Advice needed for front screening

Hello all


Some back story…

In 1996, we were given permission by the District of North Vancouver to plant a hedge along the service road in front of our home to act as a natural buffer to help shield from traffic noise and road dust from vehicles that travel on the busier road below the service road. We purchased Western Red Cedar shrubs, and carefully planted and cared for them ourselves. The trees grew into a lovely green privacy screen which was topped and trimmed each year by ourselves and District crews

Two years ago, due to water main replacement, a crew arrived and razed the hedge. We have been in discussion with the District and councillors for months and now are resigned to the fact that they will not let us replant in the original location. It's a done deal - so no advice needed for that please.

The District has offered however to reimburse us up to $1,000 towards the cost of planting on our property to create a screen. I'm reaching out for advice on what we might plant.

We don’t want to completely block our front yard off from the smaller service road directly in front. So not interested in a cedar hedge or the like unless it can be easily pruned to have an open bottom third. We would like our front yard to remain bright and airy. What we are hoping for, is some sort of broadleaf evergreens that we can plant above our stone wall that will allow a site line below to the service road but will provide a green canopy to screen the busy main road. It would need to be approximately 9 feet tall. We have a view of the water so we do not want anything that will grow much above 10 or 11'. We are also concerned about roots damaging the stone wall. Hopefully something reasonably fast growing as we are in our 60s! We have been considering rhododendrons, but not really wanting to have to do the deadheading that would be required. The yard is east facing. Any suggestions where to purchase larger plants would be appreciated as well. I will try to add a few photos. Thank you very much in advance.

 

I wonder if a mixed planting of flowering shrubs intermixed with a few dwarf conifers might do the trick. Perhaps a few perennials for interest as well. If lower maintenance is an issue this could provide some screening along with some visual interest and require maintenance once or twice a year. Also, differing heights would be more pleasing than a solid hedge of evergreens. Shrubs like Physocarpus (there is a dark red leaved version and a gold leaved version, they flower as well), Abelia, Pieris (many varieties), Choysia, native Mahonia (there are low and tall varieties, flowers that are beneficial to pollinators and hummingbirds).
I would suggest going to a nursery with a large selection of shrubs to get ideas and to see larger specimens. Our local nurseries don't have the space to carry the variety and size that nurseries in the Fraser Valley do. One that I have used in the past is Art's Nursery on 192nd in Surrey. There are many good nurseries in the valley.
Hope that helps.

PS: if the District isn't going to do any further work where your hedge used to be a sprinkling of wildflower seeds would be a nice way of masking the ugly stumps left behind. It appears that there is invasive Himalayan Blackberry starting to grow there now so that will be an eyesore quickly. Districts are quick to cut and remove and slow (read never) to maintain or replant. Just a thought.

 

Thank you very much for your suggestions Derek. I will have a look at the plants you’ve mentioned.

 

You might consider Arbutus unedo ‘compacta’. Prone to leaf spot and not a fast grower, but aside from growth rate it meets your general requirements. Commonly listed as 6’ tall, but often closer to 8-10’ in many cases, and amenable to being pruned to raise the canopy leaving the lower third open.

 

Your view is lovely and I understand your concern about dust and noise

do you have pets or other reason (kids?) to make your lovely front yard safe from the roads?

do that first - I’d probably choose chain link

then make a hedgerow type screen

you can have layers of maybe a couple of smaller ornamental cherries to frame your view

and rugosa roses

and Oregon grape

and acer circinatum

and maybe a Rhodo or two

and California poppies and lupins on the street side

of course our big consideration is WATER

FORTUNATELY - it appears you have gravity in your favour so you can collect water and let it drain to your new hedgerow soaker hose and get it established

look at similar neighbourhoods and sun / slope and see what does well

my design preference is NOT the big wall of Laurel or cedar (cedar: a known residential interface fire hazard these days) - so keep that in mind when you read my input.

Please let us know what you choose to do - you have so much potential there

 

Further to my previous post - above - ALWAYS contact your various utility providers FIRST to establish and mark where your - for example -

sewer (waste water)
Incoming fresh water
Natural gas
Hydro electric (sometimes overhead … sometimes buried)
etc
Are located exactly


make sure you have a posting plan of your property - you sure don’t want to invest in shrubs and labor on property that is not your property

also check out any permits and height and tree varieties required/allowed by your local city

also - invasive species (please don’t plant a hedge of broom (yellow flowers right now)

 

Look at the photos in this recent post

I like that pressure treated fence structure and wire … then hedgerow type layered planting — the spirea in photos is nice

also look for plants that small birds / insect like butterflies enjoy (in a good way) incl rugosa roses with rose hips

https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/help-identifying-bush.103367/

 

We were considering pieris or Teddy Bear magnolias. Do Morella California (Wax Myrtle) grow here? I’ve seen photos of them nicely shaped.

 

I refer to “broom” above — this is why we do NOT plant it LINK https://www.cheknews.ca/broombuster-volunteers-battle-invasive-species-fire-threat-1154032/

That said - there was a UBC Botanical Garden introduction of a low growing broom — I think it might have been called Thunderbird (for obvious UBC reasons)

 

This might help - link to article

note the “drought tolerant once established” — a bonus!
https://www.finegardening.com/article/evergreen-hedging-plants-for-the-northwest
—-

https://www.seattletimes.com/pacifi...s-offer-variety-and-shelter-to-urban-gardens/

a good article also from Seattle area
https://kingcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Hedgerow-2014.pdf