Tall, shade tolerant, thick, inexpensive evergreen

highnote

New Member
I'm looking to plant some large evergreen shrubs/trees for privacy.

They need to be:
1. disease/insect resistant (I dont want to be out there spraying them every year)
2. Shade tolerant (lots of shade, especially in summer)
3. able to grow in acidic clay soil (we dont have much topsoil before getting down to clay)
4. "maintenance free"
5. Not a slow grower
6. For zone 7 (maryland)
7. Inexpensive (mail order is great)
8. Evergreen
9. At least 15-20 feet tall mature height (higher is better)
10. Deer resistant

If there is no "perfect plant" that fits all of these qualifications, I'm open to hear suggestions for plants that fit "most" of them. Some are not negotiable, such as "evergreen" and "shade tolerant".

Right now there is a lot of mountain laurel and holly filling the surrounding forest. There's just one area where the property line is visible, and I wanted to fill in that area with thick, evergreen vegetation. I dont care how it looks, as long as it forms a good privacy buffer.

Anything out there that fits this bill?
 

belvak

Happy Camper
Green Aucuba. We've got some of these in our yard. Not sure about the deer resistant part, but they haven't touched ours. Also, Hubby says he doesn't know what they are talking about when they say slow growing, because ours are growing at the rate of about a foot a year. The green grow faster and are hardier than the gold dust.

Aucuba japonica | Japanese Aucuba
 

glhs837

Power with Control
The taller ones get pretty wide at the base though. I went with evergreen arbovitaes, dont grow too fast, and only get about 12 feet tall, but only get about 4 feet wide at the base. Good for me, but he wants something talller. The Jolly Greens get taller, but can be 12 feet wide at the base.
 

Pushrod

Patriot
Privet. It makes a great thick, tall hedge, is evergreen, deer resistant, fast growing and inexpensive.
 

Fubar

Look my ass glows!
Arborvitaes

Thujas to be specific...Leland’s have a tenacity to twist and not be as durable. I planted 22 Thujas 2 yrs. ago, they are now 10-11' tall. I went w/a 4' tall plant instead of seedlings..very happy w/the growth and the fact they made it through the winter of biblical proportions was a win-win.
 

ReadingTheNews

Active Member
I'm looking to plant some large evergreen shrubs/trees for privacy.

They need to be:
1. disease/insect resistant (I dont want to be out there spraying them every year)
2. Shade tolerant (lots of shade, especially in summer)
3. able to grow in acidic clay soil (we dont have much topsoil before getting down to clay)
4. "maintenance free"
5. Not a slow grower
6. For zone 7 (maryland)
7. Inexpensive (mail order is great)
8. Evergreen
9. At least 15-20 feet tall mature height (higher is better)
10. Deer resistant

If there is no "perfect plant" that fits all of these qualifications, I'm open to hear suggestions for plants that fit "most" of them. Some are not negotiable, such as "evergreen" and "shade tolerant".

Right now there is a lot of mountain laurel and holly filling the surrounding forest. There's just one area where the property line is visible, and I wanted to fill in that area with thick, evergreen vegetation. I dont care how it looks, as long as it forms a good privacy buffer.

Anything out there that fits this bill?


Yews might work for you. They tolerate shade well, are pretty widely available (i.e. not expensive), are evergreen, and even though some might consider them 'slow-growers', that hasn't been the case in my experience. I put mine in last Sep (late), and they have already grown almost a foot since.

Good luck!
 

highnote

New Member
Thanks for the advice. Leland cypress do not work well in heavy shade, and they are not disease/bug resistant. I planted a few Green Giant Arborvitae last fall, they are doing well so far (I just hope the insects don't become a problem, or disease). Some of the other suggestions sound great too... I just need to know where to get them. I'm not willing to pay retail nursery prices... for those that have made suggestions (other than lelands) where is the cheapest place to get those types of plants?
 
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