Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Tuesday - April 05, 2011

From: Charleston, WV
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Privacy Screening
Title: Need suggestions for plants to form a privacy hedge in Charleston, WV.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Mr. Smarty Pants, I live in zone 6 and an looking for an evergreen privacy type hedge that grows no taller than 10'-12'. I am not interested in any boxwood type of hedge. The evergreens would be planted on a hillside that receives sun for most of the day. What would you recommend? Thanks for the help.

ANSWER:

"Privacy hedges" is a common topic of the questions that Mr. Smarty Plants receives, and he is going to take two approaches to help you solve your problem.

The first is to look at answers to previously answered questions. These may not fit your situation, but they include some plants that might you might consider for your location. Here's a couple about privacy hedges: #2926, and #3405.

Next, let's learn how to use our Native Plant Database. Click on the link, scroll down to the Recommended Species Lists Box. Clicking on the map will enlarge it so that you can click on West Virginia. This will give you a list of 122 commercially available native plant species suitable for planned landscapes in West Virginia.

Clicking on the name of each plant will bring up its NPIN page that has a description of the plant, its growth requirements, and photos in most cases. All of the plants listed aren't suitable for hedges, so you need to go to the "Narrow Your Search Box" at the right side of the screen. Once there, make the following selections: select West Virginia under State, select Shrub under Habit, and select Perennial under Duration. Check Sun under Light requirement, and Moist under Soil Moisture. Click on the Narrow your Search button and you will get a list of six plants. Unfortunately most of the flowering shrubs listed are deciduous, not evergreen.

A an evergreen plant on the list that is a consistent performer as a hedge is Wax myrtle Morella cerifera (Wax myrtle).

There are a couple of conifers that you might consider. One is  Eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar) This evergreen usually reaches a height of 30 - 40 ft. but can be pruned to form a hedge. There are dwarf varieties available that would make this easier. Contact UConn Plant Database or North Carolina State University.

Another conifer that can be used as a hedge is  Thuja occidentalis (Arborvitae)Again, there are dwarf varieties available. Also see daytonnursery.com.


Morella cerifera


Juniperus virginiana


Thuja occidentalis

 

 

 

 


 

More Privacy Screening Questions

Need trees to screen view of parking garage in Houston, TX.
December 29, 2011 - We live in Houston, TX with a beautiful lot except a 4 story parking garage has been built behind us. How can we screen this and the lights out of site. It looks terrible from the second story espec...
view the full question and answer

Evergreen Privacy Screen for Maryland
November 19, 2012 - I am looking for an evergreen that will suffice to be planted as a privacy screen between my property and my neighbors. Looking to plant a row at the property line. The lot is shaded most of the d...
view the full question and answer

Tall trees for privacy screen in St. Augustine FL
March 24, 2013 - Please let me know what kind of evergreen tall trees I can plant for privacy in my back yard in the st. Augustine, Florida area. Thanks for your assistance.
view the full question and answer

Fast-growing, non-poisonous evergreen vine for California
March 14, 2013 - Hi, I am in the north bay area of California, north of San Francisco, need a quick growing vine to cover a very long section of chain link fence that is not poisonous (back yard backs up to school pla...
view the full question and answer

Plants for pool privacy from Peachtree GA
March 20, 2012 - We currently reside in Georgia and have a pool surrounded by a fence. However, because our house is located on a hill, my neighbor on the left side can very easily still see my backyard and we can see...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.