Proper plant selection | almost PERFECT Landscaping
A landscaping screen or buffer is a natural or man-made feature which separates land uses. Screening, buffering, and landscaping requirements address visual, light, and sound impacts. Screens and buffers can enhance community appearance, reduce land use conflicts by separating incompatible land uses, improve the appearance of parking areas and public rights-of-way, minimize soil erosion, and reduce stormwater runoff.
Screening requirements focus more on the visual impacts of the use, and buffering focuses more on light and sounds, although the two are interrelated. Screens often are specific trees or shrubs chosen for their growth habits and foliage that are placed to help blend the use into the surroundings or block it completely. Buffers could be strips of land or water, hills or berms, a clump of trees, or other landscaped features.
Appropriate screening, landscaping, and buffering will vary according to the characteristics of the site and the compatibility of the land use with surrounding uses. The first inclination of many homeowners is to plan a formal planting of one row of all the same kind of tree in a straight line, evenly spaced. This ideal is often hard to accomplish. Most plantings attempted this way wind up with one or more trees missing. Sometimes the homeowner tries to replace the missing tree, but the match is rarely perfect. Tree rows are a long-lasting addition to a landscape, so the not-so-perfect effect can be a constant source of frustration for a homeowner who wants the landscape to look tidy.
Instead of planting a formal row of all one type of tree, consider planting a mix of different trees and shrubs. By choosing a mixture of plants, you will protect your screen from major loss caused by an outbreak of a single pest or disease. A mixed planting also increases the biodiversity in your landscape by creating habitat for beneficial insects, birds, and animals. By attracting these beneficial creatures, you may find that they successfully keep populations of pest insects in check.
Examples of Plants for Landscaping and Privacy Screenings are show below
Specific plant information available on link of corresponding plant name.
Jasminum Nudiflorum - Winter Jasmine
Jasminum Nudiflorum - Winter Jasmine
Jasminum nudiflorum, commonly called winter jasmine, is a trailing, viny shrub that grows from a central crown. As a shrub, it typically grows in a sprawling mound to 4’ tall with arching branches, and spreads by trailing branches that root as they go along the ground. As a vine, it typically grows to 10-15’. Willowy green stems are attractive in winter. Non-fragrant, bright yellow flowers bloom along the stems in late winter before the leaves. Compound, trifoliolate, dark green leaves with ovate leaflets (to 1.25” long).
Best grown in well-drained sandy loams with regular moisture in full sun to part shade. Tolerates full shade but with much reduced flowering. As a vine, it is perhaps best sited where it would receive full winter sun, such as the south side of a building or against a south-facing wall. Tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. Train as a vine on a support structure or sprawl along the ground. When grown as a ground cover, plants will spread less aggresively in poor, lean soils. Prune as needed in early spring just after flowering is completed. If renovation is needed, cut back hard to 18-24” or replace plants.
The winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, is really a wall shrub, but its long, lax stems are easily trained over trellis or on wires to cover screens and fences. Masses of starry golden yellow flowers appear on bare stems in late winter and early spring.
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Juniper Witchita Blue - Juniperus scopulorum
Juniper Witchita Blue - Juniperus scopulorum
The handsome, broadly pyramidal form makes this an excellent choice for an evergreen screen, hedge, background plant, or lawn specimen. This is a male form that does not produce berries. The bright silver-blue foliage retains its brilliant color year-round. Give this robust silver-blue Juniper lots of space. It is a rugged and reliable plant for large-scale screening, massive hedges and windbreaks. Also works well as a single specimen in lawns or in conjunction with other groundcovers. Use as a corner element streetside or to interrupt long fence lines.
Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Adapts to a wide range of soils. Performs well in dryish, sandy soils with good drainage. This tree of western North America is generally intolerant of the hot and humid growing conditions of the deep South. Intolerant of wet soils. ‘Wichita Blue’ is a compact, conical, male form that grows slowly (6-12” per year) to 10-15’ tall, but may eventually reach 15-30’ tall. As the cultivar name suggests, it is noted for its blue or blue-gray foliage that retains good color all year.
Providing year round interest it also is tolerant of deer, drought, erosion, dry soil,shallow-rocky soil, and air pollution.
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Buxaceae - Boxwood
Buxaceae - Boxwood
In addition to the classic formal hedges for which they’re most commonly used, boxwood work well planted in gardens to provide year-round structure in perennial beds and accents in containers. Plant a trio of boxwoods with ornamental grasses and agaves for a contemporary look. Water regularly when plants are young; only occasionally once plants are established.
