Plants and Trees for Screens & Buffers
What are the best evergreens for a screen or buffer to block an unwanted view?
Before deciding on what plant material to use, it's best to ask a few basic questions:
- Is the desired planting location in full sun or shade?
- How tall will the screen need to be to block out a view or create the privacy you desire?
- Will the area have a formal or relaxed design?
Selecting Screen Plants
When considering the cost of installing a screen - which generally requires the purchase of many plants bought all at once to create a look of uniformity - selection of the right plants from the very beginning can make all the difference in how the screen will look many years from now.
One thing for sure: the cost of a screen using plants or trees is usually much less expensive than building a fence or wall - and screen plants can be selected that will quickly grow to their mature height of a few feet to 30 feet or more in height. Two: we often erect a fence or wall only to then cover it up later on with plants.
In the past, screens/hedges have typically been composed of only one kind of plant or tree, but, through years of experience, we've found that this type of design, though easy to implement, creates the perfect condition for the rapid spread of disease. A single infected plant may spell demise for an entire row. This is what happened in the case of the now almost extinct 'Red Tip' photinias that became so popular during the 1980's. Too many people planted too many hedges and screens using just the non-native Red Tip. To make matters worse, many planted them so close together, spacing the plants just a few feet apart, that when the plants reached maturity they literally couldn't breathe. Air circulation through the plants was seriously limited and disease crept in.
So, it's time to learn from our mistakes and implement change. An ideal screen will consist of a variety of plant material. While this may not be the best approach for very formal plantings, it is quite suitable for most other garden landscapes. Imagine how beautiful a mixed row of conifers, hollies, magnolias, pines and various other evergreen screen plants and trees would look compared to a straight row of all the same plant or tree.
Creative Screening with Evergreen Plants & Trees
Start planning your screen planting by answering the following questions:
Will the screen planting cover a large area or a very small area?
Are you trying to hide something unsightly, looking for a little privacy, or wanting to plant a hedge to separate the "rooms"/areas of your landscape/garden?
How quickly do you want the screen planting to grow and fill in?
Will the plants be planted in sun or shade?
Do you want your screen planting to be low maintenance and low cost?
Do you want your screen planting to be evergreen?
Large Area Screen Plantings
If your screen plan is to cover a large area, and your intentions are to block an unsightly view, it will be necessary to select larger growing evergeen trees such as Carolina Sapphire Cypress, Cryptomeria 'Yoshino' or 'Radicans', Southern Magnolias, Deodara Cedar, Arborvitae 'Green Giant' or upright tall hollies, to name a few of the best. Leyland Cypress are okay but be careful not to plant too many or too closely together. Most of these trees grow 20 feet or more in height.
When planning your large area screen planting, make sure to properly space the trees you have selected. If the mature width of a tree is 10', space no closer together than 8'.
Instead of planting one straight row, consider staggering the plants in a straight or curved line of two rows as shown in the sample design to left. (Click on design to view larger image.) Planting your screen in a staggered row accomplishes several things. For one, it is more attractive in the long run. Too, it acts as a better visual, wind, dust and noise buffer.
If you want a visual barrier during winter, make sure to stick with evergreen selections. If winter is not really a concern you can use larger growing trees such as maples, oaks, riverbirch, elms and others to create a effective visual barrier from spring until the leaves drop in fall. Just the branch systems of some deciduous trees will provide a visual barrier.
For areas requiring tall evergreen screens but with little planting area, look into Italian cypress, weeping yaupon, Sky Pencil holly or maybe Dergroot Spire Arborvitae. Stay away from those poplars and other fast growing selections you see in mail order catalogues that grow 10 feet in a year. Anything that grows that fast is usually short-lived and too weak-rooted to handle high winds without being toppled over.
Small Area Screen Plantings
Some screening situations may require less height, such as a divider between houses, a screen for privacy around a pool, screening from the street or to block off an ugly tool shed or other smaller structure. These situations usually don't require plants over 15 feet in height so mid-size screen shrubs and trees will do.
If your screen planting is to cover a small area you can select smaller growing trees or large shrubs such as Wax Myrtle, Ligustrum, Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans), Cleyera Japonica, Camellias, Anise, upright tall Junipers or Podocarpus Yew, to name just a few. Most of these trees or large shrubs grow 10 to 20 feet in height at maturity or can easily be maintained at heights from 10 to 20 feet.
As with larger screen plantings, make sure to properly space the plants, preferably in a staggered row pattern.
If winter screening is a concern, make sure to select evergreen plants that will keep their foliage during winter.
You can also create a screen by erecting a partition of some sort that can be used to grow vines and other climbing plants on or against.
Designing Your Screen Planting
Start by drawing a sketch of the area to be screened, and make notes about your requirements and preferences for the project. Keep in mind that some screens may need to serve dual purposes, such as privacy and windbreak, shade and screen, security and privacy, and so forth. Use the Screen & Hedges Listing further below to research plants that are useful for screens, buffers and hedges.
If you just can't decide what screen plants to use, and how to most effectively place them, consult with your local professional landscape designer. A little good advice from a landscape designer who is familiar with the plants that perform best in your area can go a long way. Always make sure to check references before hiring a landscape designer or any other contractor who you hire to do work...and never pay for all the work in advance - though an advance for material costs is often required. Just be sure to check references.
Below is a listing of plants that are suitable for use as a screen or buffer. Click on any image or link to visit a Plant File where you can view a detailed description and instructions for care.
(57) Plants Found. Showing 1 to 6 of 57.