I've been wondering lately if you can tip the branches on loblolly pine like what they do with white pines to make them more christmastree-like. I've been meaning to try this.

Alabama is right. If you top the trees, you'll end up with a mess. On the other hand, if you plant a variety of broadleaf evergreens in front of them, you'll have a much more interesting screen. You'll also provide good cover for birds and other wildlife.

Many people have posted similar questions in this forum so I have a suggestion. There is a search box at the top of every page. Type "evergreen screen" in the box - you'll find many wonderful ideas. BTW: I just did that - the search returned more than 1,000 discussions. You may want to eliminate those from California, the upper Midwest states, maybe New England, or maybe not. Reading questions and answers from previous discussions is a great way to learn and get new ideas.

Pam

At least two staggered rows of Loblolly pines will only create a screen for a few years.

My loblolly trees after only 4 or almost 5 years of growing, since I first planted them as one gallon pot size trees, have lower branches which break off with very little pressure applied.

I have read that loblolly trees naturally shed their lower branches once the trees begin to fill out and grow 20 or more feet tall.

Hope you did not plant your Loblolly trees closer than 10 feet apart. If you planted them less than 7 feet apart you will later need to thin some of the trees out, or your trees will grow tall and narrow, much more quickly, while still shedding their lower limbs in time.

If one wants a long lived screen, and still wants to plant Loblolly trees amid the screen, it would be best to plant the loblolly trees at least 10 to 12 feet apart and to plant 'Nellie R. Stevens' holly shrubs spaced to fill the spaces between the loblolly trunks. I have never found any one who sells the male pollinator specifically cultivated for the Nellie R. Stevens, so it is best to plant a Chinese holly not too far away to help increase the berry production on the Nellies.

Also, please do not consider trying to top prune any of your loblolly trees. They grow tall, and pruning out the main leader trunk to create multiple leaders is only asking for trouble, once the trees begin to mature.

In December '07, my area experienced 4 days of off and on rain with temps staying between 30 and 33 F. degrees. This caused the ground to remain thawed, but the trees accumulated 4 or more inches of ice. During that winter weather event, 4 of my nearly 20 feet tall loblolly tree's main leaders broke off about 5 feet above the ground. All around town there can be seen other Loblolly trees that broke the same way.

I cut my 4 broken trees down to ground level, since letting them try to create new leader trunk growth would have only generated weak crotched multiple leaders that could not withstand the weight of the trunks, especially considering the height potentials of any future developing leader trunks.

Loblolly normally have a sort of open-growth. Eastern Red Cedar or similar is better for a screen. That said, those specimens of Loblolly grown in the open in full sun typically will tend to be "bushier" and shorter than those in forest. If they remain in full sun, the limbs will tend to droop the longer they get. Not unusual to see limbs as long as 15-20' on older Loblollies. If your trees are planted so close that they begin to shade each other, these lower limbs will begin to die and trunks will be visible. If you planted them close together, simply start thinning once the foliage begins to touch/shade each other. A double staggered row as mentioned above is good idea if you have the space.

Virginia pine might have more of what you're looking for.

Here's what a Loblolly screen will eventually look like.

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"Here's what a Loblolly screen will eventually look like"

Very nice trees!

Yes, that's what loblollies will look like - in a surprisingly short time.

A neighbor approached this differently. When his loblollies were smaller than those in the photo Alabama posted, he planted flowering native trees (dogwoods, redbuds, etc.) beneath / between them. By doing this, he created different groves - a redbud grove, a dogwood grove, etc.

As the trees grew and filled in, he had an attractive, effective screen, except for about 3 months in winter when the flowering trees lose their leaves. The look is always changing because he selected trees that bloom at different times of the year. I look forward to seeing what's blooming when I drive to work.

Pam, an excellent approach by your neighbor. Diversity is extremely important for several reasons:

- no single disease will take them all out so if a disease comes along you won't lose the whole group
- different plants are host and home to different insects, birds, etc. so you support a wide range of life by diversifying
- depending on your preferences, it can be a more pleasing and more natural looking effect to have a mix.

On Western Blvd in Raleigh by NCSU there is a nice screen of Southern Magnolia. Just beautiful. I'm sure the Loblollies would look nice if spaced out enough...like others have said they do grow bushier in the open. Try some Shorleaf pines as well. I've seen gorgeous specimens...and for me they look awesome as stand alone trees from a distance. I just love Shortleaf pines!