Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Privacy Plants?
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
April 7, 2014 at 8:58 pm #610955
kParticipantHi all!
I figured this might be a good place to ask. We are looking for a few privacy plants for our patio. We just want a few larger potted plants to create a little privacy while hanging outside. Nothing costly as we are renters. Any ideas or places you could suggest?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
April 7, 2014 at 9:29 pm #806602
anonymeParticipantYou can’t really beat Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) for a nice evergreen screen at a low price. Home Depot has them at about $20 for a 5-6 ft. tree, and West Seattle Nursery has some larger ones that are nice and dense and lush. They also deliver free in West Seattle. You’ll pay a bit more than HD, but the quality is better.
Make sure you get large enough pots, and keep those babies watered; in summer, many potted plants may need to be watered daily.
April 7, 2014 at 9:31 pm #806603
kParticipantThank you!! Great suggestion!
April 7, 2014 at 9:51 pm #806604
JoBParticipantbamboo in large pots..
btw.. Costco has large enough plastic pots for $17 ea and ceramic for just under $40
you can even get the soil to put in them there..
i bag per pot.
April 7, 2014 at 10:19 pm #806605
sacatoshParticipantI’d be cautious about bamboo – your neighbors may not like you very much if it ends up “traveling” to their yard. Arborvitae can be pretty, but my last experience with it, it ended up with terrible tent caterpillars! YUCK! If you like to garden at all, columnar apple trees and columnar cherry trees can be neat. They get to about 6 feet tall, and can be potted in a row as needed for privacy – plus then you have the bonus of fresh fruit and gorgeous flowers in spring and summer. WS Nursery carries them, last I checked.
April 7, 2014 at 10:32 pm #806606
kParticipantThanks to all who are responding. Lots of food for thought.
April 8, 2014 at 12:58 am #806607
anonymeParticipantI wouldn’t think that deciduous fruit trees would make a good screen, and probably not very practical for renters as well. Tent caterpillars can appear anywhere, and Arborvitae are not particularly prone to them.
I almost suggested bamboo, but the OP wants an economical choice. Bamboo is very expensive, especially if it’s big enough to provide screening. A small pot will set you back $65 and provide little screening. It also needs really, really big pots (never ceramic). Bamboo can work well in galvanized stock tanks, and the tanks provide a nice urban rustic design feature. Amazon has a nice four-footer on sale under $100 right now. If you do go the bamboo route, most of the best choices are in the genus Fargesia. Fargesia robusta is a nice clumping bamboo.
I still think the arborvitae is the easiest and cheapest way to go…!
April 8, 2014 at 1:11 am #806608
anonymeParticipantYou could also plant 3 smaller Arborvitae in the stock tank (the tank will elevate them by about 2 ft., so you’ll get some extra height) then fill in with flowers or other plants around the edges. That would give you some color and design, rather than just screening. Sometimes you can find inexpensive cedar planters if you don’t like the look of stock tanks.
April 8, 2014 at 1:27 am #806609
amaliaParticipantUnfortunately, most common privacy plants are non-native. If you want to attract some wildlife (hoping you don’t have outdoor cats around), tall Oregon grape gets dense but only about 4-5′ tall; ditto snowberry; twinberry and mock orange get taller and have beautiful flowers, but can be a little sparse (especially the twinberry); the currants are gorgeous and birds love them, but they take time to mature. You can always ask someone at the nursery, too.
April 8, 2014 at 2:08 am #806610
JoBParticipantin a stock tank 4-5 ft will give you privacy
April 8, 2014 at 1:59 pm #806611
velo_nutParticipantFOR THE LOVE OF GOD, *DONT* PLANT BAMBOO. Trust me… getting rid of it as it spreads like a cancer is the hardest thing ever.
April 8, 2014 at 2:05 pm #806612
JoBParticipantApril 8, 2014 at 3:55 pm #806613
kParticipantThanks all. Headed out to check on some Arbor Vitae!
April 8, 2014 at 6:29 pm #806614
oceanParticipantvelo- Sure, but when you take out the bamboo you get sticks that make my kid oh-so-happy! = )
(Btw, he’s still pounding/swinging them, and is blissfully delighted.)
April 9, 2014 at 2:51 am #806615
JayDeeParticipantProbably too late but “clumper” bamboo beats runner bamboo. Because they clump, the culms (stalks) are next to one another. I have Fargesia Robusta and they have hit 14-16 foot plus and stopped. The first year, there are not enough. The second, better, third year: What neighbors? Fourth: these are great Bamboo, fun to watch in the wind and rain. Arborvitae is boring.
April 9, 2014 at 3:49 am #806616
2 Much WhineParticipantI prefer to cover my privates with fig leaves.
April 10, 2014 at 3:49 pm #806617
JoBParticipant -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.