As close as you like. They will happily grow through the fence.

...and eventually make a real mess.

Personally, I've always thought the look of trees growing through a chain look fence is kind of neat. Since you have a different aesthetic sense...how far away from the fence do you think thuja should be planted?

Thanks Ed and hi Brandon. Brandon... When you say eventually make a big mess can you elaborate on why? If it can grow through the chain link my understanding is that the thuja green giant will grow pretty high and have about 15 foot diameter.... Would the fence just disappear and the tree grow good or is there any reason to give them more space off the fence?

150 feet of the same species is an invitation to losing the whole thing if disease hits. Use a combination of plants.

I'd double and triple check hardiness on Green Giants. Most people using them here seem to be zone 7 or 8. They are not indestructible.

The problem with planting them too close to the fence is that shrubberies can tear fences apart. If the plants can take the place of the fence, it may not matter. However, dogs aren't stopped at all by shrubbery, and the fence may need to stay intact depending on the wandering habits of the dog.

first off .. in the country ... a line of trees.. is called soil conservation ... and you have a district office in your county .... usually associated with the extension office ... find them.. use them ... many have annual plant sales .... small, extremely cheap plants .... e.g.: look for plant sale

http://www.sullivancountynh.gov/index.php?n=conservation_district

second... what they said about diversifying and large planting ...

third ... you are stuck in your cleared box ... you want to maximize the inside ... uhmmmmm ... then plant outside the box???? .. on the other 6 acres ...

you really havent defined your goal .... beyond not wanting to fill the yard with GGs ...

a pic might help us.. understand the issues ...

ken

I know thuja green giant do great in Zone 6 Massachusetts. I also know NH has an awesome state nursery.

If you plant too close to the fence it becomes hard to prune the trees or repair the fence. I don't think thuja normally need pruning. There is some electric company thing surrounded by a chain link fence surrounded by thuja planted very close near me, and the effect looks good to me.

Not sure if the picture clears up what I am trying to do. But my yard is ~ 2 acres fenced in now in chain link for my dog. on the left and right sides I want to line that fence with thuja green giants (and along the driveway there is not a fence but I need to figure out how far off the fence to begin that line). I believe that they should grow in my climate and I was told I could plant them every 5 of 6 feet to make a dense hedge/shrub barrier. If I put them say 1 foot off the fence, will it hurt the growth and ruin the fence? Should it be 5 feet, 10 feet off, etc? I would love them to grow through the fence a bit to make it still a fence barrier for the dog but almost totally cover the fence, but am not sure how close or far off that fence I need to be to not damage the plant or rip the fence out.

I think your choice will work just fine but remember that these will eventually get to be pretty good sized trees. 1' is much too close - 5-6' off the fenceline is much better. Since I prefer to allow trees and other larger plants to grow naturally with minimal required pruning, I would probably increase the spacing to at least 8' between individual trees and a similar distance off the fence. Ideally you would want to plant these in a staggered row rather than lined up like soldiers.

You certainly have the room to allow for wider spacing. Too close a planting can lead to excessive shading and dieback of individual branches and can also lead to increased disease and insect issues.

Ditto everything Gardengal said, plus, even though you shouldn't have to do much pruning, that doesn't mean no pruning. You will eventually have to remove some dead or broken limbs. You will probably want to be able to get under the trees for a variety of maintenance issues. And, you wouldn't want the large limbs to eventually become damaged, as they grow through the fence, if your trees are planted too close. If you are determined to plant just GGs, go with Gardengal's recommendations.

In a decade or so when they start eliminating grass under them it won't be a thing, but until then come up with a mowing plan.

Oh, learn from the repeated mistakes made by the idiots and fools who manage the Gateway Arch grounds. They are removing 100's of perfect Ash trees as the Emerald Ash Borer has arrived and will be killing them all. The morons are planting 100's of Planetrees now so we can find the great midwestern planetree bug and redo the whole park later.

So if you can plant some other trees mixed in somehow.

Be careful of thy neighbor. I recommend planting them far enough from the fence line to keep branches from hanging over your neighbors yard.

Tor, those guys may or may not be making a mistake, but are you sure they are morons? Sometimes, things happen for reasons that are not immediately apparent. Just saying.

