I am thinking something like this with redi-rock.....little higher though....can also put plants or something on top of it in summer...
Need input for landscaping/building a tree barrier between neighbor
- Thread starter james88
- Start date
I am thinking something like this with redi-rock.....little higher though....can also put plants or something on top of it in summer...
legally as far as I know, how HIGH you can go will be based on what you BUILD or not and what zoning laws in your area allow
a FENCE in most places legally cannot be more than 6 ft tall, OR maybe should say one solid piece of wall taller than 6 ft, as I have known a few folks that went taller, but to get approval they had to use two sections of fence ( have some here 9 ft+ the same way)
as for a retaining wall, this I again gather will come down to zoning , but as of now know of ZERO setting on them
my retaining wall I have here is about 9-10 ft in some places due to lay of the land, and how much I back filled in a slope I have
I also wanted to keep neighbors from being able to see as they walked out there door, and due to there pl;ace being higher than mine, it took me to 8 ft and went a ft taller,a s was just easier to cut 6 ft tall sections in half to do so for me!
Most of the info I know of on the BIN BLOCK< or large retaining wall stones, is, most can be stacked safely up to about 14 ft, or that's what they claim on many web sites, as I did look into using them when I was building my retaining wall, but ended up getting a super deal on some huge railroad bridge timbers(12x12 inch, x15 ft long, 800+ lbs each and they were just easier for me to work with alone so used them instead, but almost went with the bin blocks due to both price and long term life of them, my retaining wall I know ill fail down the road, I HOPE not till I kick the bucket and be someone else problem, or that"s what I hope!LOL
as for pictures of cedar fencing, if you do a image search there are thousands of options, here are a few for you I found , and there were thousands of designs to view, these are a few different types as examples for you!
the only issue I see with using WOOD fence like this, even cedar, is due to the shade that seems like its there a LOT< odds are your going to have green algae/mold grow on them, and to get rid of that it tends to take spraying something like bleach on them, to kill it, and that will maybe ruin the coloring after being stained, its just part of having wood in a shaded moist area(water from lake will make it more moist and this WILL happen)
it will also grow on anything you place there IMO<
stone however can be sprayed and issue free!
they do sell some more special sprays that maybe more safe to use(I know Vodka works well if you want to waste it LOL)
look at trunks of tree's in like area's and see if there is GREEN on bark
things that get a lot of shade just get this on them
a FENCE in most places legally cannot be more than 6 ft tall, OR maybe should say one solid piece of wall taller than 6 ft, as I have known a few folks that went taller, but to get approval they had to use two sections of fence ( have some here 9 ft+ the same way)
as for a retaining wall, this I again gather will come down to zoning , but as of now know of ZERO setting on them
my retaining wall I have here is about 9-10 ft in some places due to lay of the land, and how much I back filled in a slope I have
I also wanted to keep neighbors from being able to see as they walked out there door, and due to there pl;ace being higher than mine, it took me to 8 ft and went a ft taller,a s was just easier to cut 6 ft tall sections in half to do so for me!
Most of the info I know of on the BIN BLOCK< or large retaining wall stones, is, most can be stacked safely up to about 14 ft, or that's what they claim on many web sites, as I did look into using them when I was building my retaining wall, but ended up getting a super deal on some huge railroad bridge timbers(12x12 inch, x15 ft long, 800+ lbs each and they were just easier for me to work with alone so used them instead, but almost went with the bin blocks due to both price and long term life of them, my retaining wall I know ill fail down the road, I HOPE not till I kick the bucket and be someone else problem, or that"s what I hope!LOL
as for pictures of cedar fencing, if you do a image search there are thousands of options, here are a few for you I found , and there were thousands of designs to view, these are a few different types as examples for you!
the only issue I see with using WOOD fence like this, even cedar, is due to the shade that seems like its there a LOT< odds are your going to have green algae/mold grow on them, and to get rid of that it tends to take spraying something like bleach on them, to kill it, and that will maybe ruin the coloring after being stained, its just part of having wood in a shaded moist area(water from lake will make it more moist and this WILL happen)
it will also grow on anything you place there IMO<
stone however can be sprayed and issue free!
they do sell some more special sprays that maybe more safe to use(I know Vodka works well if you want to waste it LOL)
look at trunks of tree's in like area's and see if there is GREEN on bark
things that get a lot of shade just get this on them
also, odds are you can also just POUR a concrete wall too?(costs might be pretty higher for this due to need of good forms and all and might need a building permit to do so as well, so before so anything, check into that as if not, and a neighbor complains, you could end up with a fine or having to tear it down and doing over again!
maybe even hire some local school/collage students in the art classes to paint something nice on BOTH sides
heck might even be a tax credit you can get for doing so HAHA!
maybe even hire some local school/collage students in the art classes to paint something nice on BOTH sides
heck might even be a tax credit you can get for doing so HAHA!
