Privacy landscaping

[konapoppy]

I know you all will have some good ideas

The house behind us sold and the new property manager ripped out essentially all of their existing landscaping. That landscaping provided us a ton of privacy and I loved the secluded feeling in our yard. We went from seeing no neighbors to being able to see 4 houses and the light post from their cul de sac. Plus they have windows now that look directly into our house.

So, I want to plant something, knowing it may take a few years to fill in. Any recommendations? I am in Northern California but in an area that gets as low as the 30s and as high as the 100s. Something low maintenance would be best.

[mrspez07]

My FIL lives in Livermore and some of the plants I can identify in the neighborhood or around his yard for screening include:
Star jasmine (I think on the fence or trellis), the columnar junipers (or maybe cedars or yews), an arbor with grape vines, bottle brush, full size pines or spruces (if you have the room for the width), ivy on a solid fence.

What did they have growing that was removed? Maybe match some of those?

I’m from CO so a lot of what grows there doesn’t grow here, so I’m winging it a bit.

[RockNVoll]

I'd go to a local nursery and ask for suggestions of what works best in your area.

[konapoppy]

Jul 19, 2020 14:31:36 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

My FIL lives in Livermore and some of the plants I can identify in the neighborhood or around his yard for screening include:
Star jasmine (I think on the fence or trellis), the columnar junipers (or maybe cedars or yews), an arbor with grape vines, bottle brush, full size pines or spruces (if you have the room for the width), ivy on a solid fence.

What did they have growing that was removed? Maybe match some of those?

I’m from CO so a lot of what grows there doesn’t grow here, so I’m winging it a bit.

These are great suggestions and a similar climate - thank you!

They had some trees there - I don’t know what kind. Honestly, their side was a bit of a jungle, so I don’t blame the new owners for cleaning it up. It is just ... bare.

[redheadk]

We have similar temps ranges here, though i have to assume we have more hot days here. We have hedges around the perimeter of our yard. The best is the clumping yellow bamboo. Dh bought it at a nursery that specializes in bamboo that does well in our area. We’ve had it for years, no issues with runners at all. It’s planted directly into the ground. It is very thick and fills in quickly. We’ve had other types in the past that can’t withstand our lower temps (occasional freeze). Dh cuts those back and they always regrow when it warms up. The yellow bamboo actually does just fine with our coldest temps and even made it through some temps in the low 20s with no issues.

[konapoppy]

Jul 19, 2020 21:20:23 GMT -5 redheadk said:

We have similar temps ranges here, though i have to assume we have more hot days here. We have hedges around the perimeter of our yard. The best is the clumping yellow bamboo. Dh bought it at a nursery that specializes in bamboo that does well in our area. We’ve had it for years, no issues with runners at all. It’s planted directly into the ground. It is very thick and fills in quickly. We’ve had other types in the past that can’t withstand our lower temps (occasional freeze). Dh cuts those back and they always regrow when it warms up. The yellow bamboo actually does just fine with our coldest temps and even made it through some temps in the low 20s with no issues.

I never would have thought of this! And it looks like you can buy it already at a decent height. That is one of the things I am worried about.

[redheadk]

Jul 19, 2020 22:14:21 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Jul 19, 2020 21:20:23 GMT -5 redheadk said:

We have similar temps ranges here, though i have to assume we have more hot days here. We have hedges around the perimeter of our yard. The best is the clumping yellow bamboo. Dh bought it at a nursery that specializes in bamboo that does well in our area. We’ve had it for years, no issues with runners at all. It’s planted directly into the ground. It is very thick and fills in quickly. We’ve had other types in the past that can’t withstand our lower temps (occasional freeze). Dh cuts those back and they always regrow when it warms up. The yellow bamboo actually does just fine with our coldest temps and even made it through some temps in the low 20s with no issues.

I never would have thought of this! And it looks like you can buy it already at a decent height. That is one of the things I am worried about.

I'll try to remember to take a picture of it for you tomorrow. Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about the height. DH buys them around 4-6 ft, I think, and they grow crazy fast. Our yard guys or DH cuts it back periodically to keep it in an upright clump. It's super easy, you can use regular old handheld clippers, just the little ones. 

[simpsongal]

We tore out a row of arbor vitae at the end of their lives. One thing recommend is to be careful planting 1 row of the same plant. A disease could wipe them all out, or you may plant them too close together to get privacy in the first couple years (as so many people do around here). I'd consider this an opportunity to add a nice landscape border. That's what we did w/area replacing the arbor vitae. I did a mix of deciduous and evergreens of various sizes (crytopmeria, upright Japanese maple, pieris, panticulata hydrangea, fringe tree, smoke bush, weeping cedar, butterfly bushes (to fill in quickly), brooms (again, quick fill ins), eunonymous (gold and green), Japanese stewartia, witch hazel.

I'm still working on the back fence line, figurin out what works, what needs moving (my red twig dog wood is so unimpressive most of the yr....it's getting demoted to a new location).

[sandandsea]

We plan to rip out all of our old, heavy landscaping, and it’s giant roots, and will replace it with large modern planters with bamboo for privacy along our fence. It grows quickly, will stay contained in the planter and will provide some privacy/shade.

[hamster]

What about some semi-swarf fruit trees? Those are a good height for privacy. I also like Japanese maples (trees, not the shrub type). Other options would be a smoke bush, hedge maple or rhododendrons if you need lower height privacy.