Best grown in evenly moist, well-drained loams (e.g., sand-clay mixture) in full sun to part shade. Plants will grow well in a variety of part shade situations, including open sun-dappled conditions or light shade with several hours of morning sun or early afternoon sun. Plants can grow in close to full shade, but typically are less vigorous and more open with decreased foliage density. When grown in full sun, plant foliage is more likely to scorch, bronze in winter or suffer from mite attacks. Plants prefer soils with a pH of slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.
Plants are generally tolerant of pruning and shearing. Pruning should never be done prior to the last spring frost date. Pruning too early in spring often promotes tender new growth that may be damaged or killed by a late spring frost. Avoid cultivating around plants because they have shallow roots. Roots appreciate a good organic (e.g., bark or compost) mulch (1-2”). Thin plants and remove dead/damaged branches annually to improve air circulation.
Boxwood is best sited in locations sheltered from strong winds, with, if possible, some protection from full winter sun. Foliage may bronze in winter when exposed to half day to full day sun. Winter winds can remove moisture from leaves at a rapid rate, often resulting in dehydration and bronzing. Carefully remove heavy snow accumulations as quickly as practicable to minimize stem/branch damage.
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Betula nigra Heritage River Birch
Betula nigra Heritage River Birch
Betula nigra ‘Heritage (clump)’ has amazing peeling bark in colors of white, brown and tan, and creamy white providing winter interest in the landscape. This clump birch has chartreuse catkins in early spring with dark green foliage throughout the seasons. Its pointy leaves turn a vibrant orange yellow in the fall.
Heritage River Birch (clump) will grow to be about 35 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 25 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.
This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, preferring to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves in alkaline soils.
It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. We utilized black mulch on this landscaping project in Bergen County.
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Arborvitae Green Giant
Arborvitae Green Giant
The plants selected for this screening are Arborvitae “green giants”. The green giant arborvitae is a large, vigorous, fast-growing evergreen. It’s pyramidal to conical shape boasts dense, rich green foliage that darkens or bronzes slightly in the winter. The Thuja is a living fence that provides much-needed privacy from neighbors with very little yard space required, The Thuja Green Giant is a high-quality, easy pick that grows 3-5 feet per year once it’s established. Not only is it beautiful and luxuriant, but it’s also:
-Drought tolerant
-Disease and insect resistant
-Easy to grow highly adaptable
Thuja Green Giants grow in a uniform shape and height, offering a classic look without the hassle of pruning or shearing. Best grown in moist, fertile, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates somewhat wide range of soils and some dry conditions and like its parent Japanese arborvitae it thrives in USDA zones 5 though 9. Some species develop bronze streaks in winter. While arborvitaes have lost some of their popularity with gardeners in recent years, the cultivar ‘Green Giant’ is an exceptional plant.
A vigorous and beautiful evergreen, Green Giant (Thuja x ‘Green Giant’) grows rapidly into a pleasing pyramidal shape. Green Giant arborvitae have flattened sprays of scale-like leaves. The foliage is bright green and darkens a little in the colder months. It never bronzes like the Oriental arborvitae. Look for a white line on the bottoms of the leaves of these plants. It is faint but adds a touch of brightness to the foliage.
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Miscanthus sinensis Gracillimus
Miscanthus sinensis Gracillimus
Miscanthus sinensis, commonly known as Chinese silver grass, Japanese silver grass or eulalia grass, is a clump-forming warm season grass that typically grows to 3-7’ tall. This grass features a dense clump of upward-arching stems and leaves which give it a rounded, fountain-like appearance. Linear leaves (to 3-4’ long and 3/8” wide) have tapered tips, serrate margins and whitish to silvery midribs. Foliage often turns attractive shades of yellow to orange by mid-fall before gradually fading to beige-tan for winter.
Pink to red flowers in feathery, whisk-like, loose terminal panicles (8-10” long) bloom above the foliage from late August to October. Flower panicles gradually turn beige by mid-fall as the seeds mature. Flower panicles and foliage both retain good arching shape, beige color and ornamental interest throughout winter, with enhanced attractiveness often coming from a covering of new fallen snow.
