I have a 100' back fence that I want to plant a 10-12' high privacy hedge. In Bryan neighborhood with irrigation system.

Suggestions for an evergreen solution?

I like the hollies. Wax myrtles seem to have some wonky growth patterns. That manageable?

I only have about half of that length but opted to go with a line of little gem magnolias. It will definitely take some time. Perhaps a mixture of something like that and some other shrubs in-between that are a little faster growing.

I need something quick as my back patio is 3 feet above grade at the fence line. I'm looking right at my back neighbors.

Yeah I get that, just keep in mind that many times fast growing plants are not the most durable.

I did wax myrtle about 5 years ago and they still haven't gotten big enough to help. Not sure if it's my soil or what. I'd try a holly.

I agree evergreens vs fences that are just another thing to go wrong or need attention, at least more than native plants.

Black Thumb here reporting on a perfect pivacy hedge 10ft++ that came with property in 1979 and has not suffered from ANY of my care since .... doing well (even IF I care for it once in a blue moon - to no avail), even with delivery truck damage, Feb super-freeze, summer droughts, competing with a very mature post oak and progating well. Friends in the county actually fight to get rid of it but it has behaved as a border to a limestone driveway. Attracts birds to feed on dark purple berries & to nest.

Your might do better with the irrigation ... IDK.

https://www.hedgingplantsdirect.co.uk/hedging-guides-and-faqs/privet-hedge-planting-guide#:~:text=Privet%20hedges%20can%20grow%20up,a%20wide%20range%20of%20climates.



Better answers via KAMU-FM 90.9 noon Tursdays, esp. if emailing him a photo of the area problem.

Sorry. Dropped my sub so it doesn't notify me when someone responds.

If you layer it more like a native area (holies and bigger evergreens in back because they are taller) and wax myrtles, azaleas or other native like shrubs, it won't really matter.

If you're looking for a formal french garden look, screening is going to be difficult without training more fenicky plants

Barnyard96 said:

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Im hearing Eagleston Holly for the win.

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I'm in NTX and a fan. These were planted 5 years ago. I wasn't looking for a wall, just something to soften the view a bit, but they would easily create one if planted in a row. I haven't trimmed them much, but you can shape them if needed. I like that they support wildlife. Bees love their Spring flowers and birds love the berries that follow.

Just make sure you have them properly irrigated. They aren't water hogs, but they do not handle long term drought well.

Do you remember what size when planted?

Funny you ask cuz I was just trying to find my receipt to give you the size. We planted 4. One died(location off photo), which I think was due to poor soil from pool construction.

Edit: Didn't find receipt but it was 6 years ago, not 5. Planted in Fall '18. I believe they were 30 gallon. It was like 2k delivered and planted. Too old for pricing to mean anything.

20 eagleston Hollies could run you $15k planted. Maybe more.

Thats a little high, but yes it aint cheap.

Barnyard96 said:

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Thats a little high, but yes it aint cheap.

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For good, mature ones with a warranty, it's probably closer to 20k where I'm at, planted and delivered.

I have quotes. I'm good.

AgLA06 said:

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Wax mytles and hollies.

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Which would yall recommend for a somewhat shaded area? Lots of trees/bushes torn out due to Beryl and all the other storms.

Prefer fastest growing. Will get plenty of water.

I was leaning to wax myrtles.

NE Houston.

Man, I planted Eagleston Hollies 1.5 years ago in Houston and they seem skinny and not full. How long did it take in your 6 years to be that full?

[url=https://postimg.cc/5XWrGHzQ][/url]

It took about 3 years or so for them to take off. They survived both epic winter storms which likely slowed development somewhat. I'd post a pic of the initial plant but lost it on the last phone.

I'd pull the grass back (don't dig) 3 ft from the trunk and mulch the area thick to very thin from outside in.

Water and fetlizer too. Get the correct fertilizer

Good call. They were that way when they were first installed but we've gotten lazy with the upkeep. That's an easy fix.

