Want a "natural" barrier between me & neighbor

[QueBota]

Have been through this at of couple of properties myself.

Leylands are good and bad.

They grow tall and spread wide quickly, depending on the variety they can become quite large.

On the downside, they tend to blow over in strong winds, especially in the winter if the ground is wet and they are coated with snow and/or ice.

The tend to do best in areas that are mostly sunny and a soil that is not overly damp.

They don't take to shearing/trimming very well. Can't remember the term for it but they are a "single leader" plant. If you trim that primary growth area, it tends to inhibit growth for the rest of the plant.

Deer love them, the will browse the cr$p out of them. Leylands do not produce much new growth off old wood so they tend to become sparse at ground level over time. Their natural shape tends to cause this as well as they will become fatter at the middle than the bottom. Deer browsing on the bottom only exacerbates the problem.

I would vote for green giant arborvitate if you need the height and rapid growth. If you can get by with about 15' of height and slower growth I would vote for the emerald greeen arborvitae.

The are slightly less appealing to deer, the tops don't tend to over grow the root structure and they actually like to be sheared and will produce growth from old wood, which should keep them full and dense at the ground level, especially if you prune them in the traditional pyramid shape.

Watch out for the dredded bagworms and spider mites, they can devestate arborvitae and to a lesser extent, leyland cypress.

My .02.

Dave

We planted Leyland Cypress trees along our fence line on our farm...we bought what are called " Liners " they were only 1 to 2 feet tall and within 4 years they were 5 feet tall and now 8 years later they are over 20 feet tall...very pleased with them and you plant them 6 to 8 feet apart...they grow very quickly and are evergreen...perfect screen for privacy..

Leyland Cypress Trees - Option for Fast-Growing Privacy Screens

 

[cdaigle430]

I recommend Thuja Green Giants at 5-6' apart. Not the ones form the box store either. They will grow 15-20' in diameter and 30-40' tall. They are Deer resistant and gow 3-5' a year once established. Very easy to maintain.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I don't think White Pine would work very well in Florida. Too warm, and too likely to break in hurricanes.
Up north here, they work nice. Growing a foot or more each year once over transplant shock. Space them properly, with good soil and water, and you can get timber harvests out of them every 30 years. With enough space, you can stagger rows and the harvests of each row to maintain a visual barrier in perpetuity.

 

[riptides]

A few posters have noted the variety of evergreens I use.

We have actually used the green giant arborvitate, leyland cypress and "wild" cedar, all staggered in a row along a property line.

I did pines many years ago on another property. For MY area, they just did not have the heart I needed.

The giants and cypress however, staggard planting, seem to be doing well.

My cedars took a lot of limb damage from the blizzards a few years ago. They never fully recovered. Some still have branches curlying towards the ground.

 

[Boeing]

I agree with RIPTIDE, Cedars make a great "property line", my wife doesn't like them as they are used in cemeteries often Arborvitae's are thick but they attract "bag-worms" readily so you have to spray them. Also, any evergreen is subject to bad ice storm damage if you are so affected.
I am planning on a similar "natural wall" to block an old road....I'm thinking larel or rhododendron. I can see the deer drooling now.
good luck

 

[cdaigle430]

A few posters have noted the variety of evergreens I use.

We have actually used the green giant arborvitate, leyland cypress and "wild" cedar, all staggered in a row along a property line.

I did pines many years ago on another property. For MY area, they just did not have the heart I needed.

The giants and cypress however, staggard planting, seem to be doing well.

My cedars took a lot of limb damage from the blizzards a few years ago. They never fully recovered. Some still have branches curlying towards the ground.

I bought the Green Giant breed specifically grown for my climate-Western Arborvita-Zone 4 -30 degree. If you tried to google them they dont come up. Northern grown, very hearty-deer resistant and they dont have a bag work issue up here yet. If one does decide to buy these, make sure you do some research and get the variety that is suitable for your climate.