no plant really stops growing in height or width.. they simply are not magical that way ...

i would NEVER do all of one thing along that linear length ... diversify

your county soil conservation district office .. can give you information on wind breaks in your county/state .... in all actuality.. that is your goal.. even though you are using it as a sight break ... they may even sell small native plants at the right planting time ....

i hate privet with a passion equivalent to the heat of a million suns.. having had to shear mom and dads for decades ... trust me.. you can do a lot better ...

also google musser forest ... for many other options ....

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: call them

was wondering my previous idea was to plant leyland-cypress and nellie stevens holly about 12 ' apart by alternating them and placing various flowering shrubs in between them and a few feet off set

Besides the fact that Leylands can be pretty disease and pest prone, they can get pretty large ( >>50' ).

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Whatever you decide to go with, it would probably be a good idea to be sure it's not invasive (ie. environmentally damaging) in your area. Lingustrum sinese (Chinese Privet) is very invasive in North Carolina, and Lingustrum japonicum (Japanese Privet) is moderately invasive (still quite harmful).

Here is a link that might be useful: NC EPPC (Exotic Pest Plant Council)

i dont understand why you want to plant a line of plants against what you call: the back 220 feet ... against a wooded area.

if you have a natural wooded area.. why are you trying to hide it ... why do you want to screen it????

your words are failing me ... any chance at a pic ...

to take a natural.. read that CARE FREE area.. and plant it.. sounds counter intuitive to me ....

before we start solving your issue.. perhaps i need to understand the situation better ....

in my world.. blocking a straight sight line to a forest view.. would not be accomplished at the property line.. we could soften that straight line effect ... perhaps by planting in between you and that back line ... if that makes any sense ... in other words.. you have created a box .. which is at the boundary line.. i would like to step out of the box.. and look around.. before we commit to the boundary line solution ....

great pic brandon ... lol

how to post pix at the link below ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Consider using these native evergreens, which are indigenous to the Southeast: Carolina cherry laurel (_Prunus caroliniana_) and wax myrtle (_Myrica cerifera_). They are beautiful and adapted to your USDA climate zone. The wild songbirds will thank you for using these plants, which provide them with a fine food source. _Eleagnus pungens_, an exotic evergreen vining shrub, would also be an excellent, fast-growing plant for use in hedgework. It also does a good job of feeding the birds. Avoid privet as you would the plague.

it is just 3 sides the 132 220 and 132 the woods will be a natural setting no hedge to block it. thanks jay that is the kind help i need looking at both of those right now

I agree with both of the native choices. Hemlock is another plant for shady privacy but is slow growing.

I would avoid Elaeagnus though. Here in Georgia it is a nasty, tangled monster - turning wherever you plant it into a messy, overgrown jungle. My neighbor has it and it has grown all into the taller plants behind it, throwing out whips that spill into the street and baby plants are coming up in neighbor yards all around. And yes, privet doesn't need to be planted anywhere in the Southeast.

If you go with wax myrtle, be careful to choose a hardy cultivar. Some should do fine in zone 7, others may not (especially in colder parts of zone 7).

And, as Esh advised, just say NO! to the thorny-olive!

Dear Brandon:

Living in those Arctic zones (6b) of Tennesee, you are, no doubt, unfamiliar with wax myrtle's hardiness. Any form of wax myrtle should be completely at home in Hickory, NC--well able to tolerate a North Carolina winter. Now, if one lived in Boone, NC, one might need to consider those chill mountain temperatures. Or up on Mount Mitchell. You catch my drift (no pun intended).

I will forever defend _Eleagnus pungens_ against the invasive plant naysayers over in Georgia who are forever hopeful of blasting this fine shrub to Gehenna.

Gehenna?

Regardless of it's invasiveness into other people's property thanks to bird poop, this plant is a big pain in the patootie for the homeowner him/herself.

As Floridata says (and this is accurate from my observation):

The slender young stems are very pliable and very fast growing. These stems, or "canes" bend to form great arcs if unsupported. When grown adjacent to other plantings silverthorn canes insinuate themselves into the situation as they weave their way among the host's branches in an aggressive bid for sunlight.

jay, you are a well-known supporter of just about every invasive plant in the southeast. Your defense of this one is no surprise but you do the OP no favors in doing so. This is not a nice plant.

