Help with a privacy screen please!

10 years ago

I also posted this in Houzz, but really think it belongs here.

I live on Long Island (cold zone 7) and am wanting to plant a
privacy screen in a partially wooded area to block a view of the
neighbor's house. All the existing trees are hardwoods. I have some
black walnut scattered throughout and lots of deer. One face will get
some sun, but there is definitely not full sun. Ideally these would
grow quickly. I am considering holly opaque, bracken's brown magnolia,
cryptomeria (sekkan sugi or possibly angelica, green giant arborvitae
(although these seem +/- with deer), norway spruce, chamaecyparis
psifera boulevard (is this too slow growing?) or cedars atlantic
fastigiata. I already have one Colorado blue spruce from a couple xmas'
ago :)

I appreciate advice on what might grow well in partial shade, what mixes well and what can handle deer.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

User

10 years ago

I am not that far from you. We use Magnolia grandifloras here. You need to plant cultivars resistant to wet, snow loads. (More important than cold temp minimums.) My favorites are Magnolia grandiflora..., 'Victoria'..., 'Edith Bogue' and 'Majestic Beauty'. We also have Teddy Bears, but they don't tolerate wet snow as well as the others (in my experience). Brackens Brown, I do not have, but they are supposedly very tolerate to both cold and wet snow. If you want pics..., I can post. Deer love to rut ALL species of Mags (Northern/Southern...) , but we let ours grow to the ground..., deer cannot get near the trunks. Cryptomeria will work well too and I love 'em too. I wish I had room for a Cryptomeria. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

P.S., I live among HERDS of deer..., if you know what to plant, and you can still have a LUSH garden.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

gardener365
10 years ago
Boulevard C.pisifera is not a good choice. It grows slow and splays open with age.

With a limited amount of sun, Arborvitae is the best on your list. While deer may be interested in it at times, other times they are not. I have GG's and not once have deer eaten on any of the 30 plus I have.

Holly is also a good choice for limited sun but I would utilize the GG's as a background plant to any hollies.

Dax
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
how about a pic ...

and some information on how much space you have available ...

give us the approximate hours of sun ... and if i understand.. it will only be on one side of the plant ....

soil type ...

one thing for sure ... the more shade ... the slower things grow ... there arent many things that thrive and grow fast ... in shade ...

also .. large transplants .. sun grown.. and then put in shade.. will struggle to get established ... stunting growth for who knows how many years ... until they get their act together ...

ken
Related Professionals
Tallahassee Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Atlantic City Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · New Braunfels Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Petersburg Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Chatham Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Anderson Landscape Contractors · Moline Landscape Contractors · Norfolk Landscape Contractors · Clearlake Landscape Contractors · Napa Landscape Contractors · Stamford Home Builders · Sioux City Home Builders · Bennington Home Builders · Murrieta Home Builders · York Home Builders
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Limited sun and grows fast? My best recommendation would be Norway Spruce. Deer havent eaten mine, but in the fall, bucks have "done damage" with their antlers. Then again, they have also damaged a variety of other trees as well with their antlers.
Curly Roars
Original Author
10 years ago
I can't get real pictures until the weekend - it's dark when I'm home midweek - sigh. Thanks to Google though I can share these. This is the first spot. Our house is in the foreground. The area I'm trying to screen is below and left of the crosshairs. This is the eastern side of our house and the property line is about where the white crosshairs horizontal line is. The bright green by our house I think is a china blue holly and in the neighbor's front yard is a nelly stevens. The big oak in the left bottom corner had to be taken down. The green behind it is a cedar. The visual I'm trying to screen is between the cedar and to the left of our holly. I'll have a real pic this weekend.
Curly Roars
Original Author
10 years ago
This is the second spot (much harder to see). This is the western side of our property and has more trees. There is a parking pad in the bottom right quarter with a car barely visible. I want to plant something at the front of the cars (fits 2 or 3 at a squeeze) that will screen the neighbors on this side. Again all the existing growth is deciduous with the exception of one fat albert blue spruce to the right of the pad. The neighbors garage which is very visible here is actually pretty well screened by some Schip laurel. Ground level picture coming this weekend
Curly Roars
Original Author
10 years ago
Sorry I forgot to mention the soil. Sandy with great topsoil in the first few inches.
DeanW45
10 years ago
I support the Cryptomeria option, particularly if you want to add a little artistry to your privacy screen. There are many varied cultivars, almost all of which will grow fine in partial sun. I don't have any personal experience with Sekkan Sugi, but I do have several Yoshino. The ones in full sun grow over two feet a year, and while the plants in partial sun grow slower, they maintain a relatively full appearance.
UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
10 years ago
I certainly wouldn't rule out hollies...
Curly Roars
Original Author
10 years ago
View to screen from parking pad. Fair bit of shade. Some morning sun.