I have had such an overwhelming response recently to my HOA in your way? Grow Yourself a Fence post, that I feel compelled to write an update. Here is Part 2 of the privacy shrub story.
With a limitation on what we are allowed to do right now, its no surprise that folks are looking outdoors-literally– for inspiration.
Perhaps you want to add more greenery to your space? Add a touch of privacy to your yard? Maybe you can no longer stand looking at your neighbor?…
Whatever the reason may be, I’m here to offer some updates from what I have found with my own backyard’s privacy hedges.
Part 1 broke down the different types of hedges commonly used for privacy. I had originally gone with ligustrum as they are hardy and deal with the Florida heat well. While they have grown significantly since planting, they are still a little scraggily. (See below. Partially our fault as we weren’t fully aware of the pruning process in the beginning. )
Still gets the job done. Just not as pretty as they would have been had we known how to take care of them from the get-go.
Since then, I have branched out to using viburnum.
Why Viburnum this time?
I couldn’t get past my customer’s viburnum hedges. I mean, look at these 15 foot beauties!:
Remember in Part 1 when I said 98% of my yard had wood fencing? I wasn’t kidding. After being so pleased with how much privacy the ligustrum had offered (even though it took a while), we decided to put plants in for the rest of the perimeter. Here are the 42 viburnum bushes we needed.
Now here they are planted in the ground. Obviously a lot shorter than when above the ground. Taking what we had learned from the ligustrum hedges, we knew that we’d need to water often and prune frequently from Day 1.
Here They Are at 9 Months
Here They Are at 1 Year
True- they would be significantly taller had we just left them be and not pruned. BUT, they would also not have been as bushy which is key. Cognitive pruning and maintenance have made ALL the difference this time. They have grown so fast and already surpass the fence line height in just one year.
I am very pleased with how they have turned out and would absolutely recommend them for an additional line of privacy. It is crazy how fast viburnum grows!
How do you prune them? Best season to prune them? I’m from Australia Sydney!
Thanks
Hi Shirley!
Wow! Thank you so much for reaching out from Australia! They are super easy to prune. We just focus on forming the shape, cutting any stragglers off in the process so it will bush out properly. They’ll look really ugly and short for a while, but its best to have them bush ‘out’ rather than bushing ‘up’ at first. Simple hedger trimmers can do the trick. A few swipes up the sides and across the top and your set! The humidity is outrageous here year-round, with constant rainfall. This allows us to trim them basically any time as they thrive in this climate. We do tend to hold back during our “winter” season, when the temps drop below 70’F or so. I’ll be posting another update soon since they are absolutely thriving right now, stay tuned!
How far apart did you plant them?
Hi Patti!
They are 3 feet apart. I remember thinking that was way too far in between when we first planted them, but it actually was perfect. The space has helped them have room to grow…literally!
Hi. Love this post. Since you have a tiny fur baby you might find a puppy bumper helpful. It’s an inflatable collar. Just put it on before they go out .
Hi Leslie!
Super cute idea, thank you!
Hi! Great post! I am looking to do this exact same thing on my property line to put a buffer between our yard and the neighbors. Do these bushes flower in the spring? How tall have you kept them after having planted them a couple years ago? Lastly, how often do they require trimming to keep at your desired height? Thank you!!
Hi Lacey,
They do flower in the spring and smell divine. They are up to 12 feet now! We trim them regularly to keep the shape and keep them from getting too much taller. The size now is just right for our outdoor living space.