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| We're looking to screen the view of our neighbor's shed, and I am considering hollies. I went looking at our local nurseries today, and saw two contenders that meet our final height requirements, Chesapeake holly and Needlepoint. I prefer the non-conical shape that the Needlepoints, but they were so much cheaper than the Chesapeakes I got suspicious.
If you've got any advice or warnings for me about these hollies, I'd be happy to hear them. The Chesapeakes were $69 each, which would be a very expensive mistake for me, as we need three or four. Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by dave_in_nova VA zone 7a (My Page) on Wed, Apr 21, 10 at 9:29
| I don't have experience with either one! But, of course with Needlepoint (cornuta) you'll have spines to contend with. My guess is it will likely grow up quicker and higher (maybe that's why they're cheaper?) and may need a bit of pruning. But you can get red berries. It would be similar to a Burford holly, which are pretty cheap around here. Chesapeake is a crenata holly, and you'll only get black berries, so it's not as colorful. But there are no spines on the leaves. It will take a while for them to get established and sizeable, I would imagine, unless you are starting out with very large ones. How tall does your screen need to be eventually? Would you be willing to do some pruning among the spines? Also, if your site is sunny, you will get denser foliage. |
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| Thank you, Dave. I don't mind the spines, but my husband does, which is why I was considering the spineless Chesapeakes. However, I'm the one who does most of the pruning and I'm also scared of planting such expensive shrubs when I have no experience with them. We need the screen to be at least five feet tall, but there are phone lines overhead, so we don't want it to get 20 feet. |
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