Today i saw someone with a 6 ft fence, and it had tall arbor vitae shrubs around it, maybe 20- 30 feet in the air. The bottom areas of the shrub were trimmed off, or possibly deer ate them, but once above a certain height, the deer can not get at tit. Are their places then can deliver these tall shrubs , that are already 20 feet tall?
I understand it may cost $$$$. But that would be the best of both worlds, 6ft retaining wall, with tall shrubs around it, already grown...
I understand it may cost $$$$. But that would be the best of both worlds, 6ft retaining wall, with tall shrubs around it, already grown...
I have known of a few places that will sell 10-16 ft tall tree's
but the costs are crazy, and there is also a large mortality rate on transplanting the tree's
, and again if your soil is not healthy to support them, it will be a LOT of money down the drain!
also keep in mind a 12+ ft tree will have a root ball about that wide, so a hole will need to be dug as wide as the root system, so the tree;'s would have to be placed first and THEN the wall
tree dies, you'll be digging wall up to remove roots!
deer can reach up to about 6 ft off the ground standing on hind legs to reach things, just a FYI for you on that!
and lots of pine tree's end up loosing the ground up layers of branches , when in more shady area's due to lack of light to allow them to continue to grow!
so many times pines in shaded area's end up with a branch system that starts off a ft or so from the ground and as time passes, ends up a few feet up before you get branches to STAY green and growing!
which doesn't help at all provide a barrier from eyes to see onto your side!
my one property original owner planted pines all around the whole property 60+ yrs ago
NONE have any GREEN branches left below the 5+ ft mark
and this again is common when dealing with pine tree's growing in places that get few few hours of sunlight
photosynthesis , is the process of what it takes for plants to live, and they need sunlight to make it happen
shaded area's end up with sunlight only hitting parts or one side of tree's and thus, parts of pines stop staying green from lack of sunlight!
I have planted a few thousand pine tree's over the yrs, along with other types for habitat improvement projects(did over a thousand for yrs on one site alone, so have a little experience in planting tree;'s , from seedlings to larger one's!)
but the costs are crazy, and there is also a large mortality rate on transplanting the tree's
, and again if your soil is not healthy to support them, it will be a LOT of money down the drain!
also keep in mind a 12+ ft tree will have a root ball about that wide, so a hole will need to be dug as wide as the root system, so the tree;'s would have to be placed first and THEN the wall
tree dies, you'll be digging wall up to remove roots!
deer can reach up to about 6 ft off the ground standing on hind legs to reach things, just a FYI for you on that!
and lots of pine tree's end up loosing the ground up layers of branches , when in more shady area's due to lack of light to allow them to continue to grow!
so many times pines in shaded area's end up with a branch system that starts off a ft or so from the ground and as time passes, ends up a few feet up before you get branches to STAY green and growing!
which doesn't help at all provide a barrier from eyes to see onto your side!
my one property original owner planted pines all around the whole property 60+ yrs ago
NONE have any GREEN branches left below the 5+ ft mark
and this again is common when dealing with pine tree's growing in places that get few few hours of sunlight
photosynthesis , is the process of what it takes for plants to live, and they need sunlight to make it happen
shaded area's end up with sunlight only hitting parts or one side of tree's and thus, parts of pines stop staying green from lack of sunlight!
I have planted a few thousand pine tree's over the yrs, along with other types for habitat improvement projects(did over a thousand for yrs on one site alone, so have a little experience in planting tree;'s , from seedlings to larger one's!)
