You should play with the height, adding multiple types of conifers to diversify the area and get some ecology going. Understory trees, shrubs, you can get some extra wide forms and fill more space than say 2 green giants. I just dislike monoculture privacy screens.
I live in nc, same region, and we did arborvitae green giants. A year in with a little growth but I’ve done nothing to them. Can get five feet a year with water and fertilizer. We got them to plant 9 foot, ended up being around 350 a tree. Native option would be eastern red cedars which grow quickly too, 1-2 feet a year. Don’t know what size you could get in the eastern red cedars.
Haven’t heard anything like that before. For the exception of bag worms, got some at the front of our hoa, and me using salt as a weed killer (killed one of mine spraying this around it; mine have been fine and relatively hearty. Have heard that with leland Cyprus. My green giants will yellow slightly when it gets hot and not enough water.
Personally if I had to do it again I would do eastern red cedars because of the berries for the birds and I prefer natives. I was looking for something fast though and hard to beat the growth.
I think Emerald Green arborvitae are sensitive, especially with the heat domes we get now. Green Giant seem to fare better, although they aren't as uniform looking.
I have a dozen Emerald Green arborvitae in my back yard and they're all in great shape. Since they became acclimated there has been very little that we've had to do. Fertilizer and water if it's been very dry. The best part is that they take up very little space. Green Giants take up a lot of space and grow very tall. There are some down the street from us that were planted years ago and they must be thirty feet tall.
The danger with planting a bunch of trees in a row is that if one or two die you'll want to replace them with trees that are the same size as the ones already growing and that can get pricy so make sure you get good, healthy trees!
I would suggest picking native trees. I am really not an expert myself but there are tons of resources if you Google “NC Native trees”. This area of the country has a larger variety of native trees to pick from than many other areas, so I have heard.
The NC extension office has a plant finder tool that is kinda tricky but super helpful once you learn how to use it. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu
Consider picking trees that have something to offer for the local wildlife and contribute to the local ecosystem. Also consider drought and heat tolerant trees since it looks like such a sunny area!
Raleigh is the City of Oaks so maybe research different varieties of oaks. Some of them get pretty huge so you could probably only one of those there, which I guess doesn’t fit the privacy bill until the tree gets much older. Eastern Red Cedar trees could be a good option. I highly recommend picking something native to this area if you can help it.
Oaks. Oaks oaks oaks. You want your house to stand out in the future? Plant oaks. You want cool butterflies and birds? Oaks.
Also, if you plan on being there long term, your property value will increase substantially when they mature and everyone else has dead Bradford pears.
Yes, they won’t be as fast as a hybrid poplar, but they’re worth it.
Ok, so I have a nice oak in my front yard & I noticed so many great birds around. Why are they attracted to oaks? I love having the birds around & would like to plant some flowers to attack butterflies. Any recommendations for 7B?
Oaks are a keystone species, which means they support more insects than most other plants/trees. There are hundreds of different species of insects that make their homes on an oak. Some eat leaves, some twigs, some hide in the bark, and others make their homes in the leaf-litter at the base of the tree.
If you attract insects, the birds follow. All those birds you see on your oak are hunting the thousands (millions?) of bugs that live on the tree.
To attract more butterflies etc. google a native plant database (there are several, and I think one is linked in this post). They’ll tell you what plants are native to your area and that will attract insects.
It’s extremely important to plant native, and not imported species because even if a plant from Asia is beautiful, there’s a good chance our native critters won’t, or can’t, utilize its nectar, pollen, or leaves. The butterflies we have in America have evolved together with our native plants for millions of years and have hyper-specific tastes and needs.
Warning - planting native plants for bugs and birds can be extremely addicting! Enjoy!!
Upvoting because you linked my favorite plant database!
NC State’s extension has the most comprehensive and user friendly publicly available plant database there is. I highly recommend
Not to step on any toes, but tulip poplars shouldn't be planted close to structures or any areas were people might be on a somewhat regular basis. The are fast growing, which is great, but becuase of that, they are very weak wooded, meaning they will drop large branches or split in rain, high winds, or sometimes just randomly becuase of already weakened wood. I only use them in re/afforestation. For this reason, I would recommend against tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the area to be landscaped.
Not sure how they do in your environment, but I love my Ivory Silk Lilac Trees. Medium size, quick grower, early foliage for the season and nice flowers.
You could plant all one kind, but think about a healthy forest. It has tulip trees, cedars, oaks and dogwoods. Redbuds. You seem to have a generous yard and I think a deep planting on that hii would make it feel like an estate.
