Arkansas 8b
I’m looking for advice on what to plant for privacy along my fence rows. Something that grows fast and handles wet/moist heavy clay.
I prefer native of course
Bonus if it blooms
Need something that will get 8’ + wide open pasture ground around me so an evergreen species is even better.
I have some unruly neighbors that have been keeping me and my family up at night with the noise.
Up until now I’ve just been burning and leaving the fence rows alone.
I don’t really have anything (outstanding) going for me as far as native prairie restoration. But I am working on it slowly. So I’d rather not result to planting a hedge or green arborvitae or something.
by Legitimate_South9157
2 Comments
Given your prairie goals, I might start Indian Grass, Switch Grass, and Big Bluestem for privacy. They’re not evergreen, but they can remain upright and effective all year.
Illicium floridanum and Illicium parviflorum are SE Native Evergreens, but they can’t take full sun.
That leaves you with Holly and Wax Myrtle and Cedar, I think. Stylistically, I think Cedar would look good with a prairie aesthetic.
Anything that mixes species will look better than a monstrous row of arborvitae.
Finally, if you actually have a fence, I’d start some Passiflora incarnata vines on it for immediate privacy this summer while everything else grows in.
Evergreen:
Holly (yaupon is shrubbier but american would be good too, albeit slower growing), Eastern Redcedar
Not evergreen but:
grey dogwood (cornus racemosa)
River birch
Possumhaw (viburnum nudum: