privets bad due to invasiveness issues. Cherry laurel is much better. I like Mountain Laurel but it a bit slow. Evergreen Sumac is good and does not need irrigation. Some of the junipers are good.

Thank you for the information/response:)

Is Wax Myrtle a privet?

I did not realize a hedge could be created with Mountain Laurel, but have read that it is a really slow grower?

I have always liked the Cherry Laurel and am considering it for the front yard in an area that divides our property and that of our neighbor. I just cannot determine if we should get the compact or standard version...

I have been researching trees and privacy hedges ...

I use Cherry Laurel here and deer definitely ignore them. I think it has to something to do with their levels of cyanide. LOL. They do grow kinda fast, at least in my wet zone, but they are native to Iran, so guessing they are somewhat drought tolerant.

Red tipped Photenenia does well in the limestone/caliche west of austin. It is less likely to get that fungus spotting that plaques places in Dallas and Houston.There are old stands of it out here where I out Hamilton Pool rd. Rusty blackhaw viburnum is a beautiful plant. It might get to tall for your requirements.

Hmmm... Viburnum... I need to research that. When the land behind our property is sold, we will have a neighbor behind us, and already have one one each side. All properties are an acre or more, so the height of plants at the back of the property was more of a thought regarding maintenance (trimming etc).

For some reason, I thought Viburnum are a shade loving plant? Our land is kind of a blank slate except for the multiple Live Oak trees on the side and what I believe is a Cedar Tree/Ashe Juniper at the back near our property line.

Thank you all for the information! I think we will likely purchase Wax Myrtle and Cherry Laurel.

I am thinking of placing the Wax Myrtle all along the back property line near our fencing, and possibly down the sides of the property along our fencing , but Cherry Laurel in the front yard along the property line.

Rusty blackhaw viburnum is a wonderful shrub/tree with incredible fall color that should be used more here, but is not evergreen. Ours is a slow to moderate grower in full sun.

Cherry laurel is the second most common bird gift (to us) after privet. It's a great native, but should be aware of what an aggressive seeder it is and the love/hate flower fragrance before committing to a large planting. Hopefully neither will be an issue for you. Here's an honest supportive assessment: Cherry laurel gets a bum rap in landscaping.

Wax myrtle is also nice where it does well. Though even well established plants sometimes suffer in Dallas. If you've not already seen them thriving in your neighborhood, might ask your nursery to point you to some examples that have been doing well in your area for at least five years as a sanity check.

Our neighbors have a nice standard glossy abelia hedge that grows to 8ft or better rather than the 6ft mentioned on the linked page.... our DWARF abelia grows to 6 ft. No problems with volunteers as with privets. Also has moderate to quick growth.

Hollies are generally not fast growing, but otherwise Nellie R Stevens and Dwarf Burford are a couple reliable hedge options worth considering here. Again, our dwarf Burford topped out at 8 to 9 ft rather than the 6 ft given at the link.

Thank you for the information, Bostedo. The rusty blackhawk viburnum is off the list as I need an evergreen hedge for privacy and to create an additional barrier behind a 5’ fence to keep deer out of my yard.

I looked at the Nellie R Stevens but crossed it off the list... I do not remember why... maybe size our messy fruit....

I need to travel to a local nursery,... I wouldn’t know a wax myrtle if I fell into it... but it seems like a front runner.

There are already Cherry Laurel in the community, however I have not been near one while it had flowers. I do not know how strongly the fragrance wafts, but it would be near the perimeter of our property and maybe less of an issue if I do not like the scent.

I think that there is a nice sized Wax µmyrtle at Natural Gardener in Austin.

Top CenTex evergreen native shrubs:

Southern Wax Myrtle

Texas Sage

Cherry Laurel

Texas Mountain Laurel

Texas Persimmon

American Elderberry

Yaupon Holly

(And yes, Rusty Blackhaw isn't evergreen...but I would agree you could squeeze one in for its spectacular rainbow Fall color.)

