What would be a good plant to use as a privacy fence?
I’m in zone 5, Kansas. In summer it gets into triple digits.
Hard freeze in winter.
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Perhaps Willow? Not sure how well it does in Kansas, but it seems like a neat crop for fencing.
Trees, cut into wood planks, and used to build a fence.
No @MrGrimm888. Not willing to spend that much money, especially since I just had chain link installed.
English Ivy. It’s evergreen, and a fast grower, but it can be invasive. You’d have to train it to grow where you want it, then keep it clipped so it didn’t overgrow the fence. https://www.thespruce.com/english-ivy-plants-2132215
Also says it’s poisonous to pets.
Well, Sleeping Beauty had a lot of privacy . . .
Pine, pressure treated. But if you want year-round coverage from a living plant it’s going to be more expensive than putting up a real fence. The alternative is to just let the area grow up naturally. I would not do that near chain-link fence though. I spent an entire summer dealing with that once. It’s very difficult to get that resolved once trees and stuff have grown in and around chain-link fencing. It’s a godammed nightmare.
These are dog-friendly hedges: camellia, osmanthus, shrub rose, fringe flower, arborvitae, cypress, and pyracantha. Check availability at large Garden Center.
We love our beautiful tall fountain grass and ostrich ferns here. Should work great in Ks.
It depends on how serious you are about your privacy. I owned a house in OH where the DNR had, for a time, recommended multiflora rose as hit had pretty flowers and lots of thorns. The previous owner had planted them all along the back property line. However, after a bunch of people did this, the same DNR came out and declared it to be an invasive species. It has issues.
Ours was taking over. It was growing up to the trees and battling out with the grapevines for supremacy (and winning). I tried spraying it with Roundup and it bloomed. I found the only way to get rid of it was to cut the branches away to allow access to the base, cut it off at ground level and spray the stub with Roundup. My neighbor and I were both battling this floral demon and had a challenge going on. I cut out one particular plant and, after pulling it out of the trees, I stretched it out and it was 35 feet from base to tip of the longest branch. I lost. He had one that was 50 feet long.
But I will say if you have the space and want to keep basically everything on 2 or 4 legs out, this is your ticket.
@janbb At my parents’ house, those are around the patio. They grow well and are hardy. One was destroyed in a hurricane but otherwise, they last a long time. When they got too big, they dug them up and put in younger, smaller ones.
While under a spell, Sleeping Beauty slept in her castle, undisturbed, for a hundred years, surrounded by a thick forest of thorns. Privacy, at the very least.
Sometimes I wish I had one. @seawulf575‘s floral demon does have a certain perverse appeal.
How tall does your ostrich fern grow @@KNOWITALL?
We had Ostrich ferns along our stone wall, at our last house, it dies back to the ground after first frost. Ours were three to four four high. Came back each spring.
@Dutchess_III If you are looking for privacy, you probably don’t want to start from seeds. otherwise you’ll be waiting years for the privacy part. Plant a fast growing shrub or tree.
Bamboo grows fast. You’ll never get rid of it though if you go that route. Rose of sharon is another. I have a row of it in my back yard and it could easily be used as a privacy screen. It’s not an evergreen so it won’t give you privacy outside of summer.
^^ Do Not plant bamboo. It is an invasive plant and will take over your yard and the neighborhood. There are actually bans on planting it in some places.
@janbb You can install a root barrier. My parents did this despite me telling them why planting bamboo is a bad idea and it has stayed contained. They have good privacy with it. I do know landscapers won’t touch it if you need work done. A neighbor can’t get anyone to remove hers.
@Blackwater_Park I know but that’s a lot of work. Best to avoid bamboo all together. There are other options.
Most of the people living there are an invasive species, too, so it fits.
I had a hibiscus when I moved in to my last house.
Hibiscus is going to almost totally die in the winter so won’t be much privacy then.
Well the branches are still there. I won’t be back there as much in the winter anyway.
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