my idea was to have a 6 ft. precast concrete “fence/wall” installed

Yes - only something like this is going to have any effect on reducing the noise that gets to you (plantings and vegetation have little effect). And in your situation even then maybe the 6' height is not going to be enough - in my area where concrete sound barriers have been erected along freeway corridors to provide relief to affected neighborhoods these constructions often go way up high overhead. Yet when standing near them the traffic noise can still be heard coming over the top of the wall - it just isn't down at head level anymore.

Unless those plastic plants are embedded in a solid masonry wall, they will have no meaningful impact on noise abatement.

They are also on the wrong side of the wall/fence unless you're trying to reduce your own noise.

Hmmm.....this is smacking a little more like spam! And I'm not at all convinced about your case studies, as they seem to go against the accepted conventions........more self-serving than factual.

All anybody has to do to see how sound travels right through plants is to go anywhere there is a sound source and a vegetation or planting near one another.

if you already have double glazed windows, look into replacing them with triple. I know a guy who did this and he said it made a big difference with noise (in his case, low flying airplanes which can be quite loud).

also, do you have wall insulation? adding that will help too. it did for us.

Feel free to take or leave our suggestion. Just trying to help. We have certification underway to back up the statement, I'll include it in our profile when it's complete. Specifically how Vistafolia controls and reduces noise, eliminates slap echo and control comb filtering in a space. Cheers!

Spam is not permitted on Garden Web forums. Please hawk your products elsewhere. Thanks.

Kathleen, I think your backyard is gorgeous. The wall may detract aesthetically without providing much mitigation from the sound.

Cecily - out of curiosity what is spam? I'm just offering a humble suggestion for a legitimate question. I'm not sure why you are being so nasty. Honestly, I'm a real person, I have five kids, actually just gave birth to one five weeks ago, a dog, three goats in Franklin, Tennessee - I live in this world just like you - and I love Kathleen's backyard too. Why am I any less valuable in responding to this post than you?

Spam is your attempt to secure free advertising for your product on this site.

Nick, noise an issue inside the house....As to your observation that To be effective it really needs to be as close to the source of the noise as possible and it sounds as though that is not possible in your case. It will be as close as a transportation dept's sound barriers are ....if not closer...actually the two large stores relatively far from my home...but on the same suburban street ....totally a residential area....but , I was thinking, that some people might not like a "concrete" wall behind their house....I don't know. It is a BIG investment....I think it would look nice though....thank you for your input

UpScapers: nice idea but I really hate "artificial" and I would think it would look weird in the winter months....EXTREMELY artificial but thank you for the idea

Embothrium You might be correct...the noise will go over the wall and then (for that big investment) I will get nothing....I will look into the physics of sound

ILoveMod...just installed NEW windows in both bedrooms! only double paned (crumbs) but I do have insulation ...good point...thank you

cecily 7A Thank you for the complement....and you might be right....maybe taller growing pine trees near the fence might be a better solution....

If it is a big investment I would want to be sure that it will make a difference. Solid, such as fence or wall is more effective than a hedge. And the more solid the better, so brick or concrete rather than wood. Higher is better than something low. If the issue is inside the house, then I would definitely look to see if there is anything you can do with the windows and/or shutters, as noise comes in there far more than through a wall.

I wrote that before I read your comment about new windows. We have an inner secondary pane along with double glazing, that can be installed independently (as well as shutters). It has solved the noise problem indoors. We've not solved the problem when we are in the garden. To be honest, I don't really notice it, but it drives my wife crazy.

Our previous home was near a railroad track. The city installed a tall concrete wall and there was no reduction in noise. In fact, some of my neighbours thought the sound was increased. Sound is funny the way it reverberates and moves around objects. I wouldn't put up a concrete wall.

Consider adding a storm window over your double-panes.

https://www.inman.com/2006/11/10/storm-windows-offer-alternative-full-replacement/

UpScapers not only do I have a difficult time seeing how plastic plants can make a significant reduction on road noise**, I take issue with the claim that it's "green". it's not. plastic provides nothing for birds or pollinators. modern civilization and urban density is taking away more and more habitats and fake plants everywhere would just make that worse. on top of that, once you've grown tired of the fake plant wall, it's plastic that winds up in the landfill.

real, actual eco friendly landscaping involves native plants that need little to no watering (with an emphasis on native to help birds and pollinators).

(**the vistafolia literature claims to reduce indoor noise. I can see how that would work with things like everyday office noise since the plants are pointed inwards -- similar to what happens when you add carpet and soft furniture to a space. I don't see anywhere claims that it could muffle loud exterior road noise coming from outside the wall.)

If it is a big investment I would want to be sure that it will make a difference

Go some places where there are such walls and observe what is happening in person. Maybe a public facility like a park if you can't easily access any private locations where it is possible to stand on the side of the wall facing away from the noise.

A landscape contractor friend built a concrete wall for somebody a few years ago and the tab was $100,000. If I was ever told specifically how big it was I don't remember. For purposes of comparison I do know that some years ago it would have cost over $35,000 to have my maybe 30' x 40' concrete slab patio replaced with concrete pavers. Except for the demolition and removal all we were talking about was laying down sand and putting pavers over the top. And not what is involved with correctly building a secure wall, that won't do something like lean over later.

Kathleen, unfortunately, solid sound barriers aren't terribly effective. A family friend who was an engineer and knew a thing or two about this told me this probably 40 years ago - and said all they really did was provide psychological relief; people saw them and THOUGHT they helped. But, for the most part, they don't work. See: https://undark.org/2017/12/27/highway-noise-barrier-science/ . As a former landscape architect, I'd advise some evergreens to provide winter screening of the road. I don't know where you are located, but if your roads are treated with salt in the winter, do be aware that many evergreens are sensitive to salt. Juniper and spruce are generally less sensitive than say, most pines. You might want to consider a wooden fence and some evergreens inside that fence - primarily for the visual screening.

One late addition to the convo. We live near a large residential construction project -- the idea of construction noise terrified me. I studied up and the short version is that the best sound diffuser/block is earthworks! You are downhill from the noise and that is actually a plus. I suggest you explore putting a large berm as close to the fence as possible. Sound waves will bounce up and out from it. It is hard to say it will make a difference in your case, but a landscape architect could.

My 2 cents on planting evergreens at top--do it! you don't have to replace all at one time but get the kids bedroom screened from road sightline first. I would get a dense tree that would grow quickly, maybe hollies. Then, look up mixed hedges and see if any of remaining hilltop plants will integrate well with the hollies. I visualize a dense forest effect on the hill that will thin out as you come down to house. Your hillside is beautiful, btw.