Believe it or not, you may be right Jay (about the wax myrtle). I missed Dirtdigging's location in the first post. I saw "7 - NC" in the member info section, but overlooked the city. Hickory is on the borderline between 7b and 8a, so wax myrtles should be OK. Some cultivars would show dieback in colder years (at temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees F), but all of them should at least survive "average" winters there. I'm so used to people not giving their exact location on here, I guess I've stopped looking hard for it.

As for the thorny-olive, I agree with Esh 100%!!!

Dear esh-ga and brandon7,
It is delightful to start the New Year with a horticultural row, isn't it?

There is at least one exotic, invasive plant that I loathe as much as the detested Leyland Cypress, and that is any member of the _Pyrus calleryana_ clan.

I would say that Floridata's commentary on _Elaeagnus pungens_ is far more complimentary than condemnatory, based on the following excerpt, which makes the plant sound ideal for dirtdigging101's purposes in Hicory, NC:

Culture
Thorny elaeagnus is fast growing, easy to care for and tolerant of a wide variety of conditions. It is featured in both Peter Loewer's Tough Plants for Tough Places and Scott Ogden's Gardening Success with Difficult Soils.
Light: Part to full sun.
Moisture: Water when dry for best growth, but silverthorn is able to withstand drought even in light sandy soil. Constantly wet, soggy soil will kill.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 7-9.
Propagation: Propagated by softwood or hardwood cuttings and by seed.

This silverthorn 'Fruitlandii' wasn't pruned for two years and has engulfed a nearby dogword with its tentacle stems.
Usage
Silverthorn responds well to pruning and makes an excellent evergreen hedge and barrier. It is often planted along highways and is useful in controlling soil erosion. This adaptable plant is tolerant of salt spray and so is a good choice for coastal locations. In cooler climates, silverthorn is grown in containers and moved indoors when winter approaches.

Features
The sweet fragrance of the flowers, reminiscent of gardenia, will delight in the autumn and winter garden (it reminds me of the perfume the old ladies wore to church when I was a kid). Silverthorn is very easy to grow and is bothered by few pests. Best of all it is a very fast grower - perfect for quickly creating a green background at the edge of your property. Place it on an expanse of lawn to create a great mound of wildlife habitat. The dense tangle of stems provide perfect sites for nests and the small red fruits will feed hungry songbirds during the winter. Be warned, however, silverthorn is not a good shrub for small areas as it will require constant pruning to keep in bounds - select one of the dwarf cultivars for tight spaces.

brandon7, my judgment of your observations about _Myrica cerifera_ (The Southern Wax Myrtle) is that your _ex cathedra_ comments are based on what you've read in some textbook because they reflect no practical experience with this fine, though invasive, Southeastern native shrub. I've grown the Southern Wax Myrtle on our Zone 7b farm in northwestern South Carolina since I was a young kid in the 1960's. That's about forty-seven years of direct observation of this species. Through those years, our wax myrtles have experienced a number of near zero winter nights and even more winter nights in the high single-digits with no die-back of their stems or twigs and no burned foliage. From observation, I, therefore, contend that _Myrica cerifera_ is fully hardy in Zone 7. It re-seeds like mad, and you will have this native plant coming up all over the place. However, I don't find that to be a problem. Frequently, the volunteer wax myrtle seedlings appear in random places in our landscape where they can simply be left alone to flourish as Mother Nature distributed them. If, however, they've sprouted where I don't want them to be, the seedlings can be easily pulled up and discarded, or transplanted, or given away to other gardeners, or whatever. My point here is simply that this native plant is a first-rate invasive--as talented at invading as any exotic species. In South Carolina, _Myrica cerifera_ has been advancing inland from our barrier, coastal islands for decades. William Tecumseh Sherman is remembered, in part, for his destructive March to the Sea. _Myrica cerifera_ is, on the other hand, noted for its relentless March from the Sea to the Interior. "War is hell."

Jay,

I'm not sure what a "horticultural row" is, so I don't know if I should start the new year with one or not.

As for the previously mentioned elaeagnus species, I could probably find and quote more texts that agree with Esh's and my comments than can be found to praise it's worthiness, but the important thing, IMO, is that at least Dirtdigging has been warned and can evaluate the possibilities before making a choice. With all the other possibilities, I can hardly imagine someone choosing Elaeagnus pugens when they have all the information available to them. Usually, poor choices are more likely to be made when homeowners and gardeners are not aware of the problems.