8ea 30gallon 7ft tall
Delivered and planted
Total $2,200

Barnyard96 said:

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I have a 100' back fence that I want to plant a 10-12' high privacy hedge. In Bryan neighborhood with irrigation system.

Suggestions for an evergreen solution?

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I planted 22 eagleston hollies and put in an irrigation system with bubblers. They have done well. It was certainly a budgeted, DIY build. I got them straight from a huge regional distributor hub of Moon Valley Nurseries out in Wharton, TX. Worth the trip because the trees were 70% off compared to the retail stores, but I hauled them off and installed them myself.

Things I like about the eagleston hollies:
-They will grow together as a hedge, touching limbs won't air gap each other
-They are extremely hardy for the weather within texas
-They'll be 20 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter one day, perfect for screening out a two story house in the burbs.
-Evergreen

Things I haven't liked about them:
-They don't have as dense of a growth habit as I would've liked. When you get them from the nursery they are super thick and dense because they are constantly being cut back. When they get some space to grow there is a lot of branching out and daylight visible through them. Its going to take a couple years of good pruning to keep them growing densely into a screen.
-They have struggled to overcome some lingering transplant shock. I planted them last May and they have gone through big bouts of losing the inner leaves. Seems like every time there was an extreme weather event, hot, cold, or lots of rain I could count on leaves turning yellow and dropping.
-I didn't plant them close enough but thats just budget constraints. I bought trees that were 9-10 feet tall already and 1.5-2.0" in diameter. I thought it would be all blended in and my neighbors fully disappeared in 5 years. Its looking like it'll be closer to 10 before that happens.


My tips going forward would be: If you can't afford to plant larger (which gets exponentially more expensive), plant closer. If I had to do it over again I would've probably done 5 ft or maybe even 4.5 foot intervals. Look at all the versions of hollies. The berries being a hazard to dogs is really overblown. Don't do oleanders, those will kill your pets and do kill kids because they are so toxic.
The irrigation system has been clutch. Put pex in the ground and each tree has a constant flow bubbler that puts out .25 GPM. All on its own sprinkler valve.

Barnyard96 said:

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8ea 30gallon 7ft tall
Delivered and planted
Total $2,200

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Ahh. Little ones. Yeah. That's comparable price to what I'm seeing. I was referring to 65g that are 10-12ft tall.

Why would i pay 5x for 2x tree?

Appreciate the feedback. Putting in 30gallon tree shape (7ft tall) at 6ft integrals. I'll have to let mother nature do her thing, but im already way over budget in the back yard…among many other items

Barnyard96 said:

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Why would i pay 5x for 2x tree?

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you're paying 5x for years of growth

Shrug. Why buy a 95g live oak instead of a 5g one?

Meh, not sure thats 5 years. Anyway, Im good with my plan.

Just wanted to share that I paid $300 an eagleston holly in a 30 gallon bucket. The next size up was 65 gal, they were like $900 for the tree and there was practically no way I could move or plant it myself.

If you're close to overbudget, I would definitely recommend just renting a trailer, driving to the nursery in Wharton, driving them back and just hire some local help. Planting trees isn't that difficult, its just labor intensive. Expose the root flare, plant it about 1/4 bucket depth high, put it in a hole thats 3x the diameter of the bucket. Most nurseries we looked at wanted $700+ for this tree planted and gauranteed to last a year.

I rented the smallest excavator possible from home depot and went to town digging up 22 holes. Had my son in my lap loving it.

Barnyard96 said:

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Water and fetlizer too. Get the correct fertilizer

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What is the correct fertilizer for trees? Obviously slow release but anyone got anything in particular they like? I always see fertilizer for small plants and flowers for gardens. Didn't know if that was good for trees.

Guy behind me a Kyle is a tree expert. He said something about low phos I think. I'll ask him again at MO game.

He turned me on to the eaglestons

Im getting 30gal delivered and planted for $250ea.