Moon's Graden

We would like to plant an evergreen hedge at the back of our
yard to screen out an unattractive house behind us. We seek
something that will grow to 10-20' but not spread out too wide
(the yard is relatively small--our lot is 6000 sf) or need
pruning or t***. There are a few scraggly bridal veil
bushes there now that we plan to remove. I've looked at some
books on evergreens, but found them confusing. Any suggestions?

We're in zone 6, just west of Boston. The yard is sunny and well-
drained, with decent soil.

Thanks, as always.

Susanne

We planted an evergreen screen of Leyland Cypress when we moved in to a
new house in ***ia.  Some people think this plant has been overused in
the last few years but it has met our needs perfectly.  It will grow to
30ft. tall but only 5-8ft. wide.  The other advantage is that it grows
extremely fast (probably up to 3ft. per year in your area) and it is
hardy to zone 6.  Good luck.

A few years ago, when I was researching the same question, I too thought
that Leyland Cypress would be perfect....until I came across an article
that said that the original one was then 100 feet tall and STILL GROWING.
I decided against Leyland Cypress as a front-yard hedge!  However, if the
height won't bother you, it should be quite satisfactory and trouble-free.

Taylor's Guide to Trees (1988): x Cupressocyparis leylandii.  A fast-growing,
narrowly conical tree reaching l00 ft. at maturity, about 1/5 as wide as
tall when young, 1/4 as wide after 30-40 years.  Foliage blue-green on
flat spraylike branchlets, feathery....Often grows incredibly fast in
youth.  Excellent for screens, windbreaks, hedges, and large formal
specimens.  Cultivars include "Leighton Green," with grayish-green
foliage; "Castlewellan," yellow; and "Naylor's Blue," soft bluish green.
Tolerates salt.  Cones in fall.  Zones 6-10.

--
Julia Shields
School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, NC

trouble-free.

What hedge did you decide on?  We planted a mixture of privet, Chinese,
and Siberian elm (in various spots, depending on the amount of light each
spot got) around the perimeter of our lot (1 sq. acre).  We live in
central ***ia (zone 7), and the plants seem to be healthy thus far,
even with the horrible weather we've had here.  While the elms will grow
to a height of around 60', I've heard that we can keep them trimmed to a
shorter height and that they will do just fine.  Is this incorrect?

Opinions?  Thoughts?

R. Bruce