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zephirined

Screening out ugly buildings... fast?

ZephirineD
20 years ago

Hello, friends!

As I may have mentioned in other posts, my 1/3 acre lot is in the city. Because most of the lots in my neighborhood are large, we've been zoned "multiple housing", which means that some investors have purchased lots nearby and covered them with 2-story apartment buildings. There is one of these right next door to my lot, on the long side, and its residents (all very nice people, by the way) have a panoramic view of my back yard.

I am unfortunately a very private person who likes a feeling of seclusion in my garden.

I have considered the following fast-growing screens:

Timber bamboo -- I've purchased but not yet planted some Bamboo "Henon". While I could root-prune it to keep it from wandering into my yard, the established dwarf fruit trees near the fence would preclude root-pruning on the neighbor's side -- and also preclude a seamless barrier all along the fence, unless I cut many fruit-tree roots.

Metasequoia giganteum -- Giant Sequoia -- I love this tree which grows very fast, with thick, lush foliage. However, its trunk grows twelve feet across (or more) with age, which means I'd have to plant it at least six feet away from the fence... and as it grew, it would completely overwhelm the fruit trees. It would also overwhelm my own yard, which is only 72 feet wide, though 210 feet deep...

Columnar conifers -- Does anyone know of one that grows fast, but doesn't get ugly with age (as arborvitaes do)?

Laurel hedge -- I used to hate Laurels, but I've since discovered that if they are pruned rather than sheared, they can make a lovely fan shape against a fence. Their flowers are sweet-smelling, they have lush evergreen foliage, and they grow relatively fast if they're given good soil and plenty of water. However, I don't think they'll grow quite tall enough to screen the building completely -- although they'll probably be tall enough to obscure the view from the upper windows.

So, I'm tending towards Laurel, but I'd like to ask all of you for advice. Any suggestions I haven't considered?

Love, and thanks in advance,

Claudia

Comments (6)

  • John_D
    20 years ago

    Despite the treat of running away: BAMBOO! Nothing else will do a job quite like it.

  • ZephirineD
    Original Author
    20 years ago

    True, John -- so true.

    ...BUT... Bamboo is expensive. I can't really afford more than one plant, which means that I'll have to wait for at least a few runners to establish new clumps which I will have to dig up (a pretty difficult chore I'm told), and plant in other places along the fence -- with the added chores of installing barriers, and doing semi-annual root-pruning of all the clumps.

    So there's that -- a fast-growing screen in ONE spot, but not really a full-length screen for at least a few years.

    On the other hand, I have a friend who planted Sequoiadendron (not Metasequoia -- I had the genus wrong) giganteum five years ago, and it's already very tall and lush. They do grow fast, thick, and wide... and they're fairly cheap. I can buy starts for $8 each, and five trees will probably be all I'll need to cover the entire 100 feet or so of screening.

    I can interplant them with Laurel, and maybe a single clump of 'Henon'... and I can train and prune them so they don't totally overwhelm my yard.

    And yes, their trunks do become 10' wide with age... a few hundred years or so... but with global warming accelerating at its current pace, we probably won't have much more than another 30 years to enjoy our gardens, anyway.

    In 30 years' time, the trees' trunks will only be six feet or so wide, which means I can plant them three feet from the fence -- or closer, and let them knock it down!

    Another thread here -- I think it's called, "To stay or not to stay", by Robyn in TX -- discusses what to do about trees that are mature, but aren't really close to the gardener's heart. I realized as I read the latest contributions to the thread, that I don't really care that much for the dwarf apple tree except for the insufficient screening it contributes in summer... and although I've always wanted a peach tree, the one that's here isn't bearing well, and the fruit hasn't ripened properly in either of the last two summers.

    That leaves only the two Queen Anne cherries to worry about: one is so tall that I'll need a cherry-picker to harvest its bounty, and the other one is already leaning well into the yard, a slim trunk that sprouted from the stump of the tree someone cut down long ago. (I never would have!)

    My point being, I think I'll enjoy whatever screening plants I grow there better than I'm currently enjoying the fruit trees.

    So rather than plant a monoculture screen, I think I might mix up the bamboo, Giant Sequoias, and Laurel, with a few Italian cypresses for variety. I'll try to plant things that won't immediately overwhelm the cherries -- but dwarf apple tree, look out!

    Thanks for your advice, John. It IS comforting to hear someone say, "You know, there are times when it's perfectly okay to plant a huge, invasive, running bamboo!"

    Love,

    Claudia

  • Cady
    20 years ago

    Claudia,
    When a developer plopped big, ugly McMansions on the previously-wooded hill behind me, the first thing I thought was, "You know, there are times when it's perfectly okay to plant a huge, invasive, running bamboo!"

    And that's what I did last year.

  • ZephirineD
    Original Author
    20 years ago

    Bless your heart, Cady!

    Do you have a digital camera? Can you post pictures of the hideous McView as it looks now, with the promising bamboo in front of it?

    And I'll see if I can post the pictures I just took of the hideous view on the north side of my own work-in-progress. With all the trees winter-bare, it's really, really awful...

    Love and thanks,

    Claudia

  • Cady
    20 years ago

    I have shots of the McMs, but not the right angle to show the new 'boo growing in front of it. I'll post the "Before" shots today, though, and will get pictures of the 'boo when it shoots later this spring. Now that it's in its second year, there should be some fresh growth. It will be another year before it really goes wacky.

    You can buy field grown LARGE bamboo specimens from a number of growers, so that you're starting with big, full plants. I opted for smaller, cheaper, younger ones, but I don't mind waiting because the trees in back screen out the development from May to November.

  • Cady
    20 years ago

    Claudia,
    Here is a photo of the McMansion development that was plopped onto the formerly wooded hill behind me. 10 acres of land blasted, chainsawed and converted into subdivisions of butt-ugly boxes. My and my neighbors' yards are like the inside of a fishbowl, with our new abuttors over our heads. Their decks overlook our yards.

    Fortunately, from May through November the view is screened by the leaves on the deciduous trees. In this photo, it's winter so you can see what it's like without leaves.

    Last year, I put some bamboo in a strategic place so that when I look out my sunroom window, the 'boo will screen the view of the McMansions during the seasons when there are no leaves on the trees. This year, I'm planting bamboo along the boundary at the foot of the hill, using a species that will soften the view more.

    Angle and perspective are everything when you're dealing with this kind of vertical view, but if your problem plane of vision is horizontal, you have more options such as progressively taller "layers" of shrubs and trees - low plants in your foreground, tall in the background.

    P.S.
    Can you see the turkey "mooning" my hilltop abuttors? Of course, the people there had to get used to living next over a yard full of poultry, but we were there first. ;)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Fishbowl

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