I just moved into my new house. I've gone from a house on a lot that backs up to a huge green belt (where the loudest sound was an occasional owl) to a house on a lot that backs up to a 35 mph road through the subdivision. Needless to say, I'd like to buffer the sights and sounds from the road (the privacy fence isn't sufficient). Does anyone have recommendations for fast-growing trees/shrubs that will stay green and/or leafy for the majority of the year that would be good to plant along the fence line? I've gotten ideas from coworkers and reading online, but I'd like suggestions that people have actually had success planting. House is Houston area. TIA!

Red Tip Photinias grow fast and very tall. But are susceptible to disease.

If you have the money, Texas Mtn. Laurels are a good choice. You can grow them as a shrub or a tree. But you would want to plant mature trees /shrubs since they are not fast growing.

Wax myrtles are a good choice. Fast growing, evergreen, and prunable. Pineapple guavas can make nice dense shrubs also and are evergreen as well...at least in Houston.

http://info.acoustiblok.com/acoustiblok-products/acoustifence/

Keep in mind that you'd need to run it down the side fences as well as the back fence.

http://www.acoustiblok.com/acoustical-fence-landscape-attachments.php

http://info.acoustiblok.com/acoustiblok-products/acoustifence/

http://www.acoustiblok.com/acoustical-fence-landscape-attachments.php

If you're trying to actually block sound, plants are a waste of time. They block nothing unless its a very dense amount across a huge area...much more than any backyard can handle. Especially the low frequency sounds vehicles emit. Sound will only be lessened by distance, a solid wall of some sort (that acoustical fence looks interesting if it passes HOA), or an earthen berm.

Now blocking the visual of cars going by does make a big mental difference if you're trying to enjoy your back yard. But if you are trying to block sound while watching TV at night or trying to sleep...look into ways to shield your home (laminated windows, better insulation, etc).

I was in this same exact situation several years ago and did a ton of research. We landed up moving...not for this reason alone, but it definitely was a factor.

Thanks for the suggestions! My coworker recommended the red tipped photinia. The TX mountain laurel and pineapple guava are pretty; I like flowering plants. I'm not sure that the acoustiblok would work, if you have to run it down the side fence, too. One side of the property is zero lot line, so there is no fence, and on the other side is a black iron fence (not privacy).

Moving from the house on the green belt to a house backing up to a road was the preferable option compared to a 140 mile round trip commute every day (the sacrifices we make for career advancement...). I actually chose the house on road over houses with neighbors on the other side. I did not like having a 2 story, 3000 sq ft house looming over the backyard. The noise/traffic isn't too bad, but I definitely notice it since my previous house was so quiet.

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 4/3/2013 8:19a).]

Do not plant red tips
http://rainbowgardens.biz/storage/pdf-files/Entomosporium%20Leaf%20Spot%20of%20Photinia%20and%20Indian%20hawthorn.pdf

http://plantpath.caes.uga.edu/extension/plants/woodyornamentals/photoniaentleafspot.html

There are numerous hollies that would work for you but I like Nellie R. Stevens Holly

http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1547/nellie-r-stevens-holly.php

Golden Godess Bambo.

Be careful about containing it though. It's evergreen and can be hedged to look nice. I got one fifty gallon and split it into four clumps last season. Its now shooting up and growing about 4-6" a day.

Golden Goddess is a clumping bamboo, so no worries about containing it. If you meant Golden Bamboo, however, good luck!

If golden godess tops out at 10-12' then that's what I have, and yes I would still worry about containment if you are plating along fences with property lines. Neighbors would like it coming up on thier side.

Turrets.

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Turrets.

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You made me snicker! Do you live in/near Castlegate? If not, then I guess my comment doesn't make any sense.

Depending on your location, you could plant Oleanders. Some varieties grow 20 - 30 feet tall. I have them on one side of my yard about 75 of them and they are about 15 feet tall and doing nicely as long as I keep the leaf cutter ants out of them. I also have a row of mesquites along the same boundary and they are growing fast and look nice. (neither like to be frozen!)

The red tips the neighbors planted years ago are HUGE now. Also, pittosporum grow pretty large. We have a hedge row made out of that stuff and it's 10-12 feet high.

http://neilsperry.com/maq/shrubs/what-is-killing-my-redtip-photinias-what-can-i-use-to-stop-it.html

Oregon fur christmas trees, evergreen and great buffers.

I'm in the exact same situation. Houston home backs up to 35 mph neighborhood road. I've been looking for a while and all but decided on wax myrtles. I've been using the following site to help decide.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/beaumont/beaumont.html

Jpc08 - have you gotten any estimates, yet? I just moved into my house last week, so I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone about how much this might cost. I know it will depend on the number of trees that are planted, but a ballpark price would be helpful.

Oh, and that's a great website...thanks for sharing!

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 4/5/2013 6:46a).]

No estimates yet. We are working on our front yard now and plan to tackle the back at a later date. Hopefully before it gets too hot which will likely be sooner rather than later.

SJE is correct. Plants do next to nothing to buffer noise.

Stay away from photinia and bamboo. Check out a Japanese blueberry or a cherry laurel if you want something that flowers.

I work in the sound abatement industry at Acoustiblok.
Do not waste your money planting trees or shrubs unless you have lots of money and space.
You will need to plant 100 feet of depth to realize a 3 dB of noise reduction. This is the amount that the human ear can detect as a slight difference of reduced sound.
To achieve a perceived reduction of 50% you will need over 300'of planted depth. If anyone wants more information on sound I am happy to help My email is pgetts@acoustiblok.com
here is a link to some photos.
http://www.acoustiblok.com/noise-solution-photos-using-acoustifence.php

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Sound will only be lessened by distance, a solid wall of some sort (that acoustical fence looks interesting if it passes HOA), or an earthen berm.

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As far as I can tell it is mass loaded vinyl(MLV) with reinforcement that allows it to be hung from the top instead of attached all over like you would when using MLV in walls for home theater applications.

pgetts- are the printed landscapes on the acousiblok or is that a separate curtain that hangs over the acoustiblok?

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Stay away from photinia and bamboo.

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Stay away from running bamboo. Clumping bamboo(bambusa) is easily restrained. If it doesn't have bambusa in the scientific name stay away.

[This message has been edited by yakman (edited 4/22/2013 2:25p).]

I recommend the Wax myrtles usually a 3 gallon tree can be purchased for a resonable price. These do well in Houston area. The thing to do is sketch out the yard with height requirements and any constraints of the environments.

http://bactrees.com/landscaping-with-trees/

The other thing is that the wax myrtles repel mosquitos and other insects so it is a great tree for that reason.

I'd suggest a good water feature to help cover the street sounds. You'd be surprised what a difference it makes.

I used Japanese blueberries, but I would also use loquats, because the fruit is great, they grow like crazy, and the people driving by will be jealous.