Native Plants
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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.
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Sunday - May 19, 2013
From: Prosperity, SC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Privacy Screening, Trees
Title: Privacy screening from Prosperity SC
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I need to know what would be a good tree to plant for blocking my neighbor's home it needs to be an evergreen and slender in the space it would take.ANSWER:
We are a little confused by your request for a slender tree to block a neighbor's home. It sounds like you are talking about one tree, which is hardly going to block your view of a whole house. You are probably thinking in terms of some sort of a cypress. Of the family Cupreessaceae (Cypress), there are two trees in that family native to South Carolina, Taxodium ascendens (Pond cypress) and Taxodium distichum (Bald cypress). Neither is evergreen.
Before we get too deeply involved in the discussion of tall evergreen plants for privacy concerns, let us refer you to a previous Mr. Smarty Plants question on the same subject, also from South Carolina. Yours, from Newberry County, is fairly close to the referenced area of Greenville County, SC. We believe all the plants on the plant list would work for you, as well, and we hope you will entertain the idea of a mixed privacy garden to distract from the view of the other house, as that will be quicker and more practical than waiting for a tree or trees to get big enough to help.
If you read the instructions on using our Native Plant Database in that question, you can use the database for your own purposes, as you may have different light requirements and/or soils.
From the Image Gallery
More Privacy Screening Questions
Privacy screen in Kansas City, MO
April 04, 2012 - Hello, I am located in Kansas City, MO and am looking for a wall/screen plant. Last year I used a wall of sunflowers and loved them, however I want something more hardy and something I don't have to ...
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Trees and shrubs in Wisconsin
July 30, 2009 - I live in Hudson, WI, just across the border from Minn/St Paul and would like to create a privacy screen between my front yard and my neighbors yard. Right now it's full sun, but I want to plant a c...
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Screen for highway noise in Conroe, Texas
March 18, 2010 - I have 120' of fence line which backs up to a busy highway, and now there are plans to widen it to four lanes. Is there a native tree or shrub which could help dampen the noise and block out the view...
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Neat and tidy, poolside in Austin Texas.
December 01, 2010 - I have a small section between our pool and fence (approx 3 feet wide). I would like to plant something native that obscures the fence but does not create a mess for the pool. The area gets sun most...
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Thorny shrub for deterring break-ins in southeast Texas
February 05, 2013 - Looking for a very, very, thorny three or four foot tall shrub for in front of windows to deter break-ins. Considering Rosa Rugosa rose but it is not native.
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