Best in full sun. Less vigorous with decreased flowering and tendency to flop in too much shade. Tolerant of summer heat and humidity. Clumps slowly expand in circumference by short rhizomes, but typically retain tight clump shape. Foliage should be left standing throughout the winter for visual interest and crown protection. Cut foliage close to the ground in late winter just before new shoots appear. Propagate by division of the crown.
Versatile ornamental grass. Accent, specimen or small grouping. Borders, meadows, wild gardens, cottage gardens, naturalized areas or pond/water garden peripheries. Dried flowers are long lasting.
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Variegated Japanese Privet
Variegated Japanese Privet
Ligustrum japonicum Variegatum – Variegated Japanese Privet
An attractive, versatile shrub with waxy, pointed glossy green leaves with white edges and blotches; the shrub has an open shape as it ages, it is quite beautiful and can be limbed up and used for bonsai; delightful panicles of white flowers. Variegated Japanese Privet features showy panicles of white flowers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It has white-variegated dark green foliage. The glossy pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter.
Variegated Japanese Privet is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Variegated Japanese Privet is recommended for useage within the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- Woodland Gardens
- Topiary
- Container Planting
Variegated Japanese Privet will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt.
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Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea – Red Twig Dogwood
Excellent massed or as a specimen. Effective in shrub borders where plants can be combined with evergreens or a contrasting color of redtwig dogwoods for interesting winter contrast. Also effective in naturalistic plantings in moist soils where plants can be allowed to spread and form thickets. Plants perform very well in wet locations such as low spots or along streams or ponds where spreading roots can help combat soil erosion. May also be used as a property line screen.
In Spring, it puts out attractive white flowers. Summer, it fills out into a well shaped shrub with beautiful green leaves. Fall starts warming up with red fall foliage. Come winter, the leaves drop, exposing this amazing bright, red bark. Use the Red Twig Dogwood as a privacy screen or even as a foundation hedge. It makes an attractive, large shrub all by itself, but is definitely most dramatic when several are planted together. Birds in need of good camouflage are drawn to the foliage of this shrub. More importantly, this serves as a place for shelter and food supply, too. By tending this tree, you effortlessly yet significantly contribute to providing a more conducive ecosystem to overlooked species that are integral part of our spheres too.
Security of property need not be sealed with high fences and steel bars. Nature permits gardeners to maintain the fluidity and serenity via privacy trees like the red twig dogwood. For those who simply want a private space outdoors, planting this shrub will definitely make your leisure time more worthwhile and intimate, too. You can enjoy the wind, the sun, the snow, or a little of nature’s wonders without having to worry whether you are being stalked or talked about bypassers-by or nosy neighbors.
Grows in full sun or shade, but the more sun, the more color. The red twig dogwoo is a staple in a winter garden because it boasts of bright reds that signal the time for the sappy, cozy, crazy season, too. The ravishing yet very random rusty red across a stark white scenery is both captivating and comforting. The red twig dogwood is at its peak when it sheds its leaves to let the world see its stems that seem to purposefully trim its intricacies.
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Abelia
Abelia Hedge
Abelia × grandiflora – Glossy Abelia
is a cross between A. chinensis and A. uniflora. It is a deer resistant rounded, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub in the honeysuckle family. Typically grows on gracefully arching branches to 2-4′ tall. Specimen or grouping or mass for shrub borders or foundations. Also effective as an informal hedge or low screening.
Mass on slopes or banks for attractive shrubby cover and erosion control.Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best flowering in full sun. Prefers moist, organically rich soils which drain well.
Abelias (Abelia x Grandiflora usually used as a hedge) has the distinct hedging advantage of a dense, bushy habit, and throughout summer they look fantastic with the small, tubular white flowers held in clusters above reddish coloured sepals (that’s the bit that holds the flower in place) against the back-drop of dark glossy green leaves. Its small size makes it ideal for small gardens and for growing in pots for a terrace or deck.
The middle of summer is when Abelia is in full bloom. Flowers range from lavender to pinkish white to pure white depending on the variety you’ve selected. Blooms are fairly fragrant, and often persist in random numbers all through summer and into early fall in many areas. Foliage will also take on a very interesting, and equally attractive, soft purplish green color during winter months – returning to the usual dark green with the onset of warmer temps in spring. No serious pests or disease problems noted with this plant. Possible branch dieback / damage has been observed in some zone 6 areas if winter temps drop below zero degrees.
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