What is the best privacy hedge? See details.?
I'd like something fairly fast growing, dense, and easy to care for. Experience in gardening/landscaping is appreciated. I'm looking at the following.
Plum Hedge
Lombardy Poplar
Forsythia
Privet Hedge
Chinese Elm Hedge
I have small children and a dog. The hedge does not necessarily have to be tight enough to serve as a fence, although that would be a nice bonus. Whether or not the hedge is poisonous is another consideration.
I'd like a minimum height of 3 feet.
Does rosemary grow that tall?
Typo above .. make that a minimum height of 4 .. four .. feet, but it could extend much higher, for total privacy.
I'm in the mid-atlantic region and in Zone 6. I haven't had my soil tested yet, so I'm not sure of its chemistry.
Of your listed choices I would only find 1 acceptable as a privacy hedge. Plum hedges like the purple leaf varieties for example don't get all that big, and they're deciduous, worthless in the winter because you see right through them. The same for Forsythia, plus it gets wider than tall and would take over as it spread. You'd need serious pruning yearly because of the fast growth rate and to keep young vigorous growth on the plant for it's superior flowers.
The Poplar and Elm you mention are trees, again you'll lose a lot of space eventually unless you elevate the canopy by removing the bottom limbs, then your privacy is gone again.
That leaves the privet, a nice evergreen shrub which also comes in a yellowish color instead of the typical green. It can get to be a monster but shearing every year can keep it under control. Shear wider at the bottom than at the top to allow light penetration to the bottom leaves, this will help prevent leaf drop from the lower branches. Do it once after initial Spring growth spurt then again by mid-Sept at latest. This will keep it under control, and tightly sheared so it looks better.
Another alternative would be "Emerald Green" Arborvitae. They are narrow, just 3 or 4 feet, and grow fairly quickly to their max of 12-15 feet. No shearing for width is necessary, you may want to top them every couple years when they get to desired height. The good things about the arbs are that they are cheap,common, and available just about anywhere, Home Depot, Lowes, etc... in season. Small ones in a one gallon pot shouldn't cost you more than $5 or $6 max, maybe $12 for a good sized 3 gallon. Only drawback to Arbs is they may get spider mites in bad droughts and stressful summers, and bagworms like them. That's easily treated though. Ligustrum (Privet) and the Arbs are both pretty tolerant plants, they'll do fine in Zone 6 and don't really care much what soil they're in as long as they are well watered for the first couple of years. Full sun is best for these, but light shade won't hurt. The more shade the less dense the plant will be.
Buy Our Privacy Trees In Landscaping
|
|
Eve Beglarian: Tell The Birds $9.99 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.... |
|
|
Emergency Music $11.98 ... |
|
|
Easy Gardener 74012 6-by-12-Feet Sun Screen Fabric, Heavy Green $23.66 Premium grade. Shade cloth fabric or sun screen fabric is a knitted fabric of high density polyethylene monofilament that is breathable. It has locked spring knitted construction that is fray resistant and has high tensile strength. This fabric is resistant to abrasion, mildew, and chemicals, and has ultra violet stability. Cleans easily with a garden hose. Cools the area shaded by reducing temper... |
|
|
Square Privacy Heavy Duty Treated Yellow Pine Wood Lattice in a 5/pack with Freight included [CAPITOL CITY LUMBER] $686.33 Heavy Duty treated yellow Pine SQUARE lattice with smaller openings for a Privacy design. This sku is for a 5 panel/pack. Also available in packs of 10 panels , 20 panels and 40 panels through CAPITOL CITY LUMBER. The price you pay per panel will decrease as the size of the pack increases due to motor freight to your door included in the price. **** Please contact us at 1-800-244-6492 with any q... |
|
|
Golden Hawaiian Bamboo Plants Healthy 3 gallon rootball, with new shoots emerging. All growth from previous growing Season Has Been removed all that remains are roots and new shoots Golden Hawaiian bamboo is one of the most memorable and outstanding bamboos collected. Bright yellow canes with green stripes that look hand painted. This bamboo is one of the most popular landscape bamboos because of its open clump form. Beauti... |
|
|
Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways to Turn Your Outdoor Space into a Peaceful Retreat $11.33 The area around your home is your haven, your sanctuary, your refuge from the noise and irritation of traffic, eyesores, and nosy neighbors. Or at least it could be if there was some sort of barrier between your front yard and the sidewalk, or if you didn't have to stare at the back of the neighbors' garage when you want to relax on your patio. Landscaping for Privacy brims with creative ideas fo... |
|
|
Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations $15.80 Virginia Woolf was right. Women–and men, it turns out–yearn for a room of their own. But instead of a little nook beneath the eaves, that room is now a shed. Today’s sheds, however, are not dusty shelters for plants and tools. Lace curtains have replaced cobwebs, charming antiques stand where shovels and rakes once rusted, and instead of corrugated walls, you will find cedar shingles and win... |
|
|
The Revolutionary Yardscape: Ideas for Repurposing Local Materials $9.16 Budget-friendly, environmentally sound, and one-of-a-kind, discovering new uses for what you already have or what you discover in the salvage yard is truly living local. It reduces a garden’s environmental impact, saves money, and — most importantly — is fun and creative. From making pathways out of scrap wood and metal to creating garden lights from discarded indoor fixtures, The Revolution... |
|
|
3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Design [Old Version] $5.86 3D Home Architect Landscape Designer Version 9 puts a world of landscaping possibilities as close as your desktop. Design the perfect living space with pre-made landscape plans you can simply drag and drop. View your design in full Color and easily identify furniture, plants, windows, fences, and more in your design. Create photorealistic 3D renderings of your landscape plans in changing light, th... |
|
|
Total 3D Landscape & Deck Deluxe $9.99 All the tools and inspiration you need to create beautiful outdoor rooms patios decks gardens and breath-taking landscapes are included. No previous design or architectural experience is needed.TOTAL 3D Landscape & Deck is designed for you the homeowner rather than an architect or contractor. Whether you are designing your dream deck patio garden or pool you ll have all the tools and inspiration y... |