Invasives to avoid:

Privet

Red Tip Photinia

Lynn-in-TX, I share a strong preference for natives - especially in the kind of open space you are planting. Just have to remember that "native" always has context which can make pedigree important in your purchase decision. Wax Myrtle is one where this matters. It is overwhelmingly an east Texas plant that is not native to Travis county with few isolated native clusters reported further west as shown on either the USDA distribution map or BONAP's. The plants prefer slightly acidic soils with a genetic tolerance for alkalinity that likely varies across its range. Suspect pedigree (or occasional luck) is what makes them hit and miss in our Dallas 7.5+ pH blackland prairie clay. A GOOD local nursery should be able to connect you with a line of plants known to work in your particular soil.... or confirm a good fit is unavailable. Similar to the sourcing consideration needed when planting Bald Cypress around the state.

Bostedo, thank you for your always good the information. I wish I'd know that about Wax Myrtles before I planted five and had them all die. My soil and water is alkaline. At least they were Lowes sale plants, $5.00 each, but it was work planting and trying to keep them alive.

Well, now is a good time to look around and see what didn't freeze!

Yaupon did really good here and birds love the berries. .You could do a row of those which can get pretty tall and dense.

Thank you all for continuing to respond to this thread.

memetexas-

A couple of days ago, during my walk, I made a note of the trees/plants that fared well doing the week of ice and then 8" of snow on top. I could not tell that the Texas Mountain Laurel trees had been through anything at all, as was the case for one a group of boxwood plants I saw, regardless of the yard or exposure... These plants were stand outs in terms of coming through the ice & snow...

My property/house is in Williamson County... ( a lot of limestone)

Bostedo-

I was planning to plant the Morella cerifera, however I cannot determines from the BONAP exactly where in Central Texas this plant is good...

Carolina Cherry Laurel- Bright & Tight is also on my list.

My neighbor has planted Japanese Blueberry plants (which deer love)...

I am trying to avoid planting Wax Leaf Privet, Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum', but it may be what is selected if I cannot determine anything else that will work as a moderate to fast growing evergreen hedge for privacy that the deer not favor...

The only trees I have managed to consider are:

Escarpment Live Oak

Texas Mountain Laurel

Arizona Cypress

Mexican Redbud

The Bald Cypress could be a no now...

Crape Myrtle

Bigtooth Maple

I'm in far NW Austin, just over the Williamson County line. I have boxwoods in both front and back yards, here when we came 16 years ago. They looked undamaged until 2 days ago. They'll probably survive but they'll need about 4"-6" of frozen, wheat-colored foliage pruned off to get to live wood.

One of my 4 Texas Mountain Laurels might be okay. The oldest one looked okay at first but the leaves are curled and discolored now. I lightly brushed my hand against the leaves and they immediately fell off leaving bare sticks.

I have a 6 ft Southern wax myrtle near the patio - had it since 1999. Part looks green and about 1/3 looks brown.

The 18ft tall evergreen ligustrums in two neighboring yards are light brown and are dropping leaves with every wind gust.

My green privacy screen is toast. I don't know what works anymore.

Wow! Your report is very disconcerting...

Being fairly new to Central Texas, I do not know if the Winter blast experienced is something that occurs occasionally, closer to never, or it could be a new normal (definitely more like an cooling versus warming)?

We (in Austin) had a blast like this but not as wet in 1989. Lots of things looked like toast and recovered in the spring. Bamboo froze to the roots and came back. This ones longer but I bet the mountain laurel will recover.... and theLigustrum. This has happened before but it was definitely a rare occasion.

Maybe I shouldn't whine about possible problems Lynn-in-TX! But shrubs and plants are expensive so it seems right to tell you our experiences.

I wasn't here in 1989 but my neighbors were - they told me they had to replace a lot of shrubs after that winter.

My far NW ATX garden went down to abt 13°F in 2010 and 11°F in 2011. I lost a 6-ft bay laurel, a number of Agaves, a lime tree, a Mediterranean Fan Palm plus a big Wax Myrtle that was in a container instead of in the ground. The Barbados cherries froze to stubs but grew back.

After those winters there were no flowers on the TX Mntn Laurel but the shrubs were okay.

This February my garden went to 5°F and we had the longest stretch of hours below freezing in nearly 70 years.