+oM

A spontaneous Thuja plicata seedling at my girlfriend's place had deformed her chain link fence by the time it was maybe 20' tall. It came up right next to the fence but the point remains the same - 'Green Giant' also produces a full sized tree in time. Any structural element that is close enough to be impacted by the enlargement of the tree's trunk or root crown - and is not dense and heavy enough to remain unaffected - will yield to the tree.

I've a GG for 6 years in zone 6a- recently reclassified from 5b- the open winter 2 years ago and the 4 foot snow last winter did not faze it. All winters we hover around 20 degrees with occasional weeks of 10 degrees and nights below 0.

GG is a pretty tough tree.

I completely agree about not having all one species. Make a mixed border. If NHBabs picks up this thread perhaps she'll be kind enough to post a picture of hers....which are stunning. No more care than all of one kind and offer a lot more interest and variety in size, texture, color and disease resistance

Tor's point may be valid, but I maintain, not he, nor anyone else not closely involved in this matter knows of all the factors involved. So name-calling is a valid exercise of intellect? I did not know that.

+oM

Some people on this board don't have people skills and thumb their noses at everyone else. You can safely ignore them.

Mixed shrub border just north of Concord, NH. I wanted mine to stay shorter than 20' or so to not shade solar panels in the background in winter when the sun angle is low. It's a mix of deciduous and evergreens, both conifers (3 kinds of arborvitae plus blue spruce) and broadleaved (several kinds of rhododendrons). I put perennials at the feet of the shrubs, but it isn't necessary. Just mulch really well with a thick layer of woodchips (utility line trimming is a great source of free woodchips) over flattened cardboard boxes if available. I chose this partly because I think a mixed border fits the rural look better, but also so that if a problem occurred such as a disease or insect, I wouldn't be stuck with having to start over from ground zero. My local nurseries just didn't understand why I wanted a mix . . .

Summer look

Winter look - if you want more winter blockage, add more evergreens and fewer deciduous. This is year 5. When planted size ranged from less than 1' tall to 3 1/2' or so, nothing very large.

If anyone care about this thread, I settled on 6 feet off the fence! They are only a few months old but so far so good. I also ignored all advice and used all the same kind of Thuja Green Giants, 69 all from the same nursery in rows 5 foot on center - but hey, we will see what happens in a few years!

Thanks for the follow-up.

Looks great! Thanks. Do you still plan to do along the driveway?

Hi Bill. I was going to line the driveway with emerald greens but nursery talked me out of it. Told me it would work just fine but I plan on letting the GG's grown untrimmed on the top and they said aesthetically it would look off. I am not having a 6 foot white vinyl fence put in along the driveway to the road to finish off that side.

Good choice! With property lines so close with the driveways, the vinyl fence will be less trimming. ;)

The woods look nice.

Mike, can you give an update? I'm wanting to plant the same trees for privacy along a shared barbed wire fence. I can't decide how far off the fence to plant. Thanks.

Hi Christian,

I will take some new photos but went with 6 feet off the fence. 3 years in and they are still about 2 feet off the fence. Not sure how long it will be before touching the fence but I think 6 feet off is more than ample spacing off.

Mike

you guys will need to compare locations.. and length of growing season... to compare potential yearly growth ... ken

I thought I posted this last night but can't find it anywhere, so apologies if this is a repeat.

The former home owner planted 5 GG's along the property line when they split my home into two condos. Shortly after we moved in the other condo owner and I installed a fence - because of alignment of water spigots and a basement access, the trees ended up on my side. For the last 13 years i've been taking care of them, thinking they were my own, and recently had an arborist come in to identify the tree and give thoughts on location etc. It's obvious they've outgrown their space.

So they are GG's and they are planted on a property line, about 1 ft away from a fence. I found someone to remove them and relocate them to an acreage, and my fellow condo owner put his food down - he wants the trees to stay. So we're hassleing through all sorts of options

1. They thought they could move the fence to put them on their side - fine I say, but to allow for the growth pattern of the tree you'd have to move the fence 6-9 feet into my property and I won't do that.

