Native Plants
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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - April 20, 2013
From: Mount Kisco, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Privacy Screening, Shrubs, Trees, Vines
Title: Privacy Screening Plant for New York Narrow Site
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I need privacy screening on the side of my house in Mount Kisco, New York located 40 miles north of New York City. The area gets plenty of sun but is somewhat narrow. What evergreen bushes or trees would you recommend? Or perhaps a flowering vine that is not invasive because I can put up a trellis. Thank youANSWER:
The first place to start to find a list of potential plants is our Native Plant Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down. The volunteers and staff at the Wildflower Center who maintain the database have partners in different regions to help with these recommended species lists based on what is easy to access in local nurseries.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: New York, Habit – Shrub , Vine or Tree, Duration – Perennial, Light Requirement – Sun, Leaf Retention - Evergreen. This will give you 5 plants to consider. Next you can narrow down your search further by size, flower color, and soil moisture (dry, moist or wet) requirements.
Evergreen shrubs to consider in the 6-12 foot range:
Juniperus communis var. depressa (common juniper)
Taxus canadensis (Canada yew)
Evergreen trees to consider in the 12-26 foot range:
Ilex opaca (American holly) Perhaps too wide for the site?
Pinus virginiana (Virginia pine) Perhaps too wide at maturity for your site?
Evergreen vine in the 12-20 foot range:
Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
From the Image Gallery
More Vines Questions
Transplanting trumpet creeper in Prairie City, IA
August 22, 2011 - I have a Trumpet Creeper that I would like to transplant. How do you do that?
view the full question and answer
Identification of thorny vine in Michigan
May 21, 2013 - We have a species growing around our rural SW Michigan property that I'm trying to identify: I either see stalks up to 3 ft tall, or much longer vines if they find anchor. The most notable characte...
view the full question and answer
Promoting bloom of crossvine
January 05, 2008 - I planted a crossvine a couple of years ago and it has grown quite well, climbing well up the Mesquite tree it was planted under. However, it has never bloomed. I was really looking forward to those...
view the full question and answer
Evergreen vine for Wimberley, Texas
June 02, 2009 - I live in the hill country in Wimberley Texas. I am looking for a fast growing, blooming evergreen vine for a privacy lattice wall between small houses. Can you recommend one of several plants? Thank ...
view the full question and answer
Getting rid of a small itchy vine in Granbury, Texas
December 24, 2010 - I am clearing an area near some trees that has never been "domesticated". There is a little itchy vine that grows pretty extensively (not very much top growth, but is all over the place). The smal...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |