The first is a J. scopulorum cultivar and the second probably J. virginiana (morphological details indicate it is not derived from J. chinensis despite it being listed as such) so if you are in eastern North America 'Spartan' is probably better adapted to your conditions.

Based on personal inspection and observation container grown conifers (and other kinds of woody plants) are most usually wobbly and apt to lean over even when "finished" and sent out to retailers because they have deformed roots. And not because of the genetics of individual kinds (except of course for climbing plants).

I am in foothills outside of California.

Would I be better off buying 5 gallon plants that have spent less time in containers instead of 15 gallon sizes?

How many additional years would I need to wait for them to reach mature size if I start with 5 gallon sizes?

i got rid of all my upright Js for 2 reasons

first.. and i positive this wont be a problem for you.. is snowload and ice destroyed them ...

second.. juniper tip blight.. and i have no idea if this is a CA problem

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffnt&q=juniper+tip+blight+in+CA&ia=web

they do not stay super thin.. but presumably they can be sheared if you wish ...

take the first you name.. and see the future: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Skyrocket+juniper&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

do the same with the other name

even better if you use the proper full latin name ...

ken

I’m wondering about 5 gallon vs 15 gallon sizes.

If I get 15 gallon sizes, they may be damaged from living in a container for too long.

If I get 5 gallon sizes, I will have to wait some extra years for them to grow to a size to provide a privacy screen, plus they may have a harder time growing because shorter plants will spend more time in the shadow of the fence and end up growing more slowly. After they grow to heights over the 6 foot fence line, they will have access to extra hours of direct sun.

Maybe you would post picture of proposed planting area to get input about suitability of site for this plant? And, “foothills outside of California“ - not very specific as far as climate conditions - No Cal, So Cal, Nevada? If you want larger plants, field grown, field dug B&B (balled & burlapped) may give you better odds with larger plants. But remember. The larger the plant, the bigger the hole you have to dig to plant them!

I meant to say foothills outside of Sacramento.

I want to replace all these existing dwarf Italian Cypress with new plants that are faster growing and spaced closer together to provide patio privacy from the other house pictured.

What’s a source of field dug plants?

I assume they will be more expensive especially after shipping costs than the local nursery prices in the pics I posted earlier.

@jaxo - I thought this question seemed familiar - I also saw the 2 other threads you started. its best really to continue on with one thread to eliminate confusion & duplication. So I understand you want to block view of 2 story which is across the narrow street behind you. the Italian cypress you have aren’t wide enough to do that job. The above the fence hedge idea you asked about seemed to be a problem with potential overhang of branches & vehicle traffic on street so photinia was crossed off. You want something evergreen so smaller crape myrtle that was suggested was nixed. The problem I see with your current possibilities of taller, wider & fast growing junipers is that there’s not enough room In planting area. Those plants get wide at the base & are not amenable to pruning & don’t look good limbed up. Have you checked out Emerald Green arborvitae/ thuja? I know they grow in No CA. They are a similar look to your current cypress in that are evergreen & fairly narrow. They’re a brighter green & a “tubular” growth habit. They can also be limbed up a bit when older & look ok. If you deep water them the first couple years, they’ll establish & grow fairly fast. Here in my Pacific NW WA they get lots of natural water & do g row Faster. My only other suggestion is to have a permanent feature built on top of your fence which would give instant privacy even with an open structure. I’m thinking a free standing long open work abor type structure attached to 10’ posts sunk in right in front of fence. The pic shows one of them in my backyard which blocks a view on neighbors property behind. It‘ @ 4’ above a 6’ fence. Don’t know about your HOA. If restrcited, then I’d check the Emerald Greens. Balled & Burlapped plants can be found at large nurseries or tree farms. There should be some of each in the surrounding Sac area.

I have different threads for different options. I preferred trees because I don’t want to to block the fence, but it looks like blocking the fence is a sacrifice I’ll have to deal with because other aspects are a bigger priority such a minimal pruning. I “prefer” not to block the fence with foliage, but the hard requirement is above fence line privacy, fitting within the narrow ground planting space and not requiring more than once or twice a year pruning to keep the size in check on both sides of the fence.

Crape Myrtle was never a serious option because they don’t provide privacy in the winter. The thread was for evergreen options.

So, now I wanted a separate thread specific to conifers that could work.

Maybe Thuja can work. The person at the last nursery was pushing the Juniper Spartan and says it would only need to be trimmed once a year and looks good sheared.

Juniper Spartan and Arborvitae Thuja seem somewhat similar in both size and appearance.

What are plusses and minuses of each in this setting?

Your questions would be addressed if you could find mature examples of both of these trees in someone’s yard. I hope you‘re showing the nursery folks a picture of your planting setting along with measurements of depth of bed rather than a verbal description. I did touch on +/- of each type in last post but IMO, here‘s short list.