Ok, what about putting some indoor/outdoor xmas trees on top of a 6 foot retaining wall? These can be used outdoors....And some xmas trees are 9 feet high...and take them off in winter....
https://www.wayfair.com/The-Holiday...8Xo-VCbuSf-383sPln4zQRU_1VHtOeFQaAlBGEALw_wcB
https://www.wayfair.com/The-Holiday...8Xo-VCbuSf-383sPln4zQRU_1VHtOeFQaAlBGEALw_wcB
Question:
I have two small Colorado Spruce Trees that were doing very well for two seasons now. Landscaper added mulch and now they are turning brown. This is all within a 6 week period. ( plenty of water )
Can adding mulch cause them to die? The Boxwoods in between haven't been affected. ( my suspicion is that there's something in the new mulch that's causing harm to the trees)
I have two small Colorado Spruce Trees that were doing very well for two seasons now. Landscaper added mulch and now they are turning brown. This is all within a 6 week period. ( plenty of water )
Can adding mulch cause them to die? The Boxwoods in between haven't been affected. ( my suspicion is that there's something in the new mulch that's causing harm to the trees)
yes adding mulch can kill things or cause issues, as mock colored mulch is dyed and pending the make up of the dye used it can possible pollute the soil under it and cause stress to the tree
it also effect how the tree gets water now,a s more layers for water to get thru to hit the ground
OR can be holding too much water and that isn;t good either!
tree's are like any living thing, they need "X:" nutrients, too much ot too little causes them to stress and or possibly die!
and by the way Pine tree's typically get ALL there water needs thru there needles NOT roots
BUT there roots will pick up the nutrients in the soil which feeds the whole tree!
so when watering them you mostly need to water the tree not the ground about it, pending HOW long its been sine rain any how!
it also effect how the tree gets water now,a s more layers for water to get thru to hit the ground
OR can be holding too much water and that isn;t good either!
tree's are like any living thing, they need "X:" nutrients, too much ot too little causes them to stress and or possibly die!
and by the way Pine tree's typically get ALL there water needs thru there needles NOT roots
BUT there roots will pick up the nutrients in the soil which feeds the whole tree!
so when watering them you mostly need to water the tree not the ground about it, pending HOW long its been sine rain any how!
heckler56
Active member
A number of great suggestions by people here. What my wife and I have done at the various properties we have owned over the years is simple. Understand the soil characteristics is paramount as mentioned. Locate a landscaper or local garden center that is “native plants” only and see what those plants are. Big thing is finding out what grows native in your area and also benefits not introduction invasive plants. Lastly look at your main points of view - areas you will occupy most of the time and stager plants. Case in point at our current home on a lake we have the same thing with close homes and one of those points we addressed was our patio. We have a Nine Bark then 10’ toward the neighbor and off to the side a magnolia, then another 10’ toward the neighbor is a clump river birch. All three when looking that direction from the patio mask/diffuse the neighbors. The other side of our home has been a rental $hithol@ for years. There we did the solid in a line arborvitie because they always have some form of junk laying around and our kitchen window stares at it.
Right now, I am very much leaning toward building a 5 feet retaining wall (or berm?) and put the fake outdoor trees on top. Something like the attached pic, but I really don't want to mess with planting things...and would like to put the fake outdoor trees on top.
I have ordered one tree to see how it looks outside. The trees are 7ft high, and 4 feet 3 inches wide. Here are the possible trees
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Costway...stmas-Tree-with-Stand-Green-CM19723/314322637
1. Will this look stupid?
2. How to fasten the trees on top? Burlap bags with weights and a covering ? Or drill a cirlcle hole down into the top concrete block and slide it down?
3. What about staggered trees on top to totally block the view above 5 feet? Just make the top of the wall have a flat panel top that one can place
staggered trees or other bushes on top?
I have ordered one tree to see how it looks outside. The trees are 7ft high, and 4 feet 3 inches wide. Here are the possible trees
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Costway...stmas-Tree-with-Stand-Green-CM19723/314322637
1. Will this look stupid?
2. How to fasten the trees on top? Burlap bags with weights and a covering ? Or drill a cirlcle hole down into the top concrete block and slide it down?
3. What about staggered trees on top to totally block the view above 5 feet? Just make the top of the wall have a flat panel top that one can place
staggered trees or other bushes on top?
Ok I know I mentioned using fake X mas tree's
That said, , keep this in mind
them tree's all have metal the fake needles attach too, and that will rust out pretty fast
the fake needles , odds are are NOT made to be outside and doubt they will hold up any amount of time, to the elements and or lightning/UV
so what ever they MIGHT look like day one, day 20-50-90, odds are they will NOT look the same for long!