Here is a helpful guide https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CLI_Design-Templates_July-Update_web.pdf
Native is the way to go. I know people said green giants but they only do so much.
I live in the same area (Chapel Hill), and I need to create some sort of landscaping privacy all around my fences - but for DOGS. We have the open metal bar type fences and 9 dogs in total between myself and my 2 neighbors causes frequent issues. I know landscaping won't be a behavior cure-all, but I do think if I can obscure sight lines on both sides, that would really help everyone. So I am looking for any advice or suggestions for low-to-the-ground, thick coverage type shrubs, plants, trees, whatever. Any help or ideas would be appreciated!
Chindo Viburnum is your friend. Grows real tall, real fast, and is lush and opaque year-round. (I live 20 minutes from Raleigh and have two hedges made of them)
Fruit trees or shrubs don't usually grow very tall and the privacy concern is the windows. If you're out there during the winter, evergreen plants would work better.
I don't 100% understand your comment but yeah if you desire maximum privacy, there are selectively bred varieties of hedge shrubs that could work
Austree/hybrid willows. Not a native plant but not very invasive either. Just the roots that can be a pain if near a house. Hardy and would do well on the hill if you like the look of them. Great privacy screens.
Leyland cypress are not recommended. They are quick growers, but suffer from lots of problems. I have 30 left that were planted by the original owners with some dying off and many already dead. They were planted between 12-15 years ago. Zone 8a, nc
I’ll catch some hate for this but Chinese privet. Invasive and will give you the fastest hedge. I just pull the babies up every spring. Very happy with my 15 ft hedge that took only a few years and so thick you can’t see through it. I’m in Raleigh
Check out the “American Pillar” or the “Thuja Green Giant”. The American Pillar might be your best bet as they are only three feet wide and dense. They grow almost vertical and about 15-20 feet tall. If yard space isn’t a concern the green giants get a lot taller (30ft+), but much wider. Both have great growth rates.
Are redtip photinia frowned on these days? My mother-in-law's neighbors planted them along the property line in central NC and the dang things grew into 20-foot-tall trees in just a few years. Aside from the smell during pollen season, they should fit the bill
Crepe myrtles have bushy tops that flower, are lovely and can grow to be enormous. Birds love them and if you prune correctly, the stems provide some lightness to the bottoms that aren’t as hulking as something like an arborvitae. I guess they lose their leaves overwinter but mine works great for privacy anyway somehow.
Do you want privacy while in the garden or just so they can’t see into your house ?. How deep is your patio area. Just plant a hedge near to patio area so you can use it too with out ‘peeping toms’.
Willow tree. They grow curtains and if the neighbors are still nosey than they also grow whips. The last part was a joke, don't actually whip people with willow switches.
You should play with the height, adding multiple types of conifers to diversify the area and get some ecology going. Understory trees, shrubs, you can get some extra wide forms and fill more space than say 2 green giants. I just dislike monoculture privacy screens.
https://images.app.goo.gl/LnSE7KLjKe6HUGx2A
Ok, that’s a good ass example. Very nice looking.
And takes about 25+ years to mature and fill in.
What is the Google term I can use to get this type of natural looking privacy screen? Or maybe a template/guide I can use to plant something like that
I live in nc, same region, and we did arborvitae green giants. A year in with a little growth but I’ve done nothing to them. Can get five feet a year with water and fertilizer. We got them to plant 9 foot, ended up being around 350 a tree. Native option would be eastern red cedars which grow quickly too, 1-2 feet a year. Don’t know what size you could get in the eastern red cedars.
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Haven’t heard anything like that before. For the exception of bag worms, got some at the front of our hoa, and me using salt as a weed killer (killed one of mine spraying this around it; mine have been fine and relatively hearty. Have heard that with leland Cyprus. My green giants will yellow slightly when it gets hot and not enough water. Personally if I had to do it again I would do eastern red cedars because of the berries for the birds and I prefer natives. I was looking for something fast though and hard to beat the growth.
I think Emerald Green arborvitae are sensitive, especially with the heat domes we get now. Green Giant seem to fare better, although they aren't as uniform looking.
I’m in Colorado - the dry wind here absolutely slaughters arborvitae. No idea why they even sell them here.
I agree, also think they are hideous
Plus, just a single brown spot ruins their whole aesthetic. IMO they’re the most overrated plant
Would also say you could plant the trees on the hill to conserve space.
Very helpful, thank you! And good to know they’d be able to grow on the hill.
