We need a rapid growing, dense, and tall evergreen hedge on our acreage. We live the South Thompson valley near Kamloops in zone 5, though I can remember zone 4 winters in the 80s. Hot in summer, often windy in winter and very dry. We have plenty of irrigation and don't mind fertilizing. Our soil is mostly basic and silty with sand mixed in. Some areas are scalped, though most areas have a relatively undisturbed top layer of organic matter from a recently removed pine and fir forest. What should we plant? Green Giants? Plain Thuya Plicata? Something else? Thanks!
I just noticed there are similar thread suggestions at the bottom of this page, including a Canadian zone 5. Was the Pine Beetle a problem in your area? My Parents are in the Cariboo a couple hours away and it wiped out every-thing. Once the Pine Beetles desimated all of the Pines, they moved onto other species of coniferous trees. You'll probably be alright if you can irrigate regularly and lessen the plant stress during times of drought. The beetles don't like tunnelling in wet cambium.
You would avoid pine family problems with arborvitaes but these are unattractive unless on favorable sites. And deer may spoil them. Popular, columnar Thuja occidentalis forms seem to be particular favorites, with plantings on multiple, local rural properties nearly bare at deer head height and below. If much-planted Leyland cypress is possible there that might be a way to go. If you plant a mixed screen of assorted different kinds of trees and shrubs you do not have all your eggs in one basket. But a single row of one kind can be grown in a strip maintained with careful use of herbicide and mown around. Introducer gives USDA 5 for 'Green Giant'. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/grgiant.pdf
Thanks for the replies. The problem with the indigenous ponderosa pines is that their branches are spread too far apart to form a good screen and, of course, the pine beetle. The douglas firs are plagued by the tusock moth, fir beetles, root fungi and other pests. The firs are fairly tough, but often end up permanently crippled and unsightly. We have deer fenced the property, as they destroyed virtually all of our early planting attempts; we once counted thirteen mule deer on our lawn. T. occidentalis is too small a tree; we would like something that eventually grows to 50' or more. Our winters are too cold for Leyland Cypresses. How dense is T. plicata if it has ample sunshine and water? Can you see through the tree?
Dense and good-looking if the site suits it, thin and discolored if not - same as other arborvitaes. Are there any wild ones in the area? Come to think of it, Nootka cypress might be possible as that does occur natively here and there along rivers at comparatively low elevations east of the Cascades, outside of its main area of concentration. Tall, dramatic planted specimens can also be seen at farm houses way out in eastern WA.
What is your reason for wanting a screen? Dense branching and opacity are not really required for effectively screening against either unattractive views or wind. They can help for noise buffering, but I believe you would need a hedge about 40' thick to really help with that. The human eye will be caught and stopped by even an openly branched conifer in the foreground or near distance, so that you will not notice what is behind it even though it is still technically visible. For wind a solid screen can actually be actually undesirable because it deflects the wind rather than slowing it down. A more open screen can reduce the impact of wind without causing problems elsewhere. I remember on the west coast of Ireland being impressed by miles of "fencing" which consisted of dry stone walls with about 20-30% open space. The effect was very attractive and I was told that it was so windy there that solid walls would simply have blown over, while the open ones could last for centuries. I realize you are talking about a tall screen, but I think the same principle would apply.
