At what time of the year and what hour of the day was the photo taken? That fence casts a mighty long shadow!

Allen456-
This photo was taken last September (almost October) at about 6pm. The fence starts out 6 feet tall near the house, but further into the yard it drops to a 2 foot fence.

brandon7-
Thanks a lot for your input! I am not sure how common these are at box stores in Oregon; I don't see them listed on the Home Depot website. Should I ask them if they can get some in with their spring shipment? Thanks again, you answered every question!

Visit a reputable larger nursery and talk to someone who knows your climate zone and circumstances. Are you in zone 6?

If you are willing to do some shearing AND if it's hardy in your region, AND if you have no deer problems, you might consider Euonymus 'Greenspire'.

All the Ilex 'Sky Pencil's I've seen have been rather skimpy looking. Not what I would use for a 'hedge'. Often they are used to flank a front door or used as a single specimen in a very narrow space.

I would think there must be a better choice for a hedge. But in most cases you will likely need to do some shearing, whatever your choice.

You are going to run into the problem of spacing. If you plant them close enough to meet and make a privacy screen, they are so close that the roots are overcrowded, so their growth is skimpy and stunted.

I don't see what you need privacy from ... can you show more views of the problem area? Maybe one or two larger evergreens in the right spot can do the trick.

dave_in_nova-

Yes, I am in zone 6. What is the advantage of Euonymus Greenspire over Sky Pencil Holly? How much shearing is involved? I kind of want to plant, water and forget. I don't want a lot of maintenance...

lazygardens-

I have a row of Emerald Green Arborvitae planted in the back yard at 3 feet apart and I never thought about the crowding issue; they seem to grow fine that way all around town, so is it a problem for other plants and not arbs? Here are some photos of the front yard from other angles and one of the arbs in the back. I can't plant arbs in the front because the space is much narrower and the deer would feast on them. If there is a tree I could plant and cut off the lower branches to the top of the fence, I might do that, so that only the trunk width is a concern in the mulch bed. I really just want more privacy from the very close adjacent neighbors, they like to stare and I feel like I'm in a zoo on display every time I go outside (front or back). Oh, and the grass is patchy because I grew it from seed myself...it still needs to fill in.

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Just a bit of FYI. Younger plants, like younger people, grow at a faster rate than do older ones. This is probably why Brandon's plants slowed in growth after they reached a certain maturity. And, like people as well, younger plants will adapt more easily to new conditions than will older ones.
Another thought-why don't you go for something that will give you some color and/or fragrance? "Sky Pencil' is a great plant but a hedge of them? BORING.

Linda

Linda,

Do you have any ideas as to what would make a more interesting privacy screen? I am open to suggestions! It just has to fit in that mulch bed because I cannot make the bed any wider (underground sprinklers).

how do i collect the seeds from sky pencil holly

usually.. seeds from named varieties .. do NOT come true from seed ... and often.. many are sterile to begin with ...

ken