Wow. Those ribs, chicken and burgers sure look tasty.

Western arb. (Green giant etc) probably would have suited your needs better. Southern magnolia would be a nice choice although they aren't that rapid growing. But they form a canopy so you could theoretically keep you existing hedge.

Just a thought... why not keep what you have and use a deciduous tree or two, so that way you'll have the shade and privacy in the seasons you'll want to spend outdoors and the sun can get in during the winter.

iforgotitsonevermind : 3 reasons I don't prefer trees.. 1. Space. (I like an open lawn and theres not much space on that end. 2. I need the screen from all points in yard, not just from deck. 3. My garden is on that side so I can't have trees there.

Yea, thanks for the grill pic, now I'm hungry!
I'd say go with what you got. Although, I wouldn't have planted them so close to each other. What kind of Pine tree is that in the first pic?

the arbs .... american?? .. they will be fine.. their only problem is your need to have it done last year .... plants just dont transplant... and start growing that fast ...

i dont see .. in the 2nd pic.. why 30 feet is necessary .... no matter what you put back there ... 30 feet isnt coming any time soon ... and you need to understand that.. or everything back there will be a failure .. in your mind ...

even if you put in GGiants ... it will take a year or two to start growing at the rates you desire ...

have you ID'd those trees ... it makes a big diffeerence to how the transplants will do under them ... a pic of buds and bark .. MIGHT get an answer here ..

ken

We get different reports about the growth of Green Giants. I planted 4 ½ footers three years ago. The first yearÂthe same year I planted them--they grew almost three feetÂactually a 33" average. The next year they averaged just under 40". This last year they grew fast, but they were already too tall to easily measure.

How fast these things grow will depend on your climate, your soil, the root systems they have when you buy them, and how you plant them. I am a big fan of mulch, and regular but careful watering for the first two or three years.

I think the Green Giants are a very good choice, but they are like the arbs you already have. So if you donÂt like those, you wonÂt like the GGÂ, but the GGÂs may grow about twice as fast.

--Spruce

Hmmm, I don't mind waiting 10 years to get the 30 feet but I at least want 15 feet within a couple years. I definetly need something now.

shortleaf2002 - Moved here only 2 years ago and the tree was there. I'm pretty sure it's a White Pine. Maybe Austrian? Either way it's growing like 2 feet a year and I'll be taking it down unfortunetly.

Just wondering, it doesn't look like Eastern White Pine or Austrian Pine. It looks more like Longleaf Pine to me with the long needles. If thats what it is I'd think that would be a rarity in CT.
Sorry to be looking at other stuff in the photos but I can't help it!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/pinus_palustris.html

I think there may be a closer pine tree that is getting in the shot making the needles look longer. There's no way that can be a longleaf pine. Longleaf pines look like telephone poles with a few needles growing out the top and platy bark.

Oh, I see that now..duh! I feel stupid, thats what its looks like.
Thanks, Will

Come to think of it, the tree in the background isn't a pine at all. ⺠Don't feel stupid!

The Tree in the background is a Norway Maple (seen on right in this pic). The tree close to the deck is a Pine.

I do like those Arbs cause they look nice in the snow.
{{gwi:331693}}

They are already in. You can spend more, but I don't think you will get much more value because you will waste all the time, money and energy you spent with the American arbs, which are great screens on their own that people in my area can for the most part only dream about.

They will get big enough, perhaps sooner than you think... and they will stay the height you want them to be once they do longer. I don't know if GG will stay put at your max. I don't think so...

Keep them in, I say.

fledging I am keeping those in but I needed a screen on other side was wondering if I should use the same... They are very Flimsy! Turn brown easily.

They turn brown easily because they are not established yet. And that Norway maple is sucking the life out of them. Can't tell what variety they are, but they do look like they're not only too close to each other but too close to the fence as well. Arbs will most likely be your best choice for what you're looking for. Myself, I'd go for a variety of narrow trees just for better interest but they'd be slower than you want.

tj

What about bamboo? Tall, evergreen, grows dense, fast, and fills in nicely.

Thought about Bamboo orginially..Too expensive! I need 75 feet total. You figure you need 2 or 3 rows with bamboos.

Good point about the Maple choking the Arbs. Actually, I added 1/2 yard of fresh soil so the Arba are sitting above the root bound soil.

Oh the dilemas.

i will bet.. that within a month of adding any soil over maple.. the maple is in that soil ...

maples are one of the worst for gardening under ...

norway are the absolute worst ..

maples are super competitors.. robbing the soil of all nutrients and water ... below is my old picture of silver maple roots in a neighbors yard .... its no wonder grass can even grow

a time and place for everything.. but maple in a small yard.. can be very problematic in suburbia ... put the same tree in the middle of a park... super ...

anyway ... if you start having problems with anything planted within the canopy of a maple.. the problem is caused by the maple... period... especially look for drying of the root ball ... aka severe browning ...

good luck

ken

{{gwi:208954}}

Interesting.

While I would love to use that for firewood, it also provides the only shade for summer time.

And even though those Arbs are dug down 1 foot, I know the roots will take over.

And even though the Maple is 45 feet high and old I know it's still healthy and strong.

And even though 1 Arb might die out, I know the ones further away will be fine.

HOW ABOUT FAST GROWING HEDGES THAT STAY GREEN AND DENSE ALL YEARF ROUND? And will look good in snow? :)

You do realize that a plant that meets all of your requirements... there really aren't many. GG arb prehaps.

Pinus strobus ÂFastigiata is columnar and dense and fast but taller than what you want. Carpinus betulus 'columnaris' is really dense and the right size, but not that fast and it looses its leaves, although for that plant it still makes a good hedge because it's branches are so dense. Google them, but there might not be a plant that is exactly for you in this case because fast growth usually means BIG after a period.

Yeah I know.. Want to be here for a long time but I want that privacy yesterday. If I had to..time would be last priotirty,.

I just want value, good looks in snow, not weak, and dense all year round.. I'll wait 2-3 years for 15 feet.

I'll re-read these posts and make a decisions. Thanks guys/girls.

I like upright yew for privacy hedges in part shade, which I think is what you've got there. Wouldn't use them anywhere else, but I've had them do very well near and under an old Maple where nothing else will grow.

Ironically, high winds today knocked the white fence down. The one in the 2nd and 3rd pics.

Fence totally rotted and post snapped off.. Now I got my side with temporary support pieces of wood.. wish i put in something 2 yrs ago.. Oh well..

If you had put plants in before, the fence would still have come down...only it would have been on your plants. A solid fence may be great for privacy but they are lousy with wind. Much better to have gaps. Better for the fence and better for the plants.

tj

I'm not going to address a single question you raised! First, my stomach is growling. Second, Does anyone else think red twigged dogwood with the variegated leaves might be pretty in front of the arbs. Yes, I know they're not trees. But sometimes the answers to questions take on a life of their own, and ignore the op's original question. Guilty as charged.

Natural stuff,
ok, I have your answer.
Wax Leaf Lingstrum.
The answer to all of your needs.
Just don't cut them at all, you will be fine.
Evergreen Privacy Fast.
I don't know how they look in the snow however, but you can't have everything.
They also look nice, by the way.

Wax Leaf is for Zone 7 and higher

You might consider evergreen viburnum...

Here is a link that might be useful: Viburnum 'Pragense'