I'm also sorry that your limited experience with Myrica cerifera hasn't made you aware of the variations in different cultivars, some of which are significantly less hardy than others. Maybe you should read a bit more (-: For some reason, I feel quite sure that you realize my information did not come from a "textbook" or any single source, but I guess that it doesn't really matter.

You also, very unfortunately, still seem to have a complete lack of understanding of the term "invasive". I guess trying to go through that again is useless, since I've seen many people try to explain that to you many times. I'm sure most people will immediately realize that your comments about Myrica cerifera being an invasive in North Carolina are patently absurd, but just in case someone doesn't immediately make that connection...they are indeed absurd and show a total lack of understanding of the issues.

Dear Brandon,
Why do I feel as if you have trivialized and rather viciously attacked my point-of-view? It seems that educated people should be able to disagree amiably--or to agree to disagree. I'm not an Invasive Plant Lobbyist nor a member of PETA. I am, however, a plant-lover--a fan of exotic and native plants--some that you abhor. For you to call my point-of-view absurd is ignorant and downright rude. Anyone who has observed the relentless, westward march of _Myrica cerifera_ across the State of South Carolina knows that it's as aggressive a species as many of the invasive exotic plants that you weep, bewail, and gnash your teeth over. That's as plain as the nose on your face. For you to call my long-held appreciation of _Ealeagnus pungens_ absurd is, likewise, an example of faulty logic and poor argumentation. Plenty of Southern gardeners have grown and enjoyed ealeagnus since Baron Berckmann introduced it into American horticulture through his famed Fruitland Nursery at Augusta in the mid-1800's, along with Chinese wisteria, Southern Indian azaleas, and many camellia cultivars--all favorite garden plants, loved by many. You have a right to your opinion; I have a right to my opinion. And if it floats your boat, you have the right to attack my opinion, whether that attack is justified, logical, or patently nonsensical.

For your edification, the word _row_, rhyming with _cow_, _pow_, _how_, _now_, _sow_, and _wow_, is defined by the dictionary as a "noisy argument, or fight." A _row_ is certainly one of your fortes, don't you think? A little "horticultural row," or fight-a-roo.

Jay,

If we were talking about giant inflatable beachballs, and I described them as dangerously sharp objects that frequently cut children upon contact, would you say that description was equally valid to other's description of that object? I feel that you calling Myrica cerifera invasive in North Carolina is similar to that example.

Now, as you may realize, giant inflatable beachballs could have sharp objects stuck to them or maybe even have some kind of seam defect that could cause injury, but, in general, the description just doesn't fit. Maybe in some way you could make an argument that Myrica cerifera was invading new territory because of local climate change or whatever and conclude that the species was invasive in that manor, but it just doesn't jive with what most of us mean by invasive (especially when most definitions of the word refer to a reasonably stable environment or an ecosystem in some reasonable equilibrium).

I don't care, in general, if you want to redefine or redirect the meaning of words (re: invasive, not row), BUT, in this case, I feel the accepted meaning has so much importance in many conversations that it's problematic when the word is used in a way that may be misleading.

I like that Carolina cherry laurel and have found a good source for the plants. I have seen some fine examples of wax myrtle in my area and will use that too. My thought is to plant an area 24 feet wide with these two plants and other shrubs and trees some for flowers and some for wildlife. so let the planting begin.

I see we had a lot of discussion but the privet looks fast and fits my needs

Planting a long row of privet next to a wooded plot in an area where the species planted is weedy sounds like a pretty bad idea. I wouldn't want my tenure on a piece of ground to be marked by a privet infestation.

it is not next to it it is 132 ft from the woods running parallel to the woods and what is it going to hurt there are privet hedges all over this area

Well I am going to weigh in here. We are fighting 'a bad case of Privet.' I am in Richmond Va, The ONLY way to keep it in check is to pull it up. If you cut it, say with your lawnmower, it comes back like a hydra. I have no nice words for it. Oh yes grows fast, pretty flowers. Just wait 20 years.
I am looking for a way to get rid of it.

The only thing that privet is good for is generating revenue for RoundUp and Ortho. (And actually, ACE brand brush killer, if you can find it, does a great job with privet.)

Do not plant. You'll regret it. Nearby plants will regret it. Future home buyers will shy away from it. You might as well plant kudzu.