Great Plants Make Great Neighbors: Plants For Property Lines

If fences make good neighbors, then a beautifully planted edge between your yard and the neighbors should make everyone positively blissful.

But what to plant?

Darrell Youngquest, English Gardens' tree and shrub buyer, suggests sticking to tried-and-true, as well as unusual plants to consider along property lines. There are no strict design rules in their use. Just make sure that your choices meet your needs and that you take into consideration the mature size of the plants you choose.

They've got several important functions to fulfill. First, property line plants serve as backdrops or walls to our gardens. They frame everything that's within. They can add color and texture. Think of them as the paint or wallpaper of your garden rooms. You wouldn't leave that to chance indoors, would you?

Second, these plants enclose and provide privacy to our homes, gardens and outdoor living spaces. Property line plants should be strategically placed to create seclusion and a feeling of safety.

Third, rather than creating just a one-dimensional wall of green, large-scale plants can be used to frame views. Just like they can cover eyesores, they can also heighten and make more attractive views or scenery outside our gardens.

Youngquest suggests considering these for your property edges:

Amur Maple

This maple is a bush rather than a tree and forms a beautiful, informal boundary hedge. It grows to about 20-feet tall and has brilliant flame red fall color.

Elderberry

Several new purple- or golden-leaved varieties have great leaf texture and beautiful white clusters of flowers. Plants reach eight to 10 feet tall, and take sun to partial shade.

Green Giant Arborvitae

This is a newer alternative to the traditional emerald green arborvitae. It is a much larger-growing variety and has the added benefit of not being very palatable to deer. 'Green Giant' is a great choice for large lots and can be sheared into a formal hedge if desired.

Viburnum

There are many different viburnums to choose from. Doublefile types have a layered growth and showy white flowers that look like the branches are covered in snow. Others have very fragrant, ball shaped flowers like 'Spice Ball' or Spice Girl'. Most viburnums thrive in sun to part sun and have great leaf texture and fall color.

Panicle-Type Hydrangea

Hydrangea varieties like 'Limelight', 'Phantom, and 'Vanilla Strawberry' have elegant plant shapes and beautiful large white flowers in July. They also hold them well into fall while the flowers change to pink.

'Sonic Bloom' Weigela

This new repeat-blooming weigela gets about six to eight feet tall and wide. It's available with red, pink or pearly-white flowers, blooming heaviest in spring but repeating throughout the summer.

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