in my world... all it depends on .. IS YOUR BUDGET ....

if you can afford twice as many plants... plant them 4 feet apart ....

if you cant afford that many plants.. put them 8 feet apart ...

and all that is a function of how many years you are willing to wait for your privacy ....

research the annual growth rate .... and see how long it will take to fill in ... e.g. .. if you plant them 8 feet apart.. and the space is 6 feet [taking into account how big they are when planted] ... and they each grow 1 foot per year [a year or two after becoming 'established'> ... then it will take 3 to 5 years before they begin to touch ...

cut the spacing to 4 feet .. and you cut 2 to 3 years off the result ....

aaannnddd ... noting space is not an issue ... and if budget is not an issue ... go for 4 ft apart within a row ... with two rows ... second row offset by two feet [meaning closer to you] ... which probably means they will be about 3 feet apart between plants between the rows ... i know what i want to say.. but am not sure the words are working .... maybe i fixed it.. or confused you further .. lol

sooooo ... you have to answer your own question ... imho ..

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

ken

if screening is the goal .. i do NOT understand how they can be too close ...

if you are looking for specimen planting .. letting them achieve their own potential .. then yes.. spacing is an issue ...

sounds like you are on the right track ... though i personally .. might zig zag them .... rather than a straight line ... more interesting ...

good luck

ken

I planted my neille stevens 3 ft apart wanting a sceen. Will this hurt them ? edstraub180@gmail.com

3 feet apart seems really too close to me. Keep in mind Nellie can reach 30 feet or more over time. You will have a LOT of shearing to do. How high does your screen need to be?

I planted 125 of them 3 ft apart 4 years ago and they are now 6 to 7 ft tall. I am wanting a screen letting them grow natural. Will they be ok or do i need to remove every other one ? edstraub180@gmail.com