Hedge zone 9 Suggestion

My son lives in Florida, zone 9. His neighbors have a "junked" pontoon boat that sits right next to his property. They sit in the pontoon boat (not useable) and stare down into his back yard which is uncomfortable. There is a poly plastic fence 5 ft. tall that separates the two yards.

He needs something that will block the view from the pontoon boat. Something that is perhaps about 15 ft. tall but not very wide. He doesn't want it to take up too much room into his yard. It would have to be something that would give him privacy throughout all seasons. He's not into a lot of gardening so would want something that doesn't have t/b constantly pruned to keep it in check. Of course, something to feed the birds would be nice, but most important is height and width (15' X 3') and low maintenance.

Do you have any suggestions?

One of the clumping bamboos? That would have the advantage of reaching the desired height quickly, without then going on to get vastly taller in the longer term.

Resin

I have always thought bamboo is quite invasive?

I think that's why Resin mentioned clumping bamboo, instead of the running type - which you might term invasive.

Other members of the grass family that might work include one of the very tall clumpers like Miscanthus giganteus.

Has your son checked to see if having a junked pontoon boat in a residential area violates his county's code? I'm just saying....

No, I am sure he hasn't thought to check codes. It's an older neighborhood, and I don't think there are any "codes".

I hadn't thought of grasses--We had Miscanthus in our front yard. It gradually grew into a large mass--so large we could not see the road traffic. We had to remove it. We had to use a pickup with a chain to remove it.

I am hoping there is some sort of shrub that would work for this area. If the dimensions need to be altered somewhat, that would be okay. Although shrubs may be wider, I believe for his choice, he would rather have a wider shrub than a plant that would continue to grow into the yard-even if it grows slowly. It would be heck to ever remove the bamboo or miscanthus.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Here are some shrubs that might have suitable cultivars: Leyland Cypress, Arborvitae, Myrtus and Photinia.

This message was edited Dec 1, 2013 10:51 AM

I was watching a garden show today. Some suggested plants: Camelia sasanqua, Callistemon rigidus and then, they mentioned Gardenia japonica.

Anyone have any information or experience regarding these three shrubs?

I would go with Conifers that have a narrow upright habit like Juniperus scopulorum 'Blue Arrow', I think these would be the easiest regarding maintenance and fit the bill. They are moderate growing to 12 to 15 ft. tall, 2 ft. wide. There might be better suited specimens for your Son's particular location.

Thanks Mipii. I think your suggestion might be a good one for him.

You're very welcome...good luck!