A 'living fence' a picturesque solution to backyard privacy

Neighbors are wonderful. They are nearby for an impromptu barbecue. They look after your house when you are on vacation. Their kids may even mow your lawn or shovel snow from your driveway.

And while we enjoy the company of our neighbors, there are times when we want to be alone, unnoticed, in our backyards. A 6-foot stockade fence may be a quick and easy option, but a living fence seems a more picturesque solution.

Evergreens

A row of evergreens gives the same amount of privacy. Emerald Green arborvitaes grow more than 20 feet tall and about 8 feet wide. They are perfect pyramids of emerald green foliage.

If you prefer a more natural look, choose Techny. It grows 10 to 15 feet tall and about 5 feet wide. Its foliage is coarser and dark green.

The narrow, upright habit — 8 feet tall by 3 feet wide — of Zmatik is a good choice for small spaces. Its green foliage turns golden yellow in winter. Buy plants as tall as possible — Zmatik is a slow grower.

Arborvitaes should be planted in a sunny spot with moist but well-drained soil for best performance.

Canadian hemlocks are ideal for screening in a shady landscape. These graceful evergreens can be sheared to any height or shape, but if left on their own will reach from 40 to 70' tall and more than 20 feet wide. They proudly hold their soft, graceful branches horizontally.

Try Hicks Yew if a narrow, smaller evergreen is required. It slowly grows up to 20 feet tall and only spreads 8 feet wide. Its needles are very dark, lustrous green.

If you think a solid row of the same plant lacks creativity, include some deciduous shrubs in your living wall.

Deciduous shrubs

Viburnums are perfectly suited to our northern Illinois gardens. They can be planted in full sun to part shade.

Arrowwood Viburnum is an 8 -10' tall and nearly as wide native shrub with creamy white flowers in late spring and blue berries in fall. Enjoy the berries while you can; the birds love them too!

Chicago Lustre has the same flowers and fruit as the species and beautiful, glossy green foliage. It grows up to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

Or consider my current favorite from the Viburnum family, Blue Muffin. It grows 6 to 8 feet tall, but stays much more slender — only 4 to 5 feet wide. Growing in my own privacy planting, it is covered with so many flowers in late spring you can hardly see the foliage.

If you have a spot with morning sun and a little shade in the afternoon, consider hydrangeas. Limelight grows 8 to 10 feet tall and wide. It shines in mid summer when its soft green flowers burst into bloom. In fall the blooms turn rich deep pink.

Vanilla Strawberry boasts enormous flowers in a blend of white, pink and strawberry red beginning in mid summer. The red color deepens and persists for several weeks. The shrub grows 6 to 8 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide.

Phantom has an upright spreading habit as it grows 10' tall and wide. Large cone-shaped white flowers glow in the garden.

Perennials

There are also many tall perennials that mix well with shrubs in an attractive screen. Joe Pye weed is a perfect example. It quickly grows to up to 6 feet tall. Its purple-tinted dark green foliage is topped with clusters of dark mauve flowers in August and September.

Giant fleeceflower is a massive perennial. Large, fluffy, white flowers plumes resembling the blooms of astilbes on steroids begin blooming in June and continue for several weeks.

Choose Queen of the Prairie if you need a tall perennial for a partly shaded site. Topping out at 6' tall, deep pink flowers appear on strong stems in July and August.

Instead of that stockade fence, use plants to create a friendly, beautiful screen. You can enjoy your neighbors and your privacy, too.

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.