little, I planted a row of 20 Hetzi blue Junipers in early '98. Today I have a beautiful blue-green fence about 8 foot high across the whole side lot. Its so full from top to bottom, that a squirl couldn't run thru it. Not much maintenance. I have it trimmed once or twice a year. These are very hardy scrubs and will take wind and cold temps and think they are drought resistant also but I do not remember if this is indeed a fact. I bought them at 4-5 foot and would keep topping a little each year so they would fill in. Not much trimming of the sides in all these years, and I like that ! I never asked about salt with these. Whatever you purchase ask how close to a road that gets salted can you plant "such" and "such". Nurserymen, I have always found, to be willing to answer any questions I might have.

[boyst]

She said... Do you have the time and patience to deal with setting in a a larger tree? Larger trees need.larger holes and an abundant watering system, as well as mulch around the base to get roots to grow and grow deep. When buying a fast growing tree, I always will get a smaller one that is more manageable unless you have time to manage them 24/7 and look for pests, problems etc. Now this might be because I am more frugal and have a green thumb... But just a suggestion.

 

All of the trees everyone has legitimately mentioned are good fast growing trees. Fir, spruce, arborvitae, cypress... They should all triple in size after being planted, set in, mulched at base, etc. If you want a larger tree as well, you need to consider how long it has been growing in a pot or if it is farm dug, how much shock the larger tree will experience when it is plucked up and set in a new hole. It will lose needles, look sad and it might recover. Thats why I recommend smaller, more manageable trees.

 

For free advice on evergreen trees, soil pH, planting, Care, etc... Don't hesitate to ask your local county agricultural extension agents...that is what they are there for. They can specifically recommend trees people have had good luck growing in your area and for your soil type.

 

Here in NC, many people fall back on Leyland cypress because they are cheap and grow fast. Arborvitae for a similar tree is much more expensive. Spruce and fir are even moreso.

 

As for a fast growing single tree, what does your wife like or want? Does she want an ornamental tree, how tall of a tree? Why get ornamental when you can grow something useful such as a nut or fruit tree...

 

If you have any more questions about anything, let me know.

[Guffalo]

Depending on the lot, bamboo is popular here, It grows fast and creates a perfect shield for privacy. The downside is it also grows outward, so you have to contain it. It looks like a wall of green and unless you are a panda, nothing is going to get through it.

[Just Jack]

Grew into one another very nicely to form the windbreak from the southwest winds and the snows that used to drift in our yard.

 

Near here they planted willow along the highway to make a "natural snow fence" instead of needing to put up the orange fencing each year...

 

http://centralny.ynn...fence/?ap=1

 

http://www.esf.edu/willow/

 

https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/TullyClass_May2009.pdf

[BillsWatch]

Depending on the lot, bamboo is popular here, It grows fast and creates a perfect shield for privacy. The downside is it also grows outward, so you have to contain it. It looks like a wall of green and unless you are a panda, nothing is going to get through it.

 

Agree on the bamboo. Very nice for natural fences.

[PTS]

Go with Green Giants. Leylands are more prone to deers and bug diseases. Both grow fast and look almost identical. Leylands handle hot summers better while Green Giants handle cold winters better.

 

To maximize growth rates make sure your soil is getting the right nutrients. A soul test would be wise. Miracle-Gro also makes great fertilizer stakes for evergreens that people swear by.

Edited May 1, 2013 by PTS