Tall Privacy Hedge

9 years ago

I'm looking for some sort of a tall evergreen privacy hedge for zone 6.

A perfect one, which I've grown before at my old place in a zone 7, would be an English Laurel, which technically says it grows in zone 6, but I'll be planting tons of whatever hedge and I'd rather not have a random extra cold snap kill them all off and have to start again.

So I guess my first question is, should that be a concern or if it says it will work in zone 6, I should just believe it? Because if so, the choice is easy. :-)

But if not, basically, I'd like something evergreen, fast growing, low maintenance, grows at least 10 ft tall and, as I'll be planting about 1,000 feet of these, something that spreads pretty good would be handy so I don't have to plant so many.

As I said, my first choice would have been the English Laurel, if not for the concern over cold temperatures, as they have great spread, grow super fast, are easy to trim, and easy to propagate from existing plants I have access too, which would save me quite a bit of money. :-)

Any other ideas?

Featured Answer

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

9 years ago

A couple plants you might consider:

Euonymus 'Manhatten'
Viburnum 'Pragense'
Ilex 'Blue Maid'
Ilex crenata 'Steeds'

And there are conifers which I'm not real up on.

You could plant 'nicer' more refined plants in groupings of threes, and cheapies more in back -- to avoid the 'monoculture' issue.

It all depends on how manicured this should look. How much time you are willing to devote to pruning. Whether you have deer issues. How visible this area is to you or the street. Full sun? Good drainage? Can you water to get established?

Comments (7)

allen456
9 years ago
Something that "spreads pretty good" is not going to be low maintenance.

I would suggest Needlepoint Holly, but you'd need more than a hundred to run one thousand feet.
kitasei
9 years ago
Are deer present?
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
you might want to be alittle more specific about where you are.. other than just z6 ...

and i wonder about this comment: I'll be planting tons of whatever hedge and I'd rather not have a random extra cold snap kill them all off and have to start again. AND: I'll be planting about 1,000 feet of these,

==>>> and you prefaced it all with: I'd rather not have a random extra cold snap kill them all off and have to start again.

==>>> you are already understanding why.. it is recommended to diversify any planting of size ... one out of the ordinary event...bugs... disease... ma nature... whatever.... and you are starting over ...

do NOT plant all of one thing... IMHO

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Are there any established plantings of laurel in your area? That should give you an indication of how well it might work. It can get desiccation/winter burn in colder areas so even if you do confirm that laurels work in your area, I'd not be inclined to plant until spring.

Laurels DO seem to be a pretty good choice for your needs as far as growth rate and spread is concerned. They are used frequently here for privacy hedging (maybe to excess) but they will certainly get far larger than 10'.

Have you considered any conifers? 'Green Giant' arborvitae will give you the spread you need but again, won't stop at 10'. Can be sheared into a hedge form, however.

And as Ken notes, a mixed planting of both conifers and broadleaved evergreens (maybe mix in a few deciduous shrubs as well) can be equally effective and avoid any monoculture issues. Depends on how groomed you want the hedge to be.
User
9 years ago
awesome,
You have been given fantastic suggestions, and I would mix them up as a hedge, mabey an aborvitae, a mountain laurel, a holly, mix it up.
That way, if there is a freak ice storm, or severe bug year, you won't loose everything, and its easier to replace just one type on a hedge that long.
If there is shade, look for evergreen shrubs for shade too, like Rhododendrums, just mix it as much as possible.
Hollies do get quite wide, so space them and don't plant them right in a row.
Plant them staggered, that way they can spread a little more and look better than a straight row.
Good luck, that's a long hedge space.
jcalhoun
9 years ago
Yaupon and dahoon hollies will work well for evergreen hedges and need little, if any, maintenance.