[paulmal]

Looking for recommendations on a fast growing privacy hedge that can tolerate zone 9b well, including drought tolerance. Ideally would like to achieve a thick screen of 10-12+ ft high. One consideration (for smaller plants) is planting would be against a concrete block 6ft wall, which heats up from sun exposure.

I thought about various thuja and cypress options, but would prefer something else.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

non - invasive clumping bamboo

 

[jim_bee]

Cherry laurel Some varieties will reach the height you want, it flowers and it's native to the south.

 

[Nik333]

Hedge Your Bets: These Shrubs Are Perfect Privacy Screens

Evergreen shrubs are exceedingly useful in gardens—serving as hedges, privacy screens, and more—and these varieties thrive with low water

www.sunset.com

 

[DoomsDave]

@paulmal nice to meet you!

I'm a neighbor from downstate, and you have many choices. Are you in SLO itself, or in the surrounding county areas? That might make a difference with some plants.

I used to manage a garden shop and my staff and I really tried to help people solve their problems as much as we could.

You have many choices, and some are more ideal than others depending on circumstances. Rose of Sharon and crape myrtle are great, though the mytles will tend to mildew near the ocean, if that's where you are. They're also deciduous.

The king of the fast growing hedges that's evergreen is Ligustrum texanum, Texas privet. (Hmm. It's not called that officially any more. But it's all over in garden shops.) It's fast, evergreen, deep green, and takes lots of heat and sun and can suffer drought for a while, which will, alas, become more and more important I think. It clips up into a nice green screen. Some people don't like the flowers or the purple berries that follow them (the birds love the berries!); maybe tell us more about what your dream hedge is?

There's many choices, all with upsides and downsides. If you have the time, take the time and look with care and don't rush into things.

If you have questions, ask!

Nice to meet you!

 

[SW Dweller]

What does your local extension office recommend? Checking there noticing what other plant used in your local would be helpful. Just 9b covers a lot of areas.

One plant I would AVOID is Oleander. They grow fast, store dirt inside the foleage and are poisonous to small mammals. They also will tear up a sewer line to get to the water.

 

[DoomsDave]

What does your local extension office recommend? Checking there noticing what other plant used in your local would be helpful. Just 9b covers a lot of areas.

One plant I would AVOID is Oleander. They grow fast, store dirt inside the foleage and are poisonous to small mammals. They also will tear up a sewer line to get to the water.

Good point, and I add to take a look around the 'hood and see what's there that you like. @paulmal take some pictures and post here. We love pretty (or even ugly) pictures.

But, gotta disagree some about the oleander. It's poisonous, no two ways, but it's amazing how it doesn't get eaten, and the flowers are so pretty. And, there's dwarf types that really take the heat well, and don't need a lot of water and don't get really tall or turn into monsters like the big kinds do (oh, how well I know!) This is in San Luis Obispo, so it's the Mediterranean zone 9, as opposed, say, to the Louisiana or Texas Zone 9, so drought will be a huge problem if it isn't already.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

any plant for a trimmed hedge would be difficult to maintain at 10-12 ft. tall . that narrows the selection considerably , and my doc said -- stay off the ladder -- but you may be younger .

 

[DoomsDave]

@paulmal how wide across and how long is your overall planting area? That could make a huge difference.

Hmm. 10 - 12 feet okay, forget about dwarf oleanders; much too short.

Yeah, gotta concur with @SeniorSitizen orthopedic continuity concerns increase with increasing age and hedge height.

 

[paulmal]

@paulmal nice to meet you!

You have many choices, and some are more ideal than others depending on circumstances. Rose of Sharon and crape myrtle are great, though the mytles will tend to mildew near the ocean, if that's where you are. They're also deciduous.

The king of the fast growing hedges that's evergreen is Ligustrum texanum, Texas privet.

Thanks very much for your input, great to connect! I'm in Thousand Oaks area. The local nurseries mostly carry and recommend planting privet (Ligustrum) or a ficus Indian Laurel. The latter, while a beautiful hedge, has invasive or damaging roots, so I'm leaning on a privet.