Wantonamara, I hope you win the bet that the mountain laurels will survive. It took years to get them tall enough so the fragrant flowers were at nose height instead of waist height ;-)

Because the shrubs we plant are for privacy and to keep deer out of the yard, it is imperative that our selection does that job, but also can withstand the challenges from Mother Nature. Replacing a plant or two here and there is one thing, but to replace a 300’ stretch of mature shrubs in one section is not something I want to do, for multiple reasons...

My mind was made up until this Arctic blast... now I just do not know...

Southern Wax Myrtle definitely grows fine throughout Central Texas, at least in the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. I'm not sure about the Edwards Plateau, which is mostly limestone scrub, though? I'll bet you could just call your local native nursery and ask?

Texas Mountain Laurel should fare well in limestone, and interesting to hear how it was unfazed by SNOVID-21...

I would HARD PASS on any Ligustrum, because they are arguably the most invasive plants in Texas. Not to mention, all their leaves got freezer burned brown during this polar vortex...and someone else said that "After the December 1983/January 1984 freeze (sub freezing temps for 7 days straight with lows at 10f) many Ligustrum lucidum in N.W. Austin were totally killed. Especially in creek beds or other low areas where cooler air pooled." So, they really get pushed to/past their limits with extended hard freezes...which usually happen in Texas about once every decade.

Another great native shrub would be Wild/Sand Plums (Prunus angustifolia, texana, etc). They're called Sand Plums because they grow great in sandy limestone - which is where I saw one in the wild before. And not only do they form dense thickets, but they are also deer-proof!

And there's also Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens), American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum), Hummingbird Bush (Anisacanthus wrightii), most Salvias (Salvia farinacea, azurea, apiana, etc), etc...

here are several types of Juniper and holly that would withstand the cold ; be evergreen and br of there hieght that you need. I do like a varied hedge so having variation in height and spices is good.One or to more fragile plants can be enjoyed. Being totally particle is like wearing manacles. One just has to bear the consequence when the time comes.

One day this week I am going to visit a local nursery and inquire about and s

take a look at plants. Thank you for the suggestion blakrab.

I have been taking note of what has fared well during the ice/snow, but without knowing what the plant even looks like pre-Arctic blast, the results I see are not helpful. About the only shrubs I can definitely identify/ have a point of reference for are the Texas Privet, Carolina Cherry, and Boxwood.

I am thinking of adding NellieR. Stevens Hollies to the possibility for evergreen plants throughout our property. So now, it is Southern Wax Myrtle, Cherry Laurel Bright n Tight and Nellie Stevens.

My original requirements were:

Keep the deer out of our yard away from heirloom/collectible, antique, and inherited roses

Privacy hedge...year round

Evergreen and moderate to fast growing

Now... cold tolerance is a consideration too...

The wrought iron fencing along our property line will be 5' tall, so the hedge has to be planted to achieve a height and density that keeps deer our of our yard. I am hoping that once the property behind us is sold, and a home is built there, that will also help keep deer out since that home faces the open spaces...

^ And another few great, native, evergreen shrubs are:

Evergreen Sumac (Rhus virens)

Mexican Silktassel (Garrya ovata ssp. lindheimeri)

You could alternate all of these natives and plant a nice, diverse mix...

"The [Texas] mountain laurel, evergreen sumac, and silktassel show that in this part of the Hill Country it’s possible to have an evergreen hedge or privacy screen without planting the exotic ligustrum or red-tipped photinia."

blakrab-

Thank you for the suggestions. I looked up both plants.

I have not heard of Mexican Silktassel and thought the Evergreen Sumac was a tree only... both seem to meet requirements and are native to our area. Thank you for the suggestions! I added the Mexican Silktassel to the list of possibilities and am still researching the Sumac

.

Would it be better to mix hedges along the fencing versus having one uniform variety? There will be privacy hedges planted around the entire perimeter of the property. I was going to place other hedge plants along the sides etc. (but uniform in selection per section)?

^ Sure! Every native you utilize vastly helps to conserve them and support the local ecosystem too, so it's a real multiple win!!!

And I would alternate/mix them up to add biodiversity and variety. A mixed hedge is simply going to be a lot more interesting than a monoculture one, too. Different blooming & fruiting times, etc...