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pamelaw_gw

red cedars

pamelaw
12 years ago

I recently moved to 2.5 heavily treed acres. A prior owner planted a row of red cedars to screen a particularly ugly area along a 80-100 foot driveway. They now have dead branches up to 8 feet or so. I am not against taking them out or taking off the lower branches if i could plant something to screen out the area that is now exposed, but whatever i planted would be mostly under the cedars because of the driveway. i thought about blueberry plants but am afraid the shade would be too much for them. Really ugly fence line.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Comments (6)

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    How much space do you have in front of or behind the trees? How big are they now - is it time for a succession plan yet? Even if not, additional plantings will be more successful the further they are away from the trees. Screening can be effective even if the screen is not right at the fence.

    Karin L

  • pamelaw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The trees are about 5-8 feet from the fence and another 10from the driveway which goes right against the row of trees - so maybe 15 feet. Privet is not an option because of my allergies. In another spot I am going to plant magnolia in with them and also thuja green giant. Then taking out the cedars later - these are big trees with trunks a foot in diameter, heights of up to 20 plus feet.

    Was thinking of hostas under them, but its the middle part that i need to screen. These trees were more densely planted than the others. Magnolia might be too wide right there. Holly does well here, but slowly grows. ice storms do happen so that's a consideration. Just don't want to take them out and stare at really ugly view for 3 or 4 years. This is all heavily shaded with oaks. Was given some lovely large azelas which I have temporarily healed in elsewhere - i could use but i would need some height behind them.

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    Hmm. One thing that is not yet clear, where are we staring FROM? Is this to block your view from the driveway, or from the house across the driveway? Your options would increase tremendously if you could plant on the other side of the driveway.

    Or could you build something if the view is so fantastically ugly that you can't look at it even for a while?

    Also, consider that sometimes just having a distraction in front of the bad view will work to help you avoid looking at it - gives the eye something to rest on, as we say. Even a bird bath :-)

    But having done the work of trying to grow stuff under trees - honestly? Cut some of them first, and plant by the stumps. Give the new stuff a fighting chance. If you try to grow it under the trees first, it may grow in, but it will be anemic, deformed, and ugly. And that's all you'll have left after the cedars come down.

    Karin L

  • pamelaw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    its the back of the defunct pool house - why you'd put a pool in on 2 acres as far as you could from the house is strange - the house was designed by a dentist and I call it the denture house - cream stucco with orange bats - the yard is equally ugly not helped by it being in foreclosure the 2nd time. I think I will go ahead and pull out some of the cedars and then fill in with something to screen it, then do the rest in a couple of years - just want instant coverage. The good thing is that it makes mine look great

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    Yardvaark
    12 years ago

    Would you post a picture(s) that clearly illustrate the problem?