I love the fact that you prepared the area you want to work on last fall and used cardboard and compost. Unfortunately, I'm not understanding what you are trying to accomplish. I read the description and then looked at the photos and found it confusing. I don't see the street and is that the fence - the metal fence - that you're trying to screen?

Also, it might help to think about other criteria for choosing plant material. Do you want evergreen? Is there a height that you are thinking of? Do you want something to attract pollinators? Something easy care and reliable? Etc.

Thanks for the responses. When I get home later today (probably tomorrow as it will be dark already when I get home), I will take pictures from the street. For the area by the fence, I am looking for evergreens - maybe 6-8 ft in height. Easy care and reliability would be my top criteria - our soil is hard clay (I think based on how hard it is to dig) so something that will be okay in that kind of soil.

This first set of pictures was taken from the street looking to our driveway. The view is what people walking on the street would see. The area at the end of the driveway (where the small snowpile is) is where I want to plant tall plants that I can cut down in the fall. On the right side of the last 2 pictures is the neighbor's fence - I would like to plant evergreen bushes/small trees there. I will post another set of pictures taken from where the snow pile is.

Pictures taken from the end of our driveway where the little pile of snow is in the previous pictures, taken from the same spot, going from left to right. Views are of houses across the street from ours. Hard to see the street as our driveway has a little bit of a downward slope from the street but the street is that little gray area at the street end of the driveway. The grassy area to the left of the first picture is mostly the neighbor's property - our property line is very close to the edge of the driveway.

Miscanthus and most all grasses need full sun or they get floppy and fall down. Where you pile snow is in the N side shade of a big tree. That looks like a bad place for grasses. There may be enough sun on the corner/turn of the bed by the fence for grasses. Joe Pye would take the shade a bit better, but any tall herbaceous perennial in more shade will be floppier than in full sun. I have not been able to come up with a tall fast growing perennial for the shade you can chop down in the fall .. yet.

A shrub for the fence line that might suit your needs is Cryptomeria japonica 'Black Dragon'. I see there will be a sun change as the fence moves towards the back and a large pine. This will need to considered for a single species hedge planting. You can also mix the screening to better suit the conditions. Rhododendron and Cryptomeria both have better full sun to light shade growing tolerances.

Thanks, Christopher C. I did not think about the shade from the tree - I just assumed that area gets a lot of sun. The pear tree is off to the side a bit so I'm going to observe shadows from that tree. The maple tree behind the swing - I don't think its shade reaches that area but I'm going to check as well.

Hi,

Joe Pye Weed comes up late, sometime in June. Is that OK? Never thought of it as a screen. We used to have some 7' Miscanthus, Adagio or Gracillimus, don't know which. Cutting them down to 1 foot every spring was a bit of work as they are very woody. And a lot of work to remove. Oh, and these guys seed around so a few grasses can become more grasses.

Our next door neighbor has a screen between them and the street made of tall arborvitae which landscapers use a lot for this. OK as long as you don't have deer who would eat it.

Thanks, alanc23. Our next door neighbor actually had a row of arborvitaes before they put up the fence. They died because of the deer eating them. I have arborvitaes closer to the house and the deer leave them alone. Maybe I'll start with just a couple of Miscanthus then.

I was looking out my back window yesterday and thought of your post. [g].

I don't get deer, so I decided I didn't have any experience to share, but, I do have two shrubs that are evergreen that have been successful for me. Yew and Holly. I believe the Yews are eaten by deer, but are Blue Holly bushes? I have a few of these around the yard and I love them. They grow well and fairly quickly in the right spot, if you have a male/female you get berries that the robins love. They make a good screen and are pretty straight forward to prune. Just a thought. Good luck. :-)

prairiemoon, thanks for the suggestion. I love holly plants - I just did not know which ones would be good. I googled Blue Holly after you suggested it and I think I prefer it to my original plan of rhododendrons. We have a dog and the neighbors have dogs too -- I need to check if the berries would be a problem.

The Blue Hollies I planted were Ilex meserveae 'Blue Maid' and 'Blue Prince' and 'Blue Princess' with 'Blue Stallion'. I have one of the males in the foundation at the front of my house and it faces east. It's very happy there getting morning and early afternoon sun. It's gotten very big and I prune it back and then let it fill in and prune it back again. It is a very vigorous grower. Has not had any pest problems or disease. It is next to a walkway so I didn't want berries that might fall off and stain the concrete so I put the male there.

The females I put in the back along the lot line that are in more shade. One doesn't grow very much at all and never has more than a few berries on it. The other seems to get a little more sun late in the day and that was covered with berries this year and the robins showed up one day a few weeks ago and stripped it.

We've had dogs and never had a problem with berries. They showed no interest in them and I don't find them on the ground because once they ripen, the robins strip them before they fall. Also the leaves have little sharp edges, that I'd think would make them of no interest for a dog to chew them. But your mileage may vary.

Here is a photo of the male in front of my house behind the echinacea. It is pretty dense probably because I keep it pruned to keep it the size I need it there. It does not produce berries. It has reached to the top of the gutter and would be taller if I didn't prune it. It makes a great screen.

Wow - it gets so big. Good to know about dogs. I think that's what I'll go with. Will share pictures after I've planted. Is one male enough?

Yes it does get pretty big. I just looked up 'Blue Stallion' and 'Blue Prince' and I think this one must be the Prince, because the Stallion is only supposed to get 6ft tall and the Prince reported to be between 8 and 12 ft tall. Here's a link.

Blue Prince

You'll notice all hollies need somewhat acid soil. I have neutral soil and it still grows well for me, but I do give it some Espoma Holly Tone in the spring most years.

Dogs - my dog would eat some plants in the yard. I discovered she liked Borage and I planted it for her and she'd go by the bed and nibble on it. So some dogs are interested in eating plants. I looked up if the hollies are poisonous to dogs and if they chew the leaves or the berries they can get sick and throw up. So I guess if you stick with the Male plants without berries, that would be better if you are concerned.

Are you planning on using them like a hedge, or like a mixed planting? It makes a nice backdrop for a flowering shrub.

And the plant is covered with tiny white flowers in the spring that attract Bumble Bees.

Deer eat blue holly where I am. American holly would be a better bet. Or how about conifers, pruned if necessary to keep in bounds?

prairiemoon, I am planning on using them like a hedge. I kind of like the berries so maybe I'll have a few females as well.

kitasei, I googled American holly and it seems like it grows really big so not sure about this. My original plan was to plant Blue Point junipers but now I kind of like holly more. Decisions, decisions...