Best Evergreen for Privacy/Road Fence

[Victor Van Meter]

I have about 100 yards of road frontage on 30 acres I just purchased and want to establish a privacy fence along the actual barbed wire fence. Just curiuos what evergreen or other tree suggestions that would be the most economical and quick to grow? Thanks.

 

[bwoods11]

I like Black Hills Spruce--that is in MN? Norway Spruce?? Ohio might be total different situation.

 

[j-bird]

I am using a row of MG and a row of cedar... I have the cedar already on the property so I already have to deal with that with my fruit trees. I transplant the smaller cedar in the early spring and have been expanding the MG with the help of some of my friends here with cuttings. I also have a woven wire fence that I transplanted some honeysuckle into as well. Layers are your friend!

 

[JFK52]

Red pine grow fast and the deer do not tend to browse them. I used them in three different locations on my land for privacy fencing and was very pleased with the results. Just make sure to leave an adequate distance both trees and rows of trees so that as they grow they do not crowd themselves out. I would suggest 6' by 6'. You can mow between the rows for the first 3-4 years to keep the weed competition down. Also keep in mind that it will take several years for the trees to reach a height that is adequate for your needs. Start with the oldest trees you can transplant. 2S + 2T are my choice. That is 2 year seedlings and 2 year transplants. The trees will be about 12-14 inches tall at that stage. I had 95%+ survival when I planted my privacy fences.
This refers to my sandy soil in Central WI which is ideal for pines. I would suggest you research what will do the best for your location.

 

[Bill]

Hate to be a tree downer. But if you don't have an uphill grade to deal with I'm with J-bird. Miscanthus Giganteus is hard to beat. Mature in 3 years and the deer don't rub it, rabbits don't girdle it and nothing eats it.

Just took these a minute ago to post.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

We don't have flat land like that - but how long does MG last ?? Is it permanent until you nuke it or what ?? Do you cut it down at year's end & it re-grows each year ??

I never looked into MG because of our location.

 

[Bill]

We don't have flat land like that - but how long does MG last ?? Is it permanent until you nuke it or what ?? Do you cut it down at year's end & it re-grows each year ??

I never looked into MG because of our location.

It was cultivated to be a biofuel. So it's seed head is sterile. Claimed to live 20 years (I'm not sure that's producing large amounts of biofuel or till it dies out. I haven't cut in 2 years. The new growth just comes up through the old in the spring. Spray 3X over a summer with gly and you will nuke it.

It's not just for screens. Steer a deer, hide a blind, bedding?

 

[Bill]

Also we had a serious drought this summer and it's still 12 feet tal.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Hate to be a tree downer. But if you don't have an uphill grade to deal with I'm with J-bird. Miscanthus Giganteus is hard to beat. Mature in 3 years and the deer don't rub it, rabbits don't girdle it and nothing eats it.

Just took these a minute ago to post.

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WOW that cool! I have a small bit of road frontage I need to address as well

 

[TreeDaddy]

i am experimenting this year with fall planting of 300 rhizomes to "fill in" screen I started last spring

MG loves water as mine have thrived with drip irrigation to cope with texas summer heat

bill

 

[TreeDaddy]

Hate to be a tree downer. But if you don't have an uphill grade to deal with I'm with J-bird. Miscanthus Giganteus is hard to beat. Mature in 3 years and the deer don't rub it, rabbits don't girdle it and nothing eats it.

Just took these a minute ago to post.



Ditto on the "nothing eats it"

Cows got onto property and destroyed sorghum/sudan and left nearby MG alone

bill
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[Victor Van Meter]

Hate to be a tree downer. But if you don't have an uphill grade to deal with I'm with J-bird. Miscanthus Giganteus is hard to beat. Mature in 3 years and the deer don't rub it, rabbits don't girdle it and nothing eats it.

Just took these a minute ago to post.

View attachment 21230View attachment 21231View attachment 21232

I will be dealing with a slight uphill grade, nothing too steep. I like the aspect of grown in 3 years with nothing messing with it. I will try to take some pics and see what you guys think of my option for MG is. Thanks for the info.

