Hello all, A land developer subdivided my neighbor's lot into two (Hooray real estate bubble!), cut down all the trees that seperated our back yards, and placed a 3 story monster house right on our property line. They had to do this to squeeze two houses onto a lot designed for one. We have lost all our privacy. Our only remedy is to plant a row of trees on our side of the line. What we need is something that will grow fast and agressive, filling maximum space and heigh in the shortest possible time. I live at 800 in a mini plateau drainage basin in Coquitlam. The soil is moist with a high water table. Typically, various evergreens and decidouos trees have been succesful in that spot. I don't know the species as I am a gardener, not having a need until now to branch out (is this a pun?) into trees. I don't want this post to smack too much of NIMBYism, but I don't really care if this tree is an annoyance to them or not with leaves, pollen, etc. Candidly, I hope it is somewhat invasive and noxious so that we might keep them towards the other side of the house instead of milling about right on our property line. I am serious, this is an older established neighborhood and this house is now right on the line. Theirr back deck is now being built right up to where our fence and trees once were, and they seem to be constructing bay windows and an upper deck to view...our back yard? Good fences make good neighbors. Please help. What should I plant?
If you make friendly maybe you can get them to put up some screening on their side as well. Meanwhile, you can get one-storey+, instant relief (in summer at least) comparatively cheaply with vine maple (Acer circinatum). This does well here and makes a good, dense, upward-branching growth on moist soil in sun. For taller, evergreen growth I would try one of the hedging-type cultivars of western redcedar (Thuja plicata), these are grown in quantity by nurseries near Vancouver and sold as 'hedging cedar'. Another good choice would be Pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica), rather quick, evergreen, perky and upright--but like the vine maple not a towering tree, a "big" wax myrtle in Seattle was 28 feet high some years ago.
Hi Ron, They have no space for a screen on their side. The house is right on the line. In fact, their house runs almost the length of the the property line (!) I have hedging cedar on the other side of the yard-2 ft tall, just planted this year. This seems to be the kind that grows to be about 20 feet high in a dense bush, everyone has it here. I was wondering about douglas fir or westen red cedar. It may take longer but will be more permanent. when the leaves are gone from the maple, they'll see right into the yard.
maybe, just maybe, a place for lombardy poplar? or italian cypress. slower growing perhaps Dawycks beech? columnar hornbeam?
Behold the monster: This used to be the tree line of my back yard. Gosh, do they really need to stare into our yard? What will fill that space?
An EXCELLENT fast growing tree is the Poplar. It will grow several feet in a year. I think I read somewhere that they can grow 5 feet in a year...something like that. I know I've lived around them my entire life and they do grow incredibly fast and work wonderful for privacy and wind-breaks.
Aren't lombardy poplars short lived though? It seems after 10 years or so they seem to not leaf out as much and eventually die. Maybe not where you are located. I do like the way they look.
Lombardy Poplar at Riverview arboretum, Coquitlam. I dont know the age and it doesnt show the size of the base but they are fairly large and my guess is about 40 years old, perhaps more. they are fast growing and have a reputation for being weak wooded. the other pic is of a group of them in my parents back yard, they have been there about 20 odd years and we have coppiced them 3 or 4 times to 6' high. I need to do them again this winter as they are getting a bit large.
Maybe the recommendation not to plant them is for the southern US. I have read that they are so short-lived due to their high suseptability to stem canker and being so weak wooded.
Most poplars, including 'Italica' are not for small spaces near buildings. Rapidly attained large sizes, branch breakage and extensive, powerful root systems are all characteristic. A Lombardy poplar in Seattle is 141' tall with a trunk 30'4" around.
follows the " grow fast, ignore disease (poor CODIT)" theory, vs " grow slow, resist disease (strong CODIT)"
I tried a Theives Poplar - not 100% sure of the spelling Its similar to lombardy but developed for S. Alberta I started with 4Ft saplings and had 20Ft trees in 2 years
We planted 12 of the Plicata 's 4 years ago, 6' tall, they now are 12 feet tall. They don't need to have anything special done for them, apart from water when they are new. They are easily pruned. Nice looking and great for privacy, all year long.
here is a quick picture to show the trees. Ladner is below sea level, and we have clay soil, any they are growing beautifully. They are hiding a Motorhome, and further in the distance, tall power lines. There is a six foot fence behind them.
Populus nigra 'Afghanica' (P. thevestina Doce, P. nigra 'Thevestina' etc.) is from Afghanistan, and was not developed for Alberta. It was being grown in North America by the 1930s. Not a small tree either, one in Seattle was 118' x 8'0" x 27' in 1995. Thuja plicata is the native western redcedar, an ultimately towering tree favoring moist situations. It dominates climax forest vegetation on wetland sites where conditions permit. One in Sqwaka Valley, B.C. was 277' tall and 30'5" around the trunk in 1980. Another old specimen at Cheewhat Lake, B.C. was found to have a trunk 62' around 8 years later.
Bamboo? Have you considered bamboo. From the photo it appears you have enough room there. There are several larger bamboos and some well suited to hedging or fencing.
I, too, am looking for fast growing trees and have been wondering how well Lombardy poplars would do in Zone 4? I am very new to this forum, and just as new to picking the right trees, so any addditional clarigying comments re: hardiness would be most welcome.
I have had what I consider privacy problems over the years,and find that creating berms with trees and shrubs planted on them,offers a solution to privacy. Also, attaching lattice fencing to tall posts,and then planting against it also encourages fast growth,and gives some privacy when the leaves fall.Clematis etc.can climb the lattice and other evergreens can act as a screen.Boughen's Skybound Cedars would work well againsta lattice.I have also found that creating diversionary spots to catch the eye and to draw it away from the house,helps.Losing one's privacy is very painful!Many people don't care much about privacy and really can't understand why some of us are sensitive about it.
I live in North Georgia, USA. I moved into a subdivision that has deed restrictions but people are ignoring them. When I first bought the house, I didn't see offending stuff, because it was spring. But in early June, the guy next door who is very nice and I don't wish to offend him, brings a large camper, large pontoon boat, 4 wheeler, trailer, and other odds and ends in his driveway, which is very visible to my front yard, which sits back from his. Other people have complained in the past about a guy up the road who parks his landscaping trucks in his driveway but then he became the president of the H.O. Assn! We have decided to move anyway because our 3/4 acre yard is too much upkeep for us and we want to move closer to town. I just know that it will be hard to sell, what with all the foreclosures, and more so with all of this stuff in my neighbor's yard! I thought of a fence, but it would be very expensive and wouldn't even cover the stuff! What is the fast tree or shrub that I could plant besides an Empress, too thin, or Lombardy poplar, that I have read has a significant root system? I planted 4 Leyland Cypress, but they won't grow quick enough.
