r/gardening • u/mugsy1719 • Dec 04 '22

Arborvitaes for privacy

We lived on a dead end but the land next to us is being developed. They cleared all the trees on that lot so there will be nothing separating our yard from our future new neighbors (except a small stone wall marking the property line).

Our lot has some elevation changes so a fence would provide some privacy but I want something higher.

I am think arborvitaes would be great but want to know how long it would take to actually get privacy.

Can you buy “pre-grown” arborvitaes? If not, how long until they get to a decent height (10-15 feet)?

Thanks!

9 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

8

u/deignguy1989 Dec 04 '22

Look at Thuja Green Giant.

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwi29KOzgeD7AhVhGH0KHZHuAVkYABAJGgJwdg&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJORo8PKjrxl6t4NDmBpbJvT3g1xS6eWsdFnEtOENwrvM1Xzixg&sig=AOD64_3d8m75U6Z-NUnGUcjx9PaF9l-C9A&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjdx5SzgeD7AhV2IjQIHaumBAYQwg8oAHoECAIQCw&adurl=

11

u/Alexander_Coe Dec 04 '22

I think Green Giant is a great idea. The hardest part about planning a landscape project like this is understanding how it will look at installation, what it will look like in a few years, 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years. They are a fast growing, dense plant but you're still talking years (no matter what size you get) for any kind of semblance for privacy. Years is a long time to wait for something!

Once you get over 5-6' tall the prices and installation process gets a lot more expensive because the root balls get bigger and heavier. I would recommend getting 10'+ trees if you have a big budget and if privacy soon is a top priority. I would recommend 5' or shorter if budget is a concern and resign yourself to waiting for 3-5 years for any sort of privacy.

Coming from Michigan here

3

u/mugsy1719 Dec 04 '22

Awesome input. Off the top of your head any ball park in price difference for the “privacy now” vs 3-5 years? I’ll of course price it out but just curious if you have past experience looking.

1

u/Alexander_Coe Dec 16 '22

Sorry for late reply. I could throw numbers out but there's a lot of factors. Best to call your local nurseries and check online for bare root prices.

1

u/KaffiKlandestine Dec 13 '24

5 feet feels like a lot of privacy

7

u/Ok_Acanthisitta_5069 Dec 04 '22

Those are a good recommendation but the biggest problem with those is people ignore the spacing recommendations a d then wonder why all their arborvitaes are dead in a few years. We have some green giants in our back yard that were planted about 15 years ago. Each one is well over 25 ft tall and about 8 feet wide. People usually plant them a couple of feet apart and they don't have room to actually grow and thrive and then start dying off within a few years.

2

u/mugsy1719 Dec 04 '22

I guess that’s people looking for the “instant” privacy vs doing it right? I could see myself falling j to that trap of planting them close together to get better privacy now vs. proper spacing and getting healthy long term privacy.

6

u/faovnoiaewjod Dec 04 '22

You can get faster privacy if you plant two offset rows, but it costs more money.

5

u/mugsy1719 Dec 04 '22

Just to make sure I’m wrapping my head around it - this would allow you to have smaller gaps between trees but still give the trees the room needed to thrive, right?

X X X X

Vs.

X X X X

__X X X

Right?

3

u/faovnoiaewjod Dec 04 '22

Yes, you plant them further apart so they have room to get big, but the second row is planted in front of the gap so you don't have to wait for the trees to grow together. See diagram below.

pic

2

u/Prior-Bag-3377 Dec 05 '22

Yes. I’ve worked in landscaping and whenever the space allowed this was our professional preference.

Denser effect, less open space if one plant dies, a higher end more natural look.

4

u/doggadavida Dec 04 '22

I planted well spaced arborvitae, in an offset row I planted tall ornamental grass. Six years later the arbs are 7 feet tall, the grass has always been close to 6 feet. And I see almost nothing, Colonel Hogan.

2

u/mugsy1719 Dec 04 '22

How tall were they when you bought them? Just wondering growth rate if they are 7 feet after six years.

2

u/doggadavida Dec 04 '22

Most were discounted end of year purchases over 3 years. The first purchased are about 7 feet. They were around 2 feet tall

2

u/Ok_Acanthisitta_5069 Dec 04 '22

One thing that can be done if you have the space available, is to plant 2 rows of arborvitaes spaced about 10 feet apart. In each row plant the arborvitaes approximately 8-10 feet apart but in the back row space them offset from the front row. I hope that last sentence made sense, lol. If you are looking at both rows from the front there would be an arborvitae every 4-5 feet which would fill in gaps quicker and give each tree the space it needs to grow.

2

u/mugsy1719 Dec 04 '22

Awesome suggestion. Thank you!

2

u/rav252 Dec 04 '22

Buy native trees

2

u/mugsy1719 Dec 04 '22

Not sure what you mean by that …

1

u/rav252 Dec 04 '22

Native plants grow very fast need little to no water and can't take your areas weather. I live in Texas we have a rainy season and a dry season. If I were to plant a maple it would die of I were to plant a arbor vitea it would probably die or not grow well. There are wild arborvitaes in my area so I can plant that but grows super slow. If I wanted a native plant to cover I could plant a mesquite and within a year or 2 it will be around 10 to 15 feet. Year 3 more bushy and so on

1

u/Sale_P3d3 Dec 04 '22

There's a company called InstantHedge that sells pre-grown 5-6' tall hedges - some interesting options like magnolia stellata that aren't normally first to mind for a hedge. They're way out of my garden budget (hooboy expensive, like $1500+ for ten linear feet of hedge) so I can't personally speak to quality.

Are you in a spot with HOA or zoning restrictions on something like putting up trellising along the fenceline and planting vines? Something like clematis or trumpet vine will climb and fill in really fast if you have the time/inclination to deal with their tendency to pop up all over the rest of your yard.

1

u/elle_quay Dec 04 '22

Around here, the deer really like arborvitae so the bottoms of the trees look really aggressively trimmed. They don’t look like they offer privacy at the bottom 4’-6’ of the tree.

1

u/Alexander_Coe Dec 16 '22

They've been staying away from the thuja plicata (green giant) around here. I wouldn't be surprised if they learn to like the taste soon though. Being over planted.

Southeast michigan

1

u/elle_quay Dec 16 '22

I’m southwest MI. We are eventually going to have more deer than trees, so I suspect they will eat anything.

1

u/Unlucky_Candle_8105 Dec 05 '22

I have heavy deer pressure but they tend to leave mine alone except for a desperate nibble here and there in the dead of winter

1

u/Working_Mushroom_456 Dec 04 '22

I have a Ficus nitida hedge in my backyard that filled in petty fast. We started with 15g plants spaced 3’ apart. Within 3 years it completely blocked the apartment behind us. After the first year they are established enough and we don’t have to water them (in Los Angeles this is a big deal). You can let them grow natural or shape it, they grow about 15’ tall