NOW< if you really wanted to go this route, its NOT hard to get them to stay put
odd are you can simply stake a heavy duty pipe or likes in the all as you build it, and then just attach the tree's to them,. and have them so they can be taken down at will
if it was ME< I think I would just do a 6 ft tall wall of some sorts, be it a privacy fence, or stone/rock,bin ben, block deal
at 6 ft tall
few folks are that tall to see well over it, so it will block 99% of any views from there side to yours and vise versa!
if you really wanted, you can maybe then add some fake flowers in pots
a good strong wall, as time passes you can get as creative as you want to make it taller by adding what ever!
fake X mas tree's
IMO< will look cheesy pretty fast and rust out and just be a waste of your money!
another CRAZY idea, , build a wall like you have in your pic here, and add some Elephant grass to it?
that crap grows like a weed in many places and since you will be filling the wall in with dirt, USE GOOD ORGANIC top soil
and it should have plenty of nutrients to allow it to strive
it cam grow 14+ ft tall?
there are also other things you can plant that will grow on there own and keep things higher and even add some color or flowers at times! and be pretty much maintenance free!
building the all like this, your biggest factor in what will grow will be SUNLIGHT
a good landscaping provider should be able to advice you on what grows well in your area in the amount of sunlight you have there
as again, the wall will be FILLED with GOOD SOIL , , so things should grow then not having to worry about soil on site!
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another idea if you like this
since you planning to BUILD a wall
you can also add a waterfall if you wanted that recycles water , it will add a sound effect to the wall and your back yard LOL can also be like a bench to sit by on
running water in them doesn't attract mosquito's either like standing water does!
and if NOT a water fall, what about a water fountain on top to work as as shield of sorts??
can also add some colored light to it as well!
if your spending $$ get all you want while its being built, rather than WHAT IF< after the fact! HAHA!
That said, , keep this in mind
them tree's all have metal the fake needles attach too, and that will rust out pretty fast
the fake needles , odds are are NOT made to be outside and doubt they will hold up any amount of time, to the elements and or lightning/UV
so what ever they MIGHT look like day one, day 20-50-90, odds are they will NOT look the same for long!
NOW< if you really wanted to go this route, its NOT hard to get them to stay put
odd are you can simply stake a heavy duty pipe or likes in the all as you build it, and then just attach the tree's to them,. and have them so they can be taken down at will
if it was ME< I think I would just do a 6 ft tall wall of some sorts, be it a privacy fence, or stone/rock,bin ben, block deal
at 6 ft tall
few folks are that tall to see well over it, so it will block 99% of any views from there side to yours and vise versa!
if you really wanted, you can maybe then add some fake flowers in pots
a good strong wall, as time passes you can get as creative as you want to make it taller by adding what ever!
fake X mas tree's
IMO< will look cheesy pretty fast and rust out and just be a waste of your money!
another CRAZY idea, , build a wall like you have in your pic here, and add some Elephant grass to it?
that crap grows like a weed in many places and since you will be filling the wall in with dirt, USE GOOD ORGANIC top soil
and it should have plenty of nutrients to allow it to strive
it cam grow 14+ ft tall?
there are also other things you can plant that will grow on there own and keep things higher and even add some color or flowers at times! and be pretty much maintenance free!
building the all like this, your biggest factor in what will grow will be SUNLIGHT
a good landscaping provider should be able to advice you on what grows well in your area in the amount of sunlight you have there
as again, the wall will be FILLED with GOOD SOIL , , so things should grow then not having to worry about soil on site!
- - - Updated - - -
another idea if you like this
since you planning to BUILD a wall
you can also add a waterfall if you wanted that recycles water , it will add a sound effect to the wall and your back yard LOL can also be like a bench to sit by on
running water in them doesn't attract mosquito's either like standing water does!
and if NOT a water fall, what about a water fountain on top to work as as shield of sorts??
can also add some colored light to it as well!
if your spending $$ get all you want while its being built, rather than WHAT IF< after the fact! HAHA!
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Do the soil test. Look around your area and see what's doing well. Take a walk in the woods, look for an area that has similar amount of sunlight to where you want to plant. Dig up a few and plant them now. The smaller the tree to start with, the better it will transplant. Yes it might take a couple years to get the height you want, but in the long run it will be worth it. Zero cost, and much better looking than an artificial tree.
I agree with some of this!
