I would like to plant some shrubs 3 feet from my neighbours cedar tree which stands right near my property line. Keeping my lawn looking good has become tedious. I've had soil brought in and would like to grow something green and attractive......possibly creating a bit of privacy....my front window faces the tree. The bottom branches have been cut allowing more sun in. Images included. Ginger. I forgot to add.........suggestions would be appreciated.
You could plant a Privet Hedge, or some Hydrangea shrubs, another choice could be some Japanese Tree Lilacs.
Thank you for your suggestions. By privet hedge did you mean English Laurel? I've been reading about the nuisance of this hedge. I'm at my wits end. As you can see my front view is nothing but cars. I love the look of the English Laurel but can I ignore the fact that it spreads seeds all around & that it will grow 5' a year? The Hydrangia will be too short & no leaves in winter. The Japanese tree Lilac is beautiful but it wouldn't quite suit the surroundings, I don't think.....my front lawn is too shallow. Hopefully there will be some answers to suit my difficult situation. Thank you again.
First, I'd recommend scaling up your plans. You want something with a certain sizable presence here, to provide the kind of screening you want, and also to be able to stand up (physically and architecturally) to the powerful presence of the neighbor's cedar. Not to mention its established and hungry root system. This means, don't plant a mere 3 feet from the big tree. Step back at least 6 feet, imagine a curving line (not quite a semicircle, but definitely not a straight line either) consisting of maybe 5 evergreen shrubs spaced at least 3 feet apart. You'll have to give this feature some space, at the expense mostly of lawn (which isn't doing so well anyway). If the site is pretty shady beneath the cedar, then you might want to plant yews (genus Taxus). These have very dark needles and are plagued by deer, if that is a worry. But there are many choices, not all of which are conifers -- e.g. evergreen azaleas, though these might be more finicky in the bloody competition with the cedar roots for moisture and nutrients. Hollies might be another interesting choice. Plant all females with a single male pollinator (though this might not be necessary if there is a pollinator in the immediate neighborhood) to ensure a good display of berries in fall and winter. Assuming you choose a plain needled evergreen for the basic screen -- or a dark and sober row of hollies -- then you might want to lighten up the space outside your window with something more airy and colorful that would look splendid with the dark yews (say) as a backdrop. There are many shrubs and small trees with light-colored or variegated foliage that would look well here. For instance, the Japanese maples Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' and 'Moonrise' are awesomely hardy and adaptable with brightly colored foliage that changes almost continuously in color from early spring to fall leaf-drop, followed by a graceful bare silhouette that would continue to look good against the somber evergreens. This in turn could be underplanted with a low-maintenance, weed-suppressing ground cover like hosta, perhaps mingled with ferns and an underplanting of spring bulbs. All of this requires space, of course, and a certain amount of site preparation (especially digging to loosen the soil and work in organic matter). Once the plants are established, maintenance will be minimal -- much less than an ordinary lawn would require.
Please check to see how high you're plants are allowed to grow street side. Where I used to live, they were only allowed a maximum of 4 ft high. That might alter your choice of planting.
