I love rugosa roses and they make a great hedge- but they are hard to find. I still miss the one I lost when the house was foreclosed, haven;t found another locally yet.
Following as I sadly now need screening from the behind me neighbors. I am just sick about this, I’ve read too many ‘neighbors from hell’ stories here and fear my own impending story.
Went to a huge local nursery for more ideas yesterday, and got some more recommendations. I walked around with her while she named some off, and checked the ASPCA Web site for poisonous ones (crossed several off this way). I told her I wanted something either evergreen or dense deciduous, bird friendly, moderate to fast growth, min 5’ height, non-conifer, and bonus would be nice flowers/attractive foliage and deer resistant. Ideas I got to share with you guys!
Elderberry
Dogwoods in hedge form
Ninebark
Sweetshrub/Allspice
Abelia
She did say that rugosa rose would be great but she didn’t think anyone sold them (I have an online source that has iffy reviews but is super cheap for bareroot so even if 75 percent survive it would be good I think).
The nursery gave you some good choices. I would avoid the dogwoods though. The yellow twig and red twig dogwoods in my yard have been destroyed by deer. Elderberry, ninebark and abelia are better options. For areas where the horses can’t get to them, clumping bamboo (a non-invasive variety) makes a gorgeous screen. Bamboo is not toxic, but horses may like to nibble on the tasty new shoots.
Elderberry is short lived, at least around here (Northeast, not northwest). Ninebark is nice, and there are some really pretty varieties. It can also get very dense, which would be nice I suspect?
Mail order bare root can work, I do a lot that way, be prepared for die off of some and have the site ready before you get them. I’ve done oak, pine, arborvitae, rhododendron, hawthorn, birch, apple, and many others that way. The key is to get them in the ground and watered fast. They can’t sit around waiting for weeks on end. Also, mail order bare-roots tend to be tiny, so a a good mulch to prevent competition will help.
I’m digging the sweetshrub/allspice right now, because bonus is they can be used for cuttings. I will spend this year pondering.
I forgot one: Mexican orange blossom
