Myrtle as a good border plant for privacy?

[Anonymous]

We are moving to a place with a large corner lot which is pretty open to the road (no sidewalks) and we're looking for a hardy border plant to put around the edges, preferably evergreen.

Not being from this state or particularly knowledgable about gardens (try zero knowledge) we'd appreciate any ideas.

I like the look of Myrtle and wondered if this was a good choice?

[Anonymous]

Crape myrtle is a small tree.

However, I would suggest a grouping of winterberry holly and a flowering dogwood. Both are native and will have year round visual interest. Hollies are evergreen and deer don't like them.

[Anonymous]

You probably mean Myrtus communis which can be sheared to a hedge. It is not native, and will not likely do well with our worst winters. Not good below 15 degrees.

It is best to go to a good nursery and ask an expert what would suit your privacy screen needs and survive here. They would have them in stock so can show you what they know will work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crape myrtle is a small tree.

However, I would suggest a grouping of winterberry holly and a flowering dogwood. Both are native and will have year round visual interest. Hollies are evergreen and deer don't like them.

DH is allergic to Dogwood, unfortunately. But I will check out the winterberry holly thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You probably mean Myrtus communis which can be sheared to a hedge. It is not native, and will not likely do well with our worst winters. Not good below 15 degrees.

It is best to go to a good nursery and ask an expert what would suit your privacy screen needs and survive here. They would have them in stock so can show you what they know will work.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we got some dwarf ones and love them. They are pretty with all the flowers. The big ones get tall and not as much privacy. I think I got them at Home Depot. They are pretty easy plant/maintain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crape myrtle is a small tree.

However, I would suggest a grouping of winterberry holly and a flowering dogwood. Both are native and will have year round visual interest. Hollies are evergreen and deer don't like them.

DH is allergic to Dogwood, unfortunately. But I will check out the winterberry holly thank you.

Try planting a witch hazel tree instead. They bloom in the winter:
http://img2-3.timeinc.net/toh/i/g/10/yard/09-fall-color/04-trees-shrubs.jpg

[Anonymous]

I like cherry (or English) Laurel for a hedge. They grow to a reasonable height and are evergreen. I think that common myrtle smells nice, but is slow to grow in this area.

[Anonymous]

We have a row of what I *think* are Leyland Cypress trees behind our house and they provide great privacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crape myrtle is a small tree.

However, I would suggest a grouping of winterberry holly and a flowering dogwood. Both are native and will have year round visual interest. Hollies are evergreen and deer don't like them.

DH is allergic to Dogwood, unfortunately. But I will check out the winterberry holly thank you.

Really? How incredibly specific your DH's allergies are! American Dogwood all has blight in America anyway; no one plants new ones.

[Anonymous]

Hollies are gorgeous when aggressively pruned each spring. The trunk adds beautiful architecture in the garden.

BUT

when pruned they will make a dense (moisture harboring) microclimate within the hedge. In DC, that means MOSQUITO PLAYGROUND. With the oncoming summer of Zika, I would implore people to not plant dense bushes and kill all ivy--as it is a major source of mosquito habitat that is often over looked.

[Anonymous]

Crepe Myrtles vary in size from 3'-30'. They provide great bones in the garden--but only provide a screen in summer. I especially love it when people pollard them as it is done in southern France and northern Spain.

American arborists cringe at this--but it has been done for centuries in europe: Pollarding and Pleaching--so sexy...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crape myrtle is a small tree.

However, I would suggest a grouping of winterberry holly and a flowering dogwood. Both are native and will have year round visual interest. Hollies are evergreen and deer don't like them.

DH is allergic to Dogwood, unfortunately. But I will check out the winterberry holly thank you.

Really? How incredibly specific your DH's allergies are! American Dogwood all has blight in America anyway; no one plants new ones.

Yes, allergists are able to be very specific in their tests these days - its not a case of which trees you find yourself sneezing when you pass them...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hollies are gorgeous when aggressively pruned each spring. The trunk adds beautiful architecture in the garden.

BUT

when pruned they will make a dense (moisture harboring) microclimate within the hedge. In DC, that means MOSQUITO PLAYGROUND. With the oncoming summer of Zika, I would implore people to not plant dense bushes and kill all ivy--as it is a major source of mosquito habitat that is often over looked.

Do not spread misinformation. First and foremost, the mosquitos that carry Zika live in the homes where it breeds. That's why they need to fumigate these houses without AC or even screens.

It's the tiger mosquito that bites day long here. However, a hollies do not harbor mosquitos. They mostly breed in standing water. We need to plant native plants to help revive native species--birds, frogs, bats that will eat the mosquitos.

[Anonymous]

There are some ornamental grasses that grow tall and thick. You'll have to cut them down in the spring but could provide privacy for 10 months of the year.

Example would be Karl Foerster.