***Just to add, the trees are spaced out approximately 2ft apart and 1-2 ft from the wall.

I would have spaced them about five feet apart. If they can stand on their own, yes remove the stakes and ties. At a minimum loosen the ties. Look particularly for ties that are already squeezing/choking the main stem and cut those ties off.

Good to know! I think some of them are definitely stronger than others. I believe some of ties are definitely too tight and will look at removing those.

Shoot, I think we just wanted privacy fast. Any suggestions since they have already been planted? Will pruning and topping them off help?

Do you think we need to remove them?

No pruning. No topping. Not now. How willing you are to replant them for better spacing between plants and between the wall is up to you.

With spacing that close you may be looking at bare trunks sooner (years) unless you allow them to get wide enough at ground to top of wall height level.

The downside of spacing them so closely is greater cost, but they'll end up becoming a solid hedge the same, just sooner. I would have spaced at 4' and farther from the fence, but doubt it would be worth the bother to you to make changes, since they cannot be 'returned to the store.' Hard to predict someone else's growth rate, but give them fertilizer a couple times per growing season and don't let them go dry for any extended period. (That does not mean to overwater them) and you'll get the maximum amount of growth. (Fertilizer for the lawn counts.) I wouldn't bother with any pruning either this year. Next year prune lightly only for guiding toward rough uniformity. Let them grow into it rather than trying to impose it on them suddenly.

Thank you so much! I appreciate it!

Good to know! Thanks for the information!

I am a worrier too, but I probably should have done more research before having the landscapers plant them. They didn’t seem to be too concern and suggested the amount of trees to us given what we wanted to have, which was a privacy hedge. It’s been about 5 months since we planted them and they are doing well. At least from what I can see! Hopefully they fill out more with time and care! What do you guys think?

Above are some updated photos since the time I posted. An average of 2-3 feet growth in height for most of the hedges.

Update! Here they are now!

They have grown a lot for one year. I'd say they are ready for their first hedge training session if you haven't done so yet. Over the winter, before spring, give them a light trim and topping of the taller ones. They will be trees unless you train them to be fuller below the max height you want.

Thank you so much!! I appreciate the feedback, will be doing so over the winter :)

Leila, did you end up replanting them to be further apart? Or you kept the 2’ trunk to trunk?

I ended up just keeping them the way they were originally planted. It has worked out okay so far!

What size plant did you plant 5 gallon, 15 gallon, 24 gallon?

We ended up planting 5 gallon trees!

But they have really grown

Where did you buy them at? They look great. Great job.

I came here because I have the same issue/question! I moved into a house that the previous folks planted these exactly this way you did prior to sale to help address the privacy issues. They were planted in fall and haven't grown much. I started to wonder what to do and asked around on arborist forums. They ALL said to take them out, or at least move them away from the fence and get rid of at least 1/2 of them. I plan to have an arborist come look at these and some other trees and came to the interwebs to educate myself and here you are with the same setup! Your growth looks amazing. I hope to figure out how to keep them at a full hedge rather than growing into 40' tall trees! Do you plan to keep yours professionally trimmed to help train them? Is that even possible?

Hi there!! I plan on keeping them and just professionally trimming there every season. When I’ve talked to other landscapers they said it’s fine how they have been planted.
We just need to keep up with managing them so they don’t grow into trees.

Here they are after a recent trim from sides and top…there is a lot of new growth.

Wow, thanks so much!! That's some growth! Did you take the stakes off? I was told by the landscaper (who I don't think knows much about trees tbh) to keep them on. Then arborists of the interwebs say nooooo, take them off. Mine are only somewhat stable so I'm afraid to do anything but also worried about the stake ties cutting into them or actually stunting the growth. Yours are really taking off!

I have to say, I adore the light green wispy look of them and hope I can keep them as a hedge.

Oh no, we still have them on. Especially with todays weather…it’s a windy day! We have had some days where it was super rainy and windy and they started to tip over because they haven’t established a really thick trunk. I took some of the ties off after about a half a year but kept the stake. I think I will probably get rid of them soon since we have had them over 2 years in May.

