I want to replace these dwarf Cypress because I can see they will never accomplish privacy and some of them never took root properly.

This is kind of what I want to accomplish.

no matter what you PLANT ...

your immediate solution is a garden shade or drape.. that you can pull down or pull across when you want to sit there.. no one says it has to go all the way down to the ground ...

no matter what you plant.. even if huge transplants.. its going to take 3 to 5 to 10 years to accomplish your goal ..

so may as well have some privacy while you are growing out the plants ...

btw: whenever asking about plants.. it helps to let us know where you are ... big city name ...

ken

ps: no issue with root strangulation ... but if you plant shrubs.. you will be pruning them one way or another.. either shearing once or twice per yer... or renovation pruning for maintenance ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=patio+solar+shade&t=ffnt&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=patio+drapes&t=ffnt&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

Where in the world do you live? It would really help to know that. Those photinias would take a lot of annual work to maintain like that. And then there are the fungal issues, if you are in a wet climate.

Foothills outside of Sacramento, California.

I already have a privacy shade for a temporary solution, but I want plants as a long term solution.

I want something that would fill in within 5 years rather than 10 and I’ll deal with the sunshade in the meantime.

The HOA sends a landscaping contractor out to keep everyone‘s front hedges neatly shaped and trimmed every 2 weeks during most of the year. I do not want something that needs trimming often to look good. Maybe prune once or twice a year at most to keep the size in check.

If I were to go with the red tip photinia, the plant description says they have a spread of 10 to 15 feet.

So, does that mean that if I wanted to cover the pictured area (plus some additional space to the right that didn’t fit in the photo) of a total of 25 feet, I would only need 2 plants?

Or should I get 4 spaced closer together so they fill in without waiting for them to grow to full maturity and then just prune the size yearly?

Cannot use Crape Myrtle because they are not evergreen. I want privacy year round.

It will not infringe on any neighbors, because there is a narrow street without a sidewalk between the fence and the next house shown in the photo.

The only issue is that I cannot have any low hanging branches hanging over the fence. They would get hit by any passing FedEX, Amazon and appliance/furniture delivery trucks roaming through the neighborhood..

I am leaning towards the red tip photinia, but I read bad things about them saying they are prone to dying from root rot and fungus and are out of style.

What about purple hopseed, caolina cherry, bay laurel, fern pine or shiny xsolma in tree form?

Many Acacias can be trimmed up to suit your yard. They do well in Cal. and grow very quickly. Evergreen and beautiful, scented blossoms. But like most fast growing trees, have a short lifespan, generally 10-12 years.

There is a nursery in Ventura that appears to have a large selection, and could give expert recommendations...

Ventura Nursery

How often would red tip photinia need to be trimmed to keep low hanging branches from protruding very far over the fence line into the path of tall delivery trucks passing by?

If they would need to be trimmed more than a couple times per year, then I would prefer a different tree/shrub that grows either more slowly so pruning would be less often or else a fast growing plant that has a more narrow canopy.

I didn‘t want to block the view of redwood fence, but I think I may have no choice but to go with arborvitae to keep overhanging branches out of the street without regular pruning.

I don’t want a lifetime of paying a monthly service to keep it trimmed and I don’t want to do it myself.

I want something that would need no more than once or twice a year at most pruning.

Maybe a Ligustrum japonicum hedge would work, if you're up to trimming once or twice a year. Or Podocarpus or Bay laurel. I'm not too familiar with your climate, so you might check on CA forum or with a good local nursery. Gets really hot in summer with low humidity?

FYI broadleaf evergreens like Fraser photinia and so on drop spent leaves over long periods in summer. Same as with evergreen conifers it is common to see these with lingering litter accumulations beneath when the branches do not come to the ground and conceal the surface of the soil.

A fundamental problem with your situation is like so many contemporary Americans trying to appoint or have appointed their outdoor living spaces you don't want to be giving any involved plantings even pretty normal levels of attention. And when a body wants very restricted growth and stylized shapes as a part of the package they are assuring thereby that more attention than natural habit plants would require will be needed.

So then it's down to leaving the manicured plants out of the design, hiring a garden maintenance service or biting the bullet and rolling up one's own sleeves.

Jaxo's privacy dilemma is becoming so routine in these zero lot line residential developments that is past time for the design and manufacture of artificial tree walls. Even better if they have solar energy making capabilities in the leaves, a bit like photosynthesis.

Yes. And panels of fake greenery for outdoor use are on the market now.

I’m waiting for someone to chime in about their ecological superiority:)

What did you end up doing with this situation?

Blue Arrow junipers are working well in a narrow space next to the fence.

I would suggest Magnolia grandiflora, Prunus caroliniana and Podocarpus macrophyllus. Maybe a combination of all three to keep it a bit more interesting. YOu nurserymany can give you the spacing.

Pictures?

The post is 3 years old and the OP has already solved the problem.

Thanks floral! You’re a great problem solver…….

I see that they are very active on the app so I figured I had a good chance for a response…..

Jaxo, looks great…. Are you happy with this?

I have this situation. I’m thinking about planting red tips in this area. I’ll have to prune them a couple times a year to keep them out of the concrete….. but I think it’s doable…..

Yes, it’s working well.

It looks like they will be tall enough to provide privacy in just a few more years.

The fence looks a bit wonky. Does it belong to you? If you need to replace or repair your privacy shrubs will be in the way. Just food for thought.

The fence is pretty wonky! It does belong to me, but my neighborhood is in transition. In a couple years, the house next to me will be torn down and the builder will want a new fence anyways. I can’t justify spending lots of money for repair or replacing when I know a builder will be replacing either way.