Looking to add privacy to side yard, any recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Looking to add privacy to a fairly large side yard. There are mature plants and trees surrounding the area, but there are fence height restrictions in my town (I believe 4 ft max).
I've done some google searches and done some short consults with a landscape designer and landscaping contractor. Would prefer to not spend too much on this project (<10k max preferably).

What would you all recommend- any recommended screening plants that are nice looking & low maintenance? Or landscape designers you worked with for adding privacy in close-in MD suburb?
Or other creative solutions? TIA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking to add privacy to a fairly large side yard. There are mature plants and trees surrounding the area, but there are fence height restrictions in my town (I believe 4 ft max).
I've done some google searches and done some short consults with a landscape designer and landscaping contractor. Would prefer to not spend too much on this project (<10k max preferably).

What would you all recommend- any recommended screening plants that are nice looking & low maintenance? Or landscape designers you worked with for adding privacy in close-in MD suburb?
Or other creative solutions? TIA!

Yes, we have Green Giants and they are perfect, look great and super easy to maintain!

[Anonymous]

My preference would be to work with a landscape architect to get a master plan and then implement that plan in stages or as you can afford. Identify which areas to start with and then fill in as you go along. A good landscape architect will tell you why s/he chose the particular plants, what substitutes to look for and correctly space them for maturity. About 15 years ago, I paid $750 for a plan and it's been well worth it. It took me about 6 years to get everything in.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend planting a mixed privacy screen with a variety of species. If you do the row of evergreens like thuja green giant recommended above or related species, inevitably one or more will die and you'll never be able to replace it with another the same size. I'd recommend if you have the room planting a deep privacy border 12 feet wide with evergreens closer to the property line and then bordering the inside section with blooming shrubs or perennials. Some recommendations:
- American holly
- Wax myrtle
- Thuja varieties as one ore more specimens, not a row of clones
- Dwarf southern Magnolia cultivars, e.g. Teddy Bear

You can mix in deciduous trees such as:
- River birch
- Serviceberry
- Redbud
- Hornbeam

For the inside row visible from your house, blooming shrubs:
- Smooth hydrangea, such as Haas Halo, Lime Rickey, Invincibelle
- Clethra alnifolia
- Itea virginica
- Ninebark
- Rhododendron catawbiense
- Mountain Laurel
- Low Scape Mound aronia

Perennials:
- Joe Pye Weed (dwarf cultivars available)
- Ferns such as Cinnamon fern, ostrich fern, lady fern - great as groundcovers under trees like river birch
- amsonia hubrictii
- ground covers such as creeping phlox

All these suggestions are natives - beautiful and tough plants that will attract birds and pollinators.
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