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Monday - June 06, 2011

From: Houston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Privacy Screening
Title: Privacy hedge that can be trimmed
Answered by: Guy Thompson

QUESTION:

Please help us find a screening plant or tree (preferably native and evergreen with flowering and/or berries) which is non-invasive, not a vine, at least six feet tall if not taller, which can be easily shaped or trimmed without harm. We have a six foot tall bull-wire fence and the neighbors will want to cut the plant close to the fence on their side. We will want to keep it thick on our side. Our planting area is about two feet wide and borders our drive. Thank you so much!

ANSWER:

Here are a few suggestions that should satisfy your requirements.

Ilex vomitoria (yaupon) It is evergreen, has pretty red berries and makes a good wildlife plant. It is a great plant to use in a hedge because it grows dense and twiggy. But it grows slowly so you would have to be very patient. You need male and female plants to have berries. But you can usually only buy female plants. These are pretty drought tolerant after they get established but like a little more water than some others.

Morella cerifera (wax myrtle). This is a fast growing solution. It is also a draw for the little myrtle warblers. It will grow as a large shrub and can be trimmed. It is evergreen and requires male and female plants to make the fragrant berries. Once established, it is drought and flood tolerant.

Cupressus arizonica (Arizona cypress) is a beautiful, fast-growing evergreen that is used for windbreaks. It grows 30-40 feet tall and 15 -20 feet wide. It might be too large for your space, but it is often used as a screen.

Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar) This tree can also be used as a screen, especially if you choose one of the varieties well suited for that purpose.

From the Image Gallery

Yaupon
Ilex vomitoria

Wax myrtle
Morella cerifera

Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana

Arizona cypress
Hesperocyparis arizonica