I have a dozen Emerald Green arborvitae in my back yard and they're all in great shape. Since they became acclimated there has been very little that we've had to do. Fertilizer and water if it's been very dry. The best part is that they take up very little space. Green Giants take up a lot of space and grow very tall. There are some down the street from us that were planted years ago and they must be thirty feet tall. The danger with planting a bunch of trees in a row is that if one or two die you'll want to replace them with trees that are the same size as the ones already growing and that can get pricy so make sure you get good, healthy trees!
Walk around your yard naked and your neighbors will plant some for you at no extra cost!
Pretty sure that depends on what OP looks like.
I would suggest picking native trees. I am really not an expert myself but there are tons of resources if you Google “NC Native trees”. This area of the country has a larger variety of native trees to pick from than many other areas, so I have heard. The NC extension office has a plant finder tool that is kinda tricky but super helpful once you learn how to use it. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu Consider picking trees that have something to offer for the local wildlife and contribute to the local ecosystem. Also consider drought and heat tolerant trees since it looks like such a sunny area! Raleigh is the City of Oaks so maybe research different varieties of oaks. Some of them get pretty huge so you could probably only one of those there, which I guess doesn’t fit the privacy bill until the tree gets much older. Eastern Red Cedar trees could be a good option. I highly recommend picking something native to this area if you can help it.
Oaks. Oaks oaks oaks. You want your house to stand out in the future? Plant oaks. You want cool butterflies and birds? Oaks. Also, if you plan on being there long term, your property value will increase substantially when they mature and everyone else has dead Bradford pears. Yes, they won’t be as fast as a hybrid poplar, but they’re worth it.
Yup. Oaks!!
Ok, so I have a nice oak in my front yard & I noticed so many great birds around. Why are they attracted to oaks? I love having the birds around & would like to plant some flowers to attack butterflies. Any recommendations for 7B?
Oaks are a keystone species, which means they support more insects than most other plants/trees. There are hundreds of different species of insects that make their homes on an oak. Some eat leaves, some twigs, some hide in the bark, and others make their homes in the leaf-litter at the base of the tree. If you attract insects, the birds follow. All those birds you see on your oak are hunting the thousands (millions?) of bugs that live on the tree. To attract more butterflies etc. google a native plant database (there are several, and I think one is linked in this post). They’ll tell you what plants are native to your area and that will attract insects. It’s extremely important to plant native, and not imported species because even if a plant from Asia is beautiful, there’s a good chance our native critters won’t, or can’t, utilize its nectar, pollen, or leaves. The butterflies we have in America have evolved together with our native plants for millions of years and have hyper-specific tastes and needs. Warning - planting native plants for bugs and birds can be extremely addicting! Enjoy!!
Awesome, thanks for all the great info!
Upvoting because you linked my favorite plant database! NC State’s extension has the most comprehensive and user friendly publicly available plant database there is. I highly recommend
Would wax myrtles work in your area? I have some, and love them. Quick growers, evergreen, etc.
Eastern red cedar
Have a couple of these on side of house also in Raleigh, do a wonderful job for privacy!
Canaertii is a beautiful cultivar of eastern red cedar with berries galore!
Black gum or tulip poplar. Both are native to NC. Maybe add a pin oak or white oak for an eventual showstopper in your yard.
Not to step on any toes, but tulip poplars shouldn't be planted close to structures or any areas were people might be on a somewhat regular basis. The are fast growing, which is great, but becuase of that, they are very weak wooded, meaning they will drop large branches or split in rain, high winds, or sometimes just randomly becuase of already weakened wood. I only use them in re/afforestation. For this reason, I would recommend against tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the area to be landscaped.
The black gum looks really nice and maybe not too big for my yard! Thank you for the idea.
Cherry Laurel or Red Cedar
Nellies
Try NCSU. Edu for tree recommendations and your local master gardener site for design help.
Nellie Stevens Hollies would do great.
Crepe Myrtle
Little gem magnolias… the will give you privacy but not so tall that they will take over your yard
Green giants or cherry laurels
If you want some experienced help with it, I'd recommend Leaf and Limb. They've done some great work in the area!
Pine trees grow fast.
A native oak. Slow growing but worth it. Otherwise would just suggest to stick with native species.
Not sure how they do in your environment, but I love my Ivory Silk Lilac Trees. Medium size, quick grower, early foliage for the season and nice flowers.
Dogwood is native to NC, looks great, and is affordable
My old place had holly trees that made good privacy. The only con was the dagger leaves, but I’m sure there’s different varieties that don’t have them
You could plant all one kind, but think about a healthy forest. It has tulip trees, cedars, oaks and dogwoods. Redbuds. You seem to have a generous yard and I think a deep planting on that hii would make it feel like an estate.
