Fast growing screen shrub or tree

Recommendations appreciated for shrubs or trees that grow rapidly to create privacy screen. Sandy soil, sunny, and Carolina winters and summers.

Also if you have used a combination of plants - love to avoid the lined up soldiers look.

N

For larger evergreen trees:
Cryptomeria japonica
Thuja 'Green Giant'
Cunninghamia lanceolata
Taiwania cryptomerioides
The latter two won't be as easy to get hold of as the first two, but worth searching for as they will introduce diversity into the screen. All will take Carolina summer heat & humidity well.

Artic willow will grow to about 5' tall and over 5' wide fountain shaped bush. I have alternated it with Diablo Ninebark. It grows like a weed very hardy. See picture
These are planted along a 8' fence. I trim these down to 3' every fall.

I second that! Mixing it up reduces the likelihood of insects and diseases.

Plus, if anything happens to the uniformity of "the soldiers" (LOL) , such as one in the middle that dies, or, one that leans, then it ruins the effect. Hedges like arborvitae take many years before they look nice, in my opinion.

Hi, Resin!

You could try these treee;

Carolina Cherry Laurel, a fast growing evergreen.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57865/index.html

Wax Myrtle, a medium fast growing evergreen
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51482/index.html

Yaupon Holly, another evergreen a little slower growing.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54622/index.html

All are lovely, make berries that will attract birds to your place, and they are native.
I hope that helps.

Josephine.

try some leyland cypress from Heronswood. That guy out there is a fruitcake.
He has more leylands than anyone I know of. Unless they die during the
year and then he doesn't have any more. LOLOL.

when i am feeling powerful, I read my Heronswood catalogs. they are unlike
anything you have ever read before.

Oh my god!! You gotta try some Laurel!!!! Grows like bandwagons.
Especially in yer zone!

Good luck
sheri and her plants

Thanks for all your suggestions. We have already planted some leyland cypress

Thanks to Resin in the UK -

Taiwania cryptomerioides, Coffin Tree (zone 7) _ This conifer is very similar to Cryptomeria but with bluish needles which are very sharp. Eventually this becomes a huge tree. I saw the original tree brought in by the Dodds during WWII and it is a very handsome tree with down sweeping branches with the characteristic parallel branchlets. Like many conifers the cuttings continue to grow laterally for several years. [100'^ × 40'«»] $25.00 There is a tree nursery in Chapel Hill that sells this. Camellia Forest

The Chinafur doesn't like wind - and it blows here all the time.

Thanks,

Nancy