 

[DoomsDave]

Thanks very much for your input, great to connect! I'm in Thousand Oaks area. The local nurseries mostly carry and recommend planting privet (Ligustrum) or a ficus Indian Laurel. The latter, while a beautiful hedge, has invasive or damaging roots, so I'm leaning on a privet.

Oh yeah, while privet has its problems, I think for your situation it's the best. RUN SCREAMING, LOUDLY at Ficus. Ohh baybay, don't plant that! My neighbors had a ficus hedge planted decades ago that had turned into this line of 2-foot-thick trees they finally removed a year or so ago, and I'm so glad.

How wide and long is your planting area?

 

[paulmal]

Oh yeah, while privet has its problems, I think for your situation it's the best. RUN SCREAMING, LOUDLY at Ficus. Ohh baybay, don't plant that! My neighbors had a ficus hedge planted decades ago that had turned into this line of 2-foot-thick trees they finally removed a year or so ago, and I'm so glad.

How wide and long is your planting area?

Have approximately 60ft of planting on each side, fair amount of width on one side, and opposite side a walkway that narrows the planting width to approx 2.5ft in places. Pics included below. Yard is a whole project onto itself.

 

[DoomsDave]

Have approximately 60ft of planting on each side, fair amount of width on one side, and opposite side a walkway that narrows the planting width to approx 2.5ft in places. Pics included below. Yard is a whole project onto itself.

View attachment 706085

View attachment 706089

View attachment 706090

That's helpful!

You've got a nice Tabula Rasa there, ready to work your dreams and desires on . . .

Looks like Privet should work well there. It gets tall enough fast enough to give a good screen like you're looking for.

You'll want to give it a good three feet in depth away from the wall, if you can. You might want to consider something smaller, maybe with flowers, in the narrow areas.

You want, if you can, to give yourself some space to work on the wall in the future if you have to.

Also, I'd be prepared to prepare the soil as much as you can. The lack of weed growth suggests that plants will have a tough time in general in your yard without some prepping. It's a bit of work, but so worth it in the long run, unless you're going to make your yard mostly concrete.

You don't have to prep all the soil at once; you can do parts as you need to.

What other plans do you have? Those might affect your choices now and in the future as well.

 

[DoomsDave]

View attachment 705991 non - invasive clumping bamboo

That in your yard?

 

[jim_bee]

I had a privet hedge one time and it has pros and cons. I will say that it's evergreen (in the south), fast growing and will form a dense hedge. I found that it required a lot of pruning to keep it looking neat and to allow enough sun to get to the lower branches to keep them leafy. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, just sharing. Pretty much every plant has it's pros and cons.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

That in your yard?

no sir

 

[DoomsDave]

no sir

Okay just asking!

They’re less invasive than the running type but whose ever garden that is will have bamboo in the grass soon enough. BUT! The shoots really are edible!

 

[SeniorSitizen]

i'll be taking a 250 mi. round trip tomorrow and wish i had time to stop and photo plus measure the diameter of each clump of every clumping bamboo clump that's been in the same location for over 100 years at old abandon farm steads .

Clumping vs Running Bamboo

If running bamboo were going to take over the world, it would have done so thousands of years ago. There are running species (temperate cold hardy, Leptomorph) of bamboo which we love and there are clumping (Pachymorph) species. These species are commonly defined by their rooting (rhizome)...

lewisbamboo.com

 

[DoomsDave]

i'll be taking a 250 mi. round trip tomorrow and wish i had time to stop and photo plus measure the diameter of each clump of every clumping bamboo clump that's been in the same location for over 100 years at old abandon farm steads .

Clumping vs Running Bamboo

If running bamboo were going to take over the world, it would have done so thousands of years ago. There are running species (temperate cold hardy, Leptomorph) of bamboo which we love and there are clumping (Pachymorph) species. These species are commonly defined by their rooting (rhizome)...

lewisbamboo.com

I’m curious to know the species.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

I’m curious to know the species.

your question just sparked a thought . didn't realize i had any spark remaining . i have a ( pic this app ) and it usually gives more info on species , cultivar etc. than i care to know about so that may add value for question . please stand by , possibly for a couple of days .