But again, I don’t know a lot either but what we have noticed with weather changes.

We really love them!

Yes, the Podocarpus can be maintained as a hedge. Remove or loosen all the staking. They need to stand on their own. Maybe next winter they will be ready for their first hedge training session. After that it is a commitment to a least an annual haircut, professional or otherwise.

Has anyone does the podocarpus on a trellis 15 gallon?

I see no reason why a Podocarpus could not be espaliered. That is more of a time commitment to the finished product than a hedge. Keeping it in a pot will slow you down.

Hello I am hoping you can share the timeline and growth of your Podocarpus Gracilior. We are about to have a giant home built along our entire back yard. Would you mind sharing ;

How fast would you say they grow per year? Suggestions for quick growth?

Any suggestions to prevent depth from getting too thick?

How tall are yours now?

Thank you so much!!

Hi,
We have had to top them / cleaned them up 4 times now because we don’t want them over 17 feet ish. They have grown very fast, but also because they get a lot of sun night, fertilization and water. I would say they grew 3 feet plus per year ( but does not mean they will grow thick). Now that they are the height we want them we’re going to work on getting them thicker by continuing to top them every few months.

Hi Leila,

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. .

Our layout along the fence is very similar. Would you mind sharing;

Would you choose this again?

What would you do different- in terms of spacing or original purchase size?

How deep are they- how far out from fence into your yard? as we don't want them encroaching too far into the yard.

Also, worried if you cut them back in width- it will eliminate the green and only see wood? Have you cut these back at all yet in depth?

How far from the fence did you plant and apart?

We were considering a 15 gallon to give it a head start. Any thoughts on this?

Any concerns about leaf dropping ( we have a pool)?

Would you mind sharing an updated photo?

I would like to send you a gift card for your time..as I am so very grateful.

I have used podocarpus gracillior in many projects. As folks earlier in the thread have mentioned to trick to ensuring that they don’t grow higher or wider than you desire is regular light-to-moderate trimming. They are fantastic. They are neat near pools and their roots are not invasive.

Hi June,

Thank you. I have read this a few times- and then some.

If you have similar situation and able to view after a few years - please share how we can connect. I am hoping for a few more last details - on what Leila would change, distance from fence and depth- and any concerns all from a laymen's and first hand experience perspective. These specific questions go a bit deeper as I really want to do it right the first time.

Leila,

Do you mind terribly- sharing your first hand laymen's experience on a few questions just posted above? Thank you!!

Hi Elena!

I would definitely choose these hedges versus other ones I’ve seen. Personally because I like the modern wispy look of them. I don’t know much about how differently they would have done if we spaced them out a bit more. We are at the stage that we need to continue to trim to ensure they get thicker versus taller. I don’t recall how deep they are when the planted but essentially just enough to pot them in. They are about a 1.5 feet from the wall and 2 ft apart (we didn’t want them to cut into our yard). We purchased 15 gallon and thought it was fine because we definitely wanted to get some privacy as soon as possible. These definitely drop leaves but not too much. I think to help with the thickness I would have maybe spaced them a bit further from the wall like a half a foot or foot more.

Here are some updated photos. It’s winter now so they are a bit more bare.

I personally would like them to be more full.

Here are some that we planted on the side of our house with more space between them (approximately 4 ft). And further from the wall.

Any tips to get some growth where it’s bare is greatly appreciated 🙂

Thank you Leila! The height is amazing!

When did you plant the trees by your home? Do the leaves fall year round?

I do hope someone responds on how to get these more full. I believe I read trimming the top encourages growth fullness.

Thank you!!

I want to say we planted these ones a year after we did the hedges in the backyard (2021). It’s been almost 3 years.

I don’t recall them falling all year round.

Thank you so much. I am in California with Clay soil so do hope I can get the same height.

I do hope someone responds or you discover about how to get these more full.