# What to plant to block vision?



## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

I have 10 acres and there's a Subdivsion going in on my west side and I will have 2-4 homes on 1.0 acre plots accross fence. I want privacy and thinking about planting Eastern Red Cedars every 9 feet in a Zig Zag formation. Tree man asked if I ever thought about planting Bottle Brush. I have seen BB Trees that are beautiful but the small shrubs Ive seen dont flower. What would you plant?


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

red tips or bamboo


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I would go with your tree man. Bottlebrush:

http://texasnaturescapes.blogspot.com/2012/05/bottlebrush-bush.html

If you plant the cedars you will have tons of pollen, but that might not bother you.


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## yakPIRATE (Jun 23, 2012)

Meadowlark said:


> I would go with your tree man. Bottlebrush:
> 
> http://texasnaturescapes.blogspot.com/2012/05/bottlebrush-bush.html
> 
> If you plant the cedars you will have tons of pollen, but that might not bother you.


I had one of these. I need to get about 10 more. They do block view and are not bad looking.


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## Razzorduck (Oct 14, 2005)

Nellie R Stevens Holly are your best bet. Darn near bulletproof. Red Cedars suck. To many pests and pollen. Bottlebrush may freeze in a cold winter.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

Have you considered oleanders?

They have some nice colors ... do well when you cut them back and grow real well in Texas

I help maintain a BB tree .... it's a cool tree with fibrous roots .... it can freeze, so keep that in mind


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

Whatever you decide, make sure they are either far enough away from each other so that you can easily get the mower around them or close enough together so that you won't need to mow between them. 
If you go with bamboo, realize its basically there to stay. Stuff is tough to kill. 
Oleanders do get big and thick and offer some pretty flowers. 


Cody C


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

If you decide on bamboo I have some you can have for free. Just gotta dig it up. Which is not easy but it is yours or anybody else that wants it.


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## snapperlicious (Aug 11, 2009)

I have two bottle brush trees that are about 10ft tall and thick as you know what. I don't know what they cost that size but I heard they can get pretty pricey for the big ones.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Wife planted Bottlebrush, its a very hardy plant and don't need much, we've had them in the ground for 4-5 yrs with no problems, our Oleanders all died due to the cold weather. There are several diff Bottlebrush plants, ours are not the dwarfs and do produce blooms most all summer, the butterflies love them. We have 35 in the ground and 25 waiting, we got them at Lowes @ 75% off regular of 16.99, you just need to wait until they've been on the shelves a cpl of months>>then ask for them to be marked down, the first 35 were 2.50 each, the 25 this yr was 4$ n change....WW


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

wet dreams said:


> Wife planted Bottlebrush, its a very hardy plant and don't need much, we've had them in the ground for 4-5 yrs with no problems, our Oleanders all died due to the cold weather. There are several diff Bottlebrush plants, ours are not the dwarfs and do produce blooms most all summer, the butterflies love them. We have 35 in the ground and 25 waiting, we got them at Lowes @ 75% off regular of 16.99, you just need to wait until they've been on the shelves a cpl of months>>then ask for them to be marked down, the first 35 were 2.50 each, the 25 this yr was 4$ n change....WW


Can you take a picture of your hedge and post? I like the idea of using BB but I have concerns about a freeze.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Here ya go, this will be the second winter, this pic was taken in May, this type is good to -10, or so my wife says, it stays green yr round. They are planted in poor soil, watered very little and never fertilized, these are butterfly magnets. She did say they're several different types, this is a good time to go to Lowes, ask for the 'LNS' she >can< drop the price if they have some sitting around...WW


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Very nice Walter!


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## Law Dog (Jul 27, 2010)

Look at Oleanders.


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

I recommend clumping bamboo, not running bamboo. I grow five varieties of bamboo, the clumping will screen it but not go crazy. 

Like any other plant, keep it watered and weed free the first couple of years.


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## goatchze (Aug 1, 2006)

How tall do you want it?

10' bottle brush would be great if the house is nearby and one story, but if you've got hundreds of feet between your house and theirs, you might want to go with Easter Red Cedar planted near your property line (as opposed to next to your house).

If you're worried about pollen, buy a female tree.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Law Dog said:


> Look at Oleanders.


We've tried 2 kinds of Oleander, they didn't make the first winter, wife thought the dwarfs would be more tolerant to the cold >>>wrong<<< would work along the coast but not where I'm at....WW


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

Another thought about oleanders--they are poisonous as can be, subdivisions bring small kids that wander and eat strange things, many ambulance chasing lawyers exist------- . Times ain't what they used to be!


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

I have decided to go with 15 gallon Bottle Brush to make a hedge. Now should I use a Zig Zag layout or straight ?. Was told to plant of 6-8 foot centers between plants and off my fence line 12-16 feet so I can mow behind next to fence.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

I'd do the zig-zag pattern.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Did you read my post on saving a little $$ when buying them?? I'm thinking the first batch we bought were around 2-3$ each, the second batch was 75% off 16.99 for a little over 4$ each they were in 3-4gall containers....WW


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Ready.Fire.Aim said:


> I recommend clumping bamboo, not running bamboo. I grow five varieties of bamboo, the clumping will screen it but not go crazy.
> 
> Like any other plant, keep it watered and weed free the first couple of years.


I have clumping bamboo. I like it because when it gets bigger you can use it for all kinds of stuff. Its expensive & make sure you water it a lot. Mines two years old & has not grown like I thought it would. But the drought hasn't helped.


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