Gardening and Horticulture - Nedd some landscaping advice, bad!

Hi I'm Joe. I'm new to the Gardening postings. I mostly hang out in the auto repair and the electrical areas. So hello everyone.

I live in south West Virginia zone 6 if I remember correctly. We have a back yard that we're not sure what to do with. We live on a corner lot, so streets border two sides of our house. The other two sides are bordered by the church parking lots.

We get a lot of foot traffic through our yard and we don't like that at all. But the problem is I don't really want to put up a fence, because we have a brick fence around the sides that border the streets.

I will e-mail a drawing, cause a picture is worth a thousand words, to anyone who would offer to give their advice.

I thought of something along the lines of a pear tree in the corner then some types of alternating bushes over to the garage and the existing fence.

Any and all advice will surely be appreciated.

EEE-HA! A fellow West Virginian. I am originally from the Huntington area. You are correct on the Zone 6 for southern WV.

A fence along church parking lots may be your best bet. You can go with a low picket fence and do plantings along the inside of the fence. A low picket fence will not block your view and give a boxed in feeling. Yet, it will eliminate the trespassers. It would certainly do so quicker than waiting for hedges or plantings to grow.

If you choose a tree, take into consideration how big it will be in 20 or more years. Those ornamental pear trees can become quite huge. I have seen cities use them in landscaping, and have been observing them over the past 20-30 years. Many are currently being removed. Oh, they are lovely when in bloom, leaves shrivel when they fall so foliage drop is not a major concern. Proper pruning, removing selective limbs to keep them shaped tends to be overlooked by those who plant them.

Visit a local garden center and see what types of shrubs and plants are available to create a fence of vegetation. I have lived where I have had rows of privet, and these required clipping with hedge clippers. I have also lived where there was Photina as a fence, as well as pine trees, upright juniper, burning bushes, and other plantings. Typically, trespassers will walk through and over anything you plant. If you want to keep out the trespassers, a fence is more serious.

I currently live in a rental. My back yard adjoins 4 other rentals. My yard is the one in the center. No fence. Everyone cuts through my yard, drops their trash, and kids and dogs invade me. I envision fences and plantings, but it is a rental into which I really don't want to invest any money. When I find beer cans in my yard, I sometimes have thoughts of land mines. Just kidding!

At my mountain cabin in Tucker County, WV, my yard is invaded by deer, bears, bob cats, rabbits, racoons, possums, moles, and every other form of wildlife we West Virginians brag about. What I do not like is the invasion of my yard by the animals from the head of the hollow (holler). I arrive to find donkeys, bulls, and goats. My yard is literally littered with feces. I walk carefully in mountain mama boots. A fence would be wonderful. It would not however be appropriate in my National Forest setting. And, a fence of vegetation would be easily invaded by animals and eaten by the goats.

Best of luck. It has been a pleasure meeting you!

Hi Bigpoppa,

Welcome to the DoItYourself Garden forum!!

I agree wholeheartedly with everything Twelvepole has to say with two exceptions. That would be the use of photinia. They get blackspot after a few years and look terribly unsightly. I also don't recommend privet as it is invasive in the environment.

I think I have a mental picture of your yard in my head and running picket fences from the brick would look lovely and probably be in keeping with the 'flavor' of your home. There are many evergreens that won't go over 4' or 5' in height and still allow you to see over them. If you still don't want to use a picket fence, then spiny leaved hollies would help to keep people out. There are some that stay small. It would help to know how much sun the area gets.

I also don't think the pear trees would be a good idea as they tend to have weak limb structures and need a lot of attention. An ash, sourwood or yellow wood would give you a full canopy but do get large over time and won't keep people from walking under them to cut through your yard.

I hope this helped,
Newt

Hey Twelvepole,
my wife wants to know if you know or know of Les Smith. It's her uncle in Tucker County. He's lived there for years, retired from Columbia Gas.

Anywho, I really wanted to stay away from putting a fence up, just from the astethic reasons. Our house was built in the 30's and I think I'd have a hard time finding something to suit the house. Continuing the brick fence would cost way too much. And even if I did add on to it, unless I could find some old bricks it would look added on.

My wife saw a four foot black aluminum fence at Lowes that she thought might look nice. I really had thoughts of a vegitation fence :(

I just might have to give in.

Oh by the way I couldn't get either of your e-mail addresses off the siteso I could send the picture. My email in in my profile. E-mail me I'll send you the picture. It'll give you a much better idea of what's going on.

Thanks to both of you.

Bigpoppax2 (Joe)

Don't know Les Smith from Tucker County. They got snow there last night.

They have some really pretty vinyl fences these days. Would look great with brick. Wrought iron or metal fencing also works well with brick, but it's probably much more expensive.

Planting vegetation along the inside of the fence will eventually hide the fence, and you will have kept out the trespassers and got the landscaping you want.

I am in the middle of my block with both sides and back fence shared with the neighbors.

I planted a wonderful combo of evergreens for screening and bushes for color, grasses for beauty. Yes, my fenceline now sounds like a suburban jungle, but it really isn't!

Ugly corner/steep bank in back: Staggered Sea Green Junipers and ground cover. Long back fence: Mix of tall Maiden Grass and Magnolia Trees. Screening on dull neighbor side: Hicks Yew and Emerald Green Arborvitea- they grow tall not wide.

I differ on the attitude of the pear tree. I bought a Chantaclear Pear which grows extremely upright. Buy your tree from a reputable nursery (skip discount stores). Cheap trees look okay when you plant them, however the shock of poor care, drying out, etc. comes out later when they die or succumb to disease. Buy the biggest diameter you can afford- getting to enjoy it today is wonderful. My pear is only two years old and it is already past my 2nd story window and beautiful. I do not regret spending the extra money at all.