Juniper - too wide - Christmas tree shaped even with tips growing upwards- scratchy ”needles” not soft for close to people on patio - will have lots of brown out in center due to half of tree smashed against fence., very pale blueish tinge in color so drab looking unless surrounded by other plant colors. can shear for some width control as long as don’t cut into browned out center but doesn‘t look great & shouldn’t cut tip top. Arborvitae, Emerald Green specifically- stays narrow & upright in growth, soft ”needles” bright green color, looks good when sheared for tighter & narrower growth as long as don’t cut into browned out center, can cut tops to control height, can limb up as grows if want to expose fence at base. The back side of these will also lose green growth as shaded by fence but the parts above fence will be green.These should be planted no closer than 4’ on center but 5’ on center will give them, when mature, a little air space between & make a healthier & more attractive plant.

So, by my list of attributes or problems, you can easily see which I’d plant. Your other option is to hire a qualified plant person to come to your site & give you recommendations. $ well spent.

@KW PNW Z8

OK, Emeral Green planted 4-5 feet apart sounds best.

So, to cover 24 feet of the fence length tightly enough to provide privacy when they reach mature width, I would need to only plant 5 to 6 to replace those 8 Italian Cypress pictured?

@jaxo Yep. It’s ok to go 4’ on center so 5 will do. They’re fatter than your Italian cypress. Place #1 at 4’ from corner & every 4’from that point should end at 4’ from opposite corner. You’ll need to take all the rock out first & when you put it back keep it away from trunk so you can get water to trees. Water each plant really well a day or two before planting. I assume no irrigation in that spot so as a labor & tree saver before you put rock back, think about getting soaker hoses. at least a 50’ but longer is better . Wrap a circle around tree & away from trunk - too close & the roots won’t stretch out, they’ll stay close to the source of water. More roots = bigger tree.. Run the soaker a couple of hours at least once a week & more often in heat of summer. This watering is really important the first couple years.

to get the trees well established so water spring , summer ,fall. Winter rain should be enough assuming not in a drought. Cover the hose with the rock & make sure water pressure not too high so water spraying out of hose - should ooze out. And check to make sure coming out at the end of hose. Last note - be sure you get Emerald Green Variety. There are many Thuja & Arborvitae. The name comes from the bright green color & they are the most elegant of the species. Prettier really than your existing italIan cypress which are lovely. I hope you are able to replant those in your front yard or in pots or at least sell or donate them to someone.

There is existing irrigation. I will hire someone replace the irrigation and line the emitters up with the new plants as well to do all the rest of the labor, digging holes, replacing the rocks etc..

So, they may bring the plants on their trucks and install them the same day. I could order the plants delivered from the nursery ahead of time myself and water them in the containers before they get planted.

I can ask them to arrange the emitters a couple feet away from the trunks. I have a Rachio that sets automatic watering schedules based on the local weather.

Good plan to order ahead & have on site to water day ahead & also to verify by the tags with plants that they are truly the Emerald Green arborvitae. I’ve learned the hard way about letting landscaper pick & deliver the specific variety of plant I wanted. Lesson learned - go to nursery myself & pick the plants - let landscaper pick up & deliver to house!

"There is existing irrigation."

Make sure to do deep watering during establishment- very often "irrigation" does not accomplish this. You will need to dig down a time or two to check that your water is actually penetrating the depth of the root ball.

Emerald Green Thuja have more difficulties getting established due to insufficient watering than anything else- these forums are full of it.

Also make sure they are planted correctly and the root mass inspected and opened up if need be- not sure I would trust this to minimum wage workers unless the nursery has a firm guarantee. These trees are mass produced and often very poorly grown- you need to do everything possible to ensure their care during this first year establishment phase.

I wonder if it’s possible to add another zone to my existing sprinkler system so I would be able to set it to run longer for the Thujas than for other plants connected to the same system that won’t need as much water?

That way I could set the drip irrigation I timer to water the Thuja for hours even if the other plants/flowers only needed 30 minutes of water.

There is hardscape separating the areas, so I don’t know how any required electrical wiring would reach the area without being exposed on to.

Otherwise, the solution would just have to be putting much larger emitters on the Thuja than the flowers and setting it all on the same automatic watering schedule.

@jaxo Setting up irrigation systems & zones is above my pay grade!😁 I tell my DH what changes I’d like made to our drip irrigation for my gardens and bless his heart, he gets it done. When we needed new lines & zones added to existing system, our landscaping crew did all that after checking our system for availability of additional zones & some of it was dependent upon ability to find pipes under our very wide driveway. I think your question is one to put to whomever you hire for planting assuming they have the expertise. Failing that, you could also just pull the hose & watering can out so you can measure the amount of extra water each plant is getting & water them by hand a couple times a week During hot times & until they’re established. Watering plants by hand is thought by many to be a “Zen“ experience stress reliever. Seriously! . Pay special heed to what @cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky) advised you about making sure plants are properly opened up at root ball & not just jammed into ground & covered with dirt.