Planting Arbor Vitae

[radfringe]

My partner is looking into planting a few Arbor Vitae along the border between us and the knuckle dragger next door to provide us with some privacy.

Any advise on care/feeding of Arbor Vitae? or suggestions for other fast growing hedge plants?

the border area is in full sun and then shady up to a strip of pine trees. The soil is a bit "rocky" as it nears the pine trees. (we are in NE PA)

We both agree we would rather look at hedge row than at a big ol' fence.

From what I've found on the internet - the Arbor Vitae is fast growing, and this is a plus for us - the faster growing the better. Also doesn't drop leaves down to the bare branches during the winter, thus giving us privacy year round and a wind break.

[trof]

1. I'm bullish on kudzu.

;-)

[AllegroRondo]

2. good choice

I would go with either that or a juniper. Either way you get a fast growing evergreen, that can take full sun and rocky soil. I think the arborvitae gets a bit taller, though.

They dont need a lot of attention. Keep an eye on them the first year to make sure they get enough water to get the root system established, and maybe a feeding once a year. Miracle Gro makes 'spikes' of food specifically for evergreens, you just shove a couple in the ground near the roots and forget about them.

[Blue Diadem]

3. Make sure to check out the types of Arborvitae

There are various types with size and color difference. Some only get 4 feet wide, maybe 10-15 ft. tall..others can get 10-12 ft wide and 25-30 ft. tall or more. Green colors vary too..from lighter brighter green to very dark green.

Very easy to grow..we planted a couple hundred feet of baby arborvitaes(maybe 12"-18" tall) in 97-98. They're all around 15 ft or so now. My mistake was not paying attention because I got such a good deal(50% off) and not realizing I had a few different types. Some are wide, some are skinny and a couple are a brighter green than the rest. They've all filled in nicely though and really do provide a nice private area.

edited for bad e key that keeps sticking