2. Perhaps we can take down the fence as the kids (theirs) are grown and we don't need it. Not an option, I spend money on upkeep and landscaping and let's just say they do not, and haven't ever since they purchased the home. They mow down the crabgrass and dirt/weeds maybe 2 times a summer and I don't want to look at that, the misc crap strewn about in their yard and their clothesline when I'm in my yard.

So my creative solution is to potentially totally shear the tree on my side, install a fence on my side that allows me to do whatever I want with my landscaping without the concern that one day they'll say they want to determine what I am and am not allowed to plant and remove. I'm going to have to relocate/transplant a large virburnum 9maybe 10 ft high) in order to move the fence line about 2.5-3 feet, also will have to have my irrigation lines capped and redone for the yard as well as the new beds and plants I'd put in. With this the agreement would be to hand them the responsibility to care for the trees 100% moving forward, including when they knock down the fence, die a natural death, die of disease etc. I'm betting honestly without my regular watering and care they won't make it 3 years even though they are established - it's like a dirt desert over there.

My question to the group - has anyone sheared a side off one of these beasts? Is there going to be constant need to do that annually or will it potentially be a one and done? Does anyone else have ideas? I certainly don't want to pay for the fence solo, but think it might be worth it to have no debates about what's mine and yours and what we do or don't agree on moving forward. Our yards aren't big enough for a GG, but because they have no other trees or shrubs on their side they claim they like seeing the tops of these trees over my fence.

Help!

• Hi Mike, I wondered if you could give an update on the spacing of your Green Giants? Is 6' off the fence still sufficient? How about the 5' spacing between the trees? Thanks.

Love that this thread is still alive. Also, several of you reached out to me on FB. Always happy to talk!

So 69, 5’-6’ thuja green giants, all from the same nursery, planted 5 feet on center, 6 feet off the fence and against all shared wisdom in straight rows.

3+ years later, most of them are thriving. I just took some pictures, making me realize I have been horrendously neglecting weeding and yard maintenance, but most are still happy and growing. (I also built a pretty sweet raised garden bed - I should also throw those blue prints I drew up on a napkin to anyone that wants them)

6 in a line are just about completely dead, but I did note that this area is in a slight depression and with snow melt, water tends to pond there a bit in the spring. Open to any suggestions if these dead guys are salvageable or if I should rip them out, try to dill in the depression on the ground or even some underground draining solution to the ditch I have in the lawn and start over there.

On the living trees, in the past 3 years most have gone from 5 feet tall to 13-15 feet tall. I feel like they have not been growing the 3-5 feet per year advertised, but I guess I have just been living here watching the paint dry and have not really measured until today.

I will note that some are a lot fuller than others. I have been weeding (recent pictures not withstanding) but otherwise have done no maintenance or pruning. Does anyone have suggestions on getting them to fill out? The nursery I got them from told me to not trim the tops until they were the height I am trying to maintain them at. Has anyone else had luck with a different method or maintenance plan I should get on?

The main question answered though is now at ~15 feet tall and a few years in, I can still run a push mower down the back between the fence and branches. I have about 14 – 20 inches on any given tree to fence. Once they reach touching the fence, I hope the arborvitaes help keep down any weeds or grass that likes to sneak in and take care of itself. A few more years until I get the real answer I suppose.

Thanks for reaching out and thanks in advance if anyone has advice on reviving the dead or better maintenance policies.

Mike

I will note that some are a lot fuller than others. .....but otherwise have done no maintenance or pruning. Does anyone have suggestions on getting them to fill out?

==>>>>

first off... congrats.. thats a pretty good success rate ..

second.. dont screw it up now.. lol ...

dead is dead ... and even those with the little bit of sparse green.. will probably be dead after winter ... you might want to diversify and try something else.. in that one spot ... but in the general line of trees ... replace with the same .. imo ... the replacements will catch up... a decade or two down the line .. so dont worry about matching them ...

i do not see any wisdom.. in cutting them to make them fuller ... just be patient ... though they are clones of the mother ship ... that doesnt mean they will all look exactly the same ... in 10 years ... you will see no difference ....

i did not review all the posts above.. but i have no clue.. why you would want to top them ... just let them grow up ...

i see i did post pix of mine back in my process ... sorry.. i dont have a current pic.. but i can tell you.. i have a 20 foot green wall out there ... and no space between ... just be patient ...

i said it twice ... just be patient.. and i will say this for the second time.. dont screw it up now ...

ken

Thanks for the update.

tj

Hi - Have a chain link fence. Would like BOTH SIDES of the chain covered. Is there a problem planting it close to the fence, and would it grow through the other side? Thanks

Problem to the tree - highly unlikely. It should grow through fairly nicely. I will say though, these are pretty hearty TREES. Over time they get large and I would say it would croak the fence and warp it over time. Doubt it does any damage to the thujas but might not be the best idea to have the fence getting gnarled up in the middle of the tree - will never get it out or be able to repair it without killing the GG's

.

Hi, I’ve got a lush row of GG on side yard, but they were planted long before a 6’ fence was installed right next to them. I’d like to plant some across back yard, but they would only get sun on one side of the shrub as the other side would be shaded by the fence. Should I forget about it or try it?

I have a lot of these planted in the shadows of pine trees and they are thriving just fine in some afternoon sun. Not sure your exact setup but as long as they are getting some sun I would say go for it. They tend to be very resilient trees

This is a great thread. I am new to this, but finally got my back patio looking great after living in my house for 14 years. I decide to enjoy my new fire pit and realized THIS is my current view. It's probably pretty obvious why I planted these trees, not to mention the loud kids running around in the back yard all day. But after reading a LOT more about these monster trees, I feel like I may have overshot the runway? I planted these 6' off the property line (and 6' apart, not to their trunk center but the edge of the hole...oops) but am still afraid they may grow over the neighbor's yard. There is no fence or other obstruction between our yards (well, except for the, you know.....Dodge Durango!?!) so I am a little concerned about the intrusion in to the neighbor's property. We aren't the best of friends either, so there's that. The trees are about 18" now so won't be an issue for a while, but they are still young enough I could replant if necessary. I included two pictures to show the property line and how much of my yard space I'm giving up (which I am HAPPY to do to eliminate that horrible eye sore!) Any advice on if I allowed enough room for these things?

You are probably fine. It will be a several years before they get big (you actually may want to start with 5-6 foot ones if you can find a nursery with them). Once they are 10-15 feet tall they will still be off the property line 6 feet away. You are measuring in decades before you have to worry about them going past the line significantly and by then, think they will still be there or be patiently waiting for branch tips to cross their line to cut them back? I think you are fine, even if you wanted to get some bigger ones for some more instant privacy.

Great point! I thought about the amount of time that would have to pass for this to really become an issue, but would still hate for this to be a problem for a future homeowner (mine or theirs). And if it does become an issue, they'd have to uproot them and possibly the poor trees would die. *sad face* Since I just planted them this week, I figured I'd see if I could get some advice about needing to replant them farther away now - to save someone else that headache later. Thanks for posting this thread! Loved seeing how your trees have transformed!

Wow, thank you for this thread! At this point, how far away from the fence did you say it was? I'm considering planting mine 4 feet away from my fence and 5 feet apart. I could easily go 5 feet away from the fence if needed, but I doubt the neighbor would care of the trees go through the fence, I just don't want it to ruin the fence.

I ended up planting them 6 feet off of the fence. In about 5 years some foliage is now touching and poking through the fence, but it will be many more years before they really grow "into" the fence. 4 feet is tight - some of these branches are really getting big and at 4 feet would probably be through the fence at the base. Not sure how much or if any damage it would do in the short term but remember these things grow like weeds

Thank you! I'll def. Move them at least 5 feet then. I've been toying with the idea of trimming/shaping them to be similar to a wall like the cypress tree, but .not really too sire that is sething that can be done with these

Hey Mike, I just came across this thread... so cool to see the process. Do you have any current pictures? I am installing 24 Thuja Green Giants along my wooden 6' fence next week. I was planning on putting them about 5' from the fence (and 5' apart), but I'm now thinking 6 or 7 feet from the fence would be better. Just curious to see how yours are faring! Thanks. I'm in NJ.