Posted on: May 14, 2007

Privacy Makes Perfect

As outdoor entertaining hits summer-stride, keep your celebration under wraps - and out of view of passersby and pesky bugs

By Jeff Schnaufer
CTW Features

When it comes to creating natural privacy screening, navigating the landscape of available shrubs, hedges and trees can be confusing. Do you go with evergreen or bamboo? A plant that flowers or gives berries? So many choices, so little thyme.

Gardening experts have several tips to help you hedge your bets when creating natural privacy screening. First, get into the zone. Two zones, actually: check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap, and Sunset's Garden Climate Zones Map from Sunset magazine, www.sunset.com/sunset/garden, to gain understanding of each climate's effect on plants.

"The different areas we garden are as diverse as the people who garden them," says Karl Gercens, section gardener for Longwood Gardens just north of Kennett Square, Pa.

"But you can't just say, 'I'm in the middle of Zone 6' and use that to decide what to plant," Gercens adds. "Fog, wind, heat, heavy snow-cover, soil type and pests are all factors, too."

For example, Canadian Hemlock or Tsuga Canadensis is a popular tree used for privacy that is advertised all along the East Coast, Gercens says, but is really only healthy in Canada and mountainous areas of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Once you take the plant south of that area, they become susceptible to insects.

"It's a prime example of knowing what's right for your area," he says.

Some privacy screening can also be too much of a good thing. Take bamboo, for instance. While it does not grow well in cold climates, it runs in the Southwest, West and South.

"You want to stay away from running bamboo," says Frank McDonough, a botanical information consultant for the Los Angeles County Arboretum. "It can invade your yard and your neighbor's yard."

McDonough, who also hosts the cable show, "Gardens of California," prefers clumping bamboo, which grows much slower. One of the finest and most expensive of the clumping variety is Japanese Timber Bamboo, which can grow higher than 20 feet.

However, such an overwhelming height brings up an important issue to consider when choosing privacy screening.

"When we're talking about hedges, were talking about high maintenance," says Gercens. "Not only do hedges need to be pruned for height, but also to allow in light, circulation and other factors."

Of course, there are many positives to consider when choosing a privacy screening, as well. One is attractiveness to wildlife. The general rule is that anything with berries attracts birds, says Gercens, and anything with flowers attracts butterflies.

Ilex Poaca, or Holly, grows well to about 50 miles from the East Coast and has wonderful berries that grow in the winter that birds love, says Gercens. Clethra, or Summer Spice, blooms early in the summer, is fragrant and attracts butterflies.

And like many other plants, natural privacy screening also gives your garden the smell of success.

Illicium, or Japanese Anise, is a shrub that flourishes in warmer zones and smells like licorice when crushed, Gercens says, Pittosporum Tobira, which has wonderfully fragrant flowers, grows up to 8 or 10 feet tall, and can be found in Southern Virginia, Georgia and all the way to West Texas.

One of McDonough's favorite natural screens is Sweet Olive, or Osmanthus Fragrance, which has a small, inconspicuous flower that blooms throughout the year. Best planted in some shade, it favors USDA zones 8-9, 12 -24 and grows up to 10 feet tall.

"It has such a great smell to it," McDonough says.

If you want to keep your nose happy, McDonough recommends staying away from Ligustrum, which produces a lot of pollen. "People tend to be allergic to them," McDonough says.

If remembering the scientific names of the plants is difficult for you, Gercens suggests writing them down before you go to the local nursery.

"If you ask for fragrant tea olive in California, you'll get something different in Virginia," says Gercens. "You'll find that common names are cloudy and confusing. You will never go wrong with the scientific name."

Finally, McDonough says you don't have to worry about picking the single best plant for your privacy screen.

"I've seen some pretty neat hedges that consist of more than one plant," he says.