How about planting "hedge", also known as osage. Makes a great barrier/border with the added benefit of growing the best bow wood in north america!
Natural Barrier, Ideas
I posted a thread while back about planting bamboo for a privacy barrier but now I am considering planting a barrier of bamboo and honey locust(the thorned variety). I am thinking about planting a barrier of these plants along the property lines for privacy and perimeter security. The bamboo for a screen and the honey locust for an almost perimeter barrier. I don't know whether to plant them about 5 ft apart and make two rows and zig zag the plants. Anyone done something like this? I have nativeblackberry plants and that doesn't give me the privacy because they don't get tall enough and you can see through them. Honey Locust and bamboo do very well here in TN.
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Like papaul said, Osage is good, or boxwood makes a tall impervious hedge. Your best off sticking to thorned shrubs instead of trees. Japanese barberry is good for that.
I checked on osage and it probably would not do good where I live because the soil is very rocky and the soil is very poor. It does look like a good choice for some people though. I will check with the county ag agent and state forestry division and confirm. Japanese barberry wouldn't look native because of the flowers and would likely make my place stick out like a sore thumb. Bamboo grows native here and wouldn't arouse suspicion neither would honey locust trees. I am open to more suggestions. I want my house to be completely hidden from the road and if you didn't know there was a house here I want people to pass right on by it.
Ah, didn't know you wanted native plants. In that case I would look into any native pines or cedars, that will give you evergreen coverage and a fast growth to a decent masking height. Some pines do well on poor soils as well.
Sorry, I should have been more specific. All that grows here in my part of TN is hardwood trees and cedar trees and unfortunately Im allergic to the cedars. I am on The Upper Cumberland Plateau.Ah, didn't know you wanted native plants. In that case I would look into any native pines or cedars, that will give you evergreen coverage and a fast growth to a decent masking height. Some pines do well on poor soils as well.
If your rural, the point is to have "natural" cover... neither of these are native to the area, so you're going to stick out like a sore thumb. I would go with something else myself. There are many other evergreen options other than Cedar. There are several variety of firs that grow extremely fast. Heck, you could always put barbwire/razorwire in the lower branches on short notice if something where to happen.
Actually, I am planning to buy some razor wire and store it for an emergency. A neighbor and myself are planning to plant something along our road for privacy and security. Other than cedars there are not any native evergreen trees in my area. Firs are pretty but they don't do good at lower elevations in my part of TN, they need to be planted above 2000 ft and I am at 1100ft elevation. They do good 2 hours east of here because of the elevation increase.If your rural, the point is to have "natural" cover... neither of these are native to the area, so you're going to stick out like a sore thumb. I would go with something else myself. There are many other evergreen options other than Cedar. There are several variety of firs that grow extremely fast. Heck, you could always put barbwire/razorwire in the lower branches on short notice if something where to happen.
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