However, but be careful, digging up and removing tree's from both private and public lands that ain't your's,. as it can be be ILLEGAL,
might seem silly and maybe no one will see or ever know or care(and I believe in the gray area in life ,so ain't throwing any stones here!)
but just saying , it is illegal in most states to do so!
Its just IMO< always best to know the risks before doing things HAHA!
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if plans are to leave outside yr round at some point, you can maybe add some climbing vines to the fake tree's to help add some more realistic looks to them, many of them will do good in shade and less than great soils, but it comes down to what type you use as with any planting,
it has to be able to live off what the soil there has in it and amount of sunlight it gets!
tquick67675
Member
I put in a row of burning bushes several years back for this purpose. They are now over 6 feet tall and no see neighbors. They attract lightning bugs in the summer (quite the light show) and are beautiful in the fall.
favoritos
Well-known member
I really like the advice from katden4. Partially because I'm cheap and partially because of the practical reality.
Sun and soil are sorta important to plants. Money is sorta important to my wallet.
I live with a gardener. I give her credit for doing the research on garden plants for our heavy shade situation. She has tried a few that "might" work with very limited success. Shade is a surprisingly effective plant inhibitor. The sun loving plant experiments have been meh, at best.
Sounds like you are looking at a wide variety of options mainly aimed at privacy. There are some weedy climbing vines that would grow like crazy in your situation. Any fence, wall, or artificial trees could serve as a structure. I've dealt with five leaf ivy on a few properties. It sure does make an effective barrier. I can't argue about its ability to grow. I've left the base plants on a few border fences and just "burn off" the stragglers with 2,4D. Spot spraying and an occasional snip keep it under control.
I've also had to deal with a few "weedy" plants that my gardening addict planted. I wouldn't wish those on my enemies. Control can turn into a never ending battle. Choose wisely.
Dang, mrbb got to some of this while I was typing.
Sun and soil are sorta important to plants. Money is sorta important to my wallet.
I live with a gardener. I give her credit for doing the research on garden plants for our heavy shade situation. She has tried a few that "might" work with very limited success. Shade is a surprisingly effective plant inhibitor. The sun loving plant experiments have been meh, at best.
Sounds like you are looking at a wide variety of options mainly aimed at privacy. There are some weedy climbing vines that would grow like crazy in your situation. Any fence, wall, or artificial trees could serve as a structure. I've dealt with five leaf ivy on a few properties. It sure does make an effective barrier. I can't argue about its ability to grow. I've left the base plants on a few border fences and just "burn off" the stragglers with 2,4D. Spot spraying and an occasional snip keep it under control.
I've also had to deal with a few "weedy" plants that my gardening addict planted. I wouldn't wish those on my enemies. Control can turn into a never ending battle. Choose wisely.
Dang, mrbb got to some of this while I was typing.
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The fake xmas tree arrived. Here are two pics of it.
Pros: The color is really good looking green.
There is some blockage from tree, took a while to spruce out the wires.
Cons: Will 20 trees in a row or staggered provide enough blockage if they are place on top of a free standing wall?
I thought it would be a wider tree
Just have to find the best fake tree for the money involved. Attached is also a nice pic of cypress trees in a perimeter wall.
Pros: The color is really good looking green.
There is some blockage from tree, took a while to spruce out the wires.
Cons: Will 20 trees in a row or staggered provide enough blockage if they are place on top of a free standing wall?
I thought it would be a wider tree
Just have to find the best fake tree for the money involved. Attached is also a nice pic of cypress trees in a perimeter wall.
Attachments
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I think the amount of money you will spend on these fake tree's setting up,. taking down, and all, would be way better spent on something else
if you plan to remove them in winter time, do you have a place to store them all, as , I am guessing to make a decent shield out of them 30 ft long, your looking at maybe 20 tree's?
say a 100 bucks each, that's 2 grand
add in as weather picks at them and they need to be replaced or fade or??
will add this too for more food for thought HAHA!
if you build a nice brig wall, maybe build a big fire pit/BBQ into it, and get more use out of it to maybe help justify things
if you plan to remove them in winter time, do you have a place to store them all, as , I am guessing to make a decent shield out of them 30 ft long, your looking at maybe 20 tree's?
say a 100 bucks each, that's 2 grand
add in as weather picks at them and they need to be replaced or fade or??
will add this too for more food for thought HAHA!
if you build a nice brig wall, maybe build a big fire pit/BBQ into it, and get more use out of it to maybe help justify things