VV

 

[j-bird]

Hold up...."mature" and what Bill posted pics of are different things. I doubt you will get a screen like bill posted in 3 years time. My oldest MG has been in the ground 2 years now and it's not near the density or height of what Bill shows. It will get there I am sure....but I really doubt you see 12 feet and as full as in those pics in 3 years without some serious help.....in my opinion. Just trying to keep expectations in check is all....

Also a caution on pines. While they are young they are great, but as they age and get much taller they tend to self prune and loose their lower branches and loose their branch density. My folks have their yard lined in red pine and it's pretty worthless now 20+ years later as a ground level screen.

 

[Bill]

Hold up...."mature" and what Bill posted pics of are different things. I doubt you will get a screen like bill posted in 3 years time. My oldest MG has been in the ground 2 years now and it's not near the density or height of what Bill shows

You might be surprised next year.. Granted those are older plants. But by year 3 planted as a double row with 24" between plants it will create a screen

 

[j-bird]

You might be surprised next year.. Granted those are older plants. But by year 3 planted as a double row with 24" between plants it will create a screen

I plan on giving mine a kick in the pants with a dose of urea as well next growing season. We will see...and like always, I'll take pictures... I just didn't want the OP to get dreams of grandeur and then come up short and be disappointed. I think MG is a great screen option, but like anything it will take some time.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

That's a cool visual screen with that tall grass stuff. I'd be concerned that a heavy snow or windstorm could take that down though, but to me it looks like a can't miss short term option while you wait for trees to grow.

I don't know what grows best in Ohio, but in Wisconsin I planted 5-6 tree rows for a visual screen. White spruce closest to the road, red and white pine rows, then a row or two of random shrubs and evergreens. I planted those in 2007 and right now it's a great wall of branches that an elephant could hide behind. It is tough to beat a few rows of evergreens for a long term visual screen.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I plan on giving mine a kick in the pants with a dose of urea as well next growing season. We will see...and like always, I'll take pictures... I just didn't want the OP to get dreams of grandeur and then come up short and be disappointed. I think MG is a great screen option, but like anything it will take some time.

........and water

bill

 

[willy]

I have experienced the same as Bill's pics show. Two years in ground and they are 12' tall and thick. I look forward to next year. I have heavy clay but good productivity. I will give them some nitrogen next spring for the first time. It averages around 32" of precip a year, most of which falls in spring through the fall. I highly recommend miscanthus. Maple River Farms has been my supplier. They have a good warranty also if something goes wrong with the planting.

 

[cavey]

I think a combination of plants is going to be your best bet; Im trying GM to see how well it survives up here and will incorporate it into a multi-plant multi layer screen. I love white pine but as it matures it loses its lower branches, spruces if planted far enough apart will tend to keep them longer but as most trees do the taller they get the lower branches die off. Shrubs (shorter and tall shrubs) mixed in with evergreens and a row of GM I would think provide you with year round screening. Your just going to have to give up a "bit" more space for the screen.... or every few years start another row of evergreens. Lilacs or some hedge plants backed up with evergreens might be an option too.

 

[Tree Spud]

As stated above ... you need to check your expectations a bit. My first year planting 2 years ago had good 1st year growth of ~ 4'. This year which which was year 2 I had less than 50% of them re-emerge and growth was about the same as year one. We planted more this past spring and will wait on next year spring emergence to see how they do.

From my experience you need really good soil & water to get good growth. Remember these were cultivated for biomass ethanol feed stock on very good AG soil.

Really good sun exposure is another factor. They say you need to eliminate weed competition from shading them; however, grass will do the same. I am not sure what if any weed control herbicides you can use to keep competition down.

You may want to try some first to see how they respond. I purchased from Maple River Farms and they are a good group to work with.

I would also suggest you might get as good results with Red Pine in 4-5 years and will be taller over time. You only have a 100 yards so plant both and cover your bets.