where are you .. do CM thrive there????

whats the soil???

how big are you buying???

and how much space do you have out from the fence ../???

what the goal???

and why all the same plant????

otherwise.. the answer is .... YES ...

ken

I live in NW AR. If I plant the red rockets 3 feet from the fence, it shouldn't hurt the plant or the fence? What is the closest I can plant them from one another?

What USDA zone are you in? 6B? 7A?

You can expect Red Rocket to form a vase-shaped plant about 15 to 20 feet tall. Unfortunately that will shade out anything planted below or in between them unless you plant them very far apart -- like at least 20 feet, but then that defeats the purpose of using them for a screen. It's not the fastest growing crape, but all of them are fairly fast. Tuscorora and Biloxi are likely faster, but taller.

That said, I would definitely consider using an evergreen (conifer or broad-leaf) for your screen for year-round privacy.

Not sure how high you want to go. Green Giant can get quite large -- like 10-20 feet in diameter?? Look it up and if so, plant it the proper distance away from fence. Cryptomeria is similar in shape and also grows fairly quickly. Some don't like the bronzy look of foliage in winter.

If you want something closer to the fence think about whether you'll have to do maintenance on the fence and how much (if any) room you'll need for that.

Many hollies like 'Needlepoint', 'Oakland', and 'Nellie Stevens' might fill the bill.

Skip laurels -- Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis' (with extra moisture in droughts), Bright n Tight Cherry laurels are some more ideas.

Also consider Osmanthus x Fortunei, and even smaller southern magnolias like Teddy Bear and Little Gem (although that can eventually attain large size).

Some of those I mention may need shearing depending on your size limitation which you did not give.

This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Mon, Feb 17, 14 at 19:28