Are you planting in the shade or sun?
Sun, shade or a combination of both are important consideration when determining which types of plants to use for landscape privacy screening. Typically, coniferous evergreens or needled evergreens need a sunny location in order to thrive. A partial shade/sun environment can work. For instance if the site is sunny for half the day and shady in the afternoon, many coniferous evergreens will work in this environment. In our area, Green Giant , Emerald Green Arborvitae and Cryptomeria are coniferous evergreens frequently used in landscape screening. Both prefer sunny locations but can tolerate a site that gets half and half with sun/shade exposure. Broadleaf Evergreens like Southern Magnolia, evergreen hollies, Chindo Viburnum and Ligustrum will work in either sun, shade or a mixed location of sun and shade. With consistent irrigation, evergreen hollies like Robin and Emily Bruner Holly can withstand deeper shade locales even when planted amongst hardwoods.
How much space is between property line and house or walkways?
The distance from a property line and your house are important considerations. If you have 20 feet from the back of the house to the property line, you cannot plants with a large spread like Green Giants. They will overwhelm the spot and encroach on the neighboring property. In tighter spots like this, you may need to go with Emerald Green Arborvitaes, evergreen hollies or Chindo viburnum.
Are you seeking instant or long-term results?
Instant results often mean more mature sizes at the time of installation. This influences cost. For example, if the area you need to screen is 12 feet high and you need it instantly covered, you are going to need mature plantings. These will need to be transported with heavy equipment in many instances as the rootballs for example could weigh 3500 pounds on a 12-14 feet Emily Bruner Holly. A plant this size can cost depending on the volume of plants used around 2800.00 per tree installed. If you have time and are willing to allow the plantings to fill in over several years, you can chose smaller plants which frequently don’t require the need for heavy equipment. Costs for a 7-8 feet Emily Bruner Holly would be somewhere in the range of 750.00 per plant installed.