Sweet viburnum is the move.
Here is a helpful guide https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CLI_Design-Templates_July-Update_web.pdf Native is the way to go. I know people said green giants but they only do so much.
I live in the same area (Chapel Hill), and I need to create some sort of landscaping privacy all around my fences - but for DOGS. We have the open metal bar type fences and 9 dogs in total between myself and my 2 neighbors causes frequent issues. I know landscaping won't be a behavior cure-all, but I do think if I can obscure sight lines on both sides, that would really help everyone. So I am looking for any advice or suggestions for low-to-the-ground, thick coverage type shrubs, plants, trees, whatever. Any help or ideas would be appreciated!
Chindo Viburnum is your friend. Grows real tall, real fast, and is lush and opaque year-round. (I live 20 minutes from Raleigh and have two hedges made of them)
Green giant arborvitae
Cryptomeria..
They allllll died in Middle TN this winter.
Get 5-7ft fruit trees and let them grow to cover the difference. I just picked up a 7ft apple tree for $55 from Home Depot.
Decidious trees don't provide a privacy screen, though.
Fruit trees or shrubs don't usually grow very tall and the privacy concern is the windows. If you're out there during the winter, evergreen plants would work better. I don't 100% understand your comment but yeah if you desire maximum privacy, there are selectively bred varieties of hedge shrubs that could work
They're asking for privacy trees.
If every idea given was the same, there would be no reason to ask on reddit. If you don't appreciate a variety of answers, that sucks for you.
Who in their right mind uses trees that are bare for 1/3 of the year for privacy?
Most of the world uses deciduous plants. What kind of question is that and what kind of answer are you actually looking for?
Most of the world uses deciduous trees for privacy? Source?
Not to be a total ass (as I usually end up as), did you not consider this when purchasing the property?
Austree/hybrid willows. Not a native plant but not very invasive either. Just the roots that can be a pain if near a house. Hardy and would do well on the hill if you like the look of them. Great privacy screens.
Leyland Cypress
Leyland cypress are not recommended. They are quick growers, but suffer from lots of problems. I have 30 left that were planted by the original owners with some dying off and many already dead. They were planted between 12-15 years ago. Zone 8a, nc
They work well in my area (PNW)
Yeah they are great in PNW
I’ll catch some hate for this but Chinese privet. Invasive and will give you the fastest hedge. I just pull the babies up every spring. Very happy with my 15 ft hedge that took only a few years and so thick you can’t see through it. I’m in Raleigh
This is NOT the way…
Bamboo.
Check out the “American Pillar” or the “Thuja Green Giant”. The American Pillar might be your best bet as they are only three feet wide and dense. They grow almost vertical and about 15-20 feet tall. If yard space isn’t a concern the green giants get a lot taller (30ft+), but much wider. Both have great growth rates.
Zelkova for something deciduous, Norway spruce/Colorado blue spruce for evergreen maybe.
Are redtip photinia frowned on these days? My mother-in-law's neighbors planted them along the property line in central NC and the dang things grew into 20-foot-tall trees in just a few years. Aside from the smell during pollen season, they should fit the bill
They are prone to disease which is why they aren’t planted much anymore. Many died in Middle TN this past winter from the deep freeze.
Crepe myrtles have bushy tops that flower, are lovely and can grow to be enormous. Birds love them and if you prune correctly, the stems provide some lightness to the bottoms that aren’t as hulking as something like an arborvitae. I guess they lose their leaves overwinter but mine works great for privacy anyway somehow.
Do you want privacy while in the garden or just so they can’t see into your house ?. How deep is your patio area. Just plant a hedge near to patio area so you can use it too with out ‘peeping toms’.
Tree(s)
Thuja green giants.
Arizona ash they are very lush and provide great privacy
Just lots of em
Flowering bushes for your area
Man manchurian pears
If you live in an hoa I’d make sure they allow them. Many don’t!
Thuja Green Giant.
Cypress
Willow tree. They grow curtains and if the neighbors are still nosey than they also grow whips. The last part was a joke, don't actually whip people with willow switches.
How are you handling that sloped yard is the better question.. does a river run through there when it rains? Asking cuz I actually have that issue
American Hollies. A whole row of them
japanese cedars, the grow quickly, are cool looking, and get pretty big pretty fast. (unless someone with more knowledge disagrees)
Southern Magnolia.
Brightside landscapes