Instruct me on the proper selection of the proper plants for a hedge that will grant privacy.

So, I have a "privacy hedge" on one side of my driveway. Its made from leyland cypress trees as far as I can tell. It runs east/west and my house is on the south side of them. The western most tree is large and full and probably 18ft tall. The next is like 16. Then 12. Then a few that are only 6 feet tall and very sickly looking. then another 8 footer and then probably a 12 footer at the eastern most end.

So basically its a hedge shaped like a parabola with the shorter trees being more transparent as well. It sucks.

These trees are maybe 2 feet from my cement driveway. I would like to remove them and replace them with a hedge that is consistent, low maintenance, and unlikely to die. I'm in central NC. What tips can the GRM collective offer? Best bush to choose? Best way to remove what is there easily?

Damn. I hate when make a typo in the thread title.

By me hibiscus is a popular choice, but that won't work if you have winter to deal with...

Boxwood.

I'm gonna follow this thread since I recently learned the privacy fence I want to build is technically illegal in this area.

Arbor Vitae is just ugly but it is cheap, grows quickly and is tall without getting wide.

Look at your dying trees and see why they are dying. You don't want to replace them with new plants that will suffer the same fate. From your description, I'm inclined to suspect the likes of bagworms.

As for replacement, a lot depends on how tall you want it to be. A 4' tall border calls for a different plant than a 10' tall border. Though pretty generically, the likes of the aformentioned arborvitae works well. There are some very fast growing and filling varieties, like Emerald Green. But, arborvitae typically isn't cheap.

Something else to be aware of with regards to really fast growing hybrid plants. They tend not to live long, and frequently suffer breakage problems.

If you don't need it to be very tall, and live in the Southeast, privets are pretty fast growing and nearly indestructible. Be very certain a privet hedge is what you want before you plant it, because once you plant the thing, you're not getting it out!

Kudzu?

BUrning bushes grow fairly large around here (Cincinnati), and can be shaped pretty well. They are hardy, deer resistant, and can be hacked back year after year, without harming the plant too bad.

But, what do I know, ask Homer, he has more experience

Please don't plant privet. It's invasive and spreads like crazy. Kill any you find.

I understand it makes great bows, for those that were following the Build-Your-Own-Bow thread a while back.

As for what you need, NC State has a list of plants used for privacy screens. Maybe look it over and see what fits your needs using native species?

Edit: More native plants http://www.ncwildflower.org/native_plants/recommendations

Ummmm ... not bamboo, for the same reasons noted above. I sure wish my (former now) neighbor never had that genius idea.

Also as noted above, burning bush is great in the midwest ... only pest to watch out for with them that I have experienced are rabbits in the winter time. Apparently the stalks are quite tasty.

Burning bush or some other Euonymus make a good hedge. We have a green variety that we have had for ~20 years. It does need trimming a couple times a year but stays green all year long. Occasionally I will cut it back to ~2' high but within 2 years it is back up to 5'. It will get taller but then it would be hard for me to trim so I don't let it get taller than 5'

Do lilacs grow down there? For 10-12' tall they are tough to beat around here. For 3' tall or so roses are great too, and in my experience need very little maintenance.

Brett_Murphy wrote: I understand it makes great bows, for those that were following the Build-Your-Own-Bow thread a while back.

Someone remembers that?!?

OP what is your climate zone? I know some hella-dense growing non-invasive plants depending on zone.

I I've had great luck with hemlock, but that's in western pa, not sure what the grow zones are like in nc.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Boxwood.

Boxwood is a wonderful hedge, but alas, it is slow to grow. That's a good thing if the plants are tall enough for your current needs because it requires little attention to keep it neat. But if you're planting little 12" high shrublings, don't expect them to shoot up to six feet tall anytime soon. It will take decades.

Rufledt wrote: Someone remembers that?!?

Yep. I still want to try my hand at it. I'm hoping to cut down some privet soon. I've been fighting the stuff for years, the last of them should come down once I get a few free moments. I'm hoping for some 6' long x8" diameter sections.

There is also some kind of elm that needs to come down, but it is only about 3" in diameter.

einy wrote: Ummmm ... not bamboo, for the same reasons noted above. I sure wish my (former now) neighbor never had that genius idea. Also as noted above, burning bush is great in the midwest ... only pest to watch out for with them that I have experienced are rabbits in the winter time. Apparently the stalks are quite tasty.

Really? We have a small forest of it in our back yard & I've been letting it spread along the only(short) section of our yard without a privacy fence. Besides, the more space it occupies, the less I have to mow.

In reply to petegossett:

Someone several houses away from my grandmother planted bamboo. It traveled through a number of yards, ruined driveways and sidewalks and was an problrm for probably 7-8 yards. If you don't have pandas stay away from bamboo.

Bamboo is really bad if there's moisture around as well. As noted unless you're feeding pandas or making ethanol stay away.

To the OP azaleas and rotadendrins. I know a lot of people slam rotas for being knock offs, but they look good and come in at a competitive price point.

For the most privacy, use pine. Slow growing, pretty easy to maintain.

Sorry I got nothing.

einy wrote: Ummmm ... not bamboo, for the same reasons noted above. I sure wish my (former now) neighbor never had that genius idea.

There are many kinds of bamboo, it's a blanket term like "trees". The reason it's a problem is that people plant big running forest-y ones and done care to contain it. It's not hard to contain, but it's not fun to fix when it runs all over the place. There are clumping bamboos that make great privacy hedges with no containment needed, but if/which ones work depends on climate

Edit: also many people call plants "bamboo" that aren't bamboo. Do your research picking any plant, trees and hedges included, and you should never have a problem.