Please help - what can I do along the fence?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hey everyone, reaching out for suggestions for my backyard in western Pennsylvania.

I have a fenced backyard with some slope on one side. It's hard to mow between the fence and the two trees. The tree behind the fence is on my neighbors property. My neighbors plot is higher than mine which means when it rains, all the water runs off to my property. I do have a French drain installed near the base of the first tree.

I was thinking of adding some boxwood along the fence so it

gives me privacy
reduces mowing and general maintenance
generally catches some water before it flows to the low spot near tree

Now, I am not so sure if that'd be a good idea. Because of the two trees in my yard and the big tree in my neighbors yard, half the fence area gets no sun and I don't know if boxwood will survive in shade. In winter, all these three tress don't have leaves, so I think the boxwood will look good then but would it look odd in summer?

What else could I consider instead of boxwood? Should I plant along the entire fence or just until the first tree?

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Comments (4)

decoenthusiaste
4 years ago
Is there plenty of water to keep new plants alive? Drought in many areas precludes installation of new gardens right now.
Sneha
Original Author
4 years ago
@decoenthusiaste - we had 3.0 in and 2.92 in precipitation in June and July respectively. Also, not in a rush to do anything right away - want to plan now and can wait for spring to start the work!
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mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
4 years ago
Unless the privacy is a prime motivator, I'd be thinking about groundcover at this point. Hardy geraniums, the ubiquitous pachysandra - something like that will fix the mowing issues.

The shade problem isn't going to get any less, unless someone is planning on cutting down a tree or two. Given that, suitable shrubs are going to be problematic. I'd do spreading yews if deer aren't an issue before boxwood. Boxwood needs careful siting in zone 5, which you may or may not be in. It needs wind protection, and winter shade or it winterburns rather badly.

Whatever you decide, do plan on using a groundcover around the shrubs. Otherwise, you'll be hauling a lot of mulch, and trying to keep it in place on that hill.
Sneha thanked mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
Sigrid
4 years ago
I'd put in Mt. Laurel, not box. It's evergreen, probably native to you (I don't know your location) and will be okay in shade and it's pretty when it blooms. Don't worry about the green in winter. It will look good.