Need cover

[RIX]

Hello all, I am wanting to plant some trees around my house to provide shade and privacy. What would be the best species to plant now and have some cover quicky? I know if I plant saplings it will be 40+ years before I have any cover. I perfer spruce or pine to keep cover all year long. Can you buy say 8 or 10 ft trees and replant? What time you year is best to do something like this? As you can tell I know almost nothing about this :help: , perhaps you can recommend a web site where I can get a basic education. Thanks RIX

 

[A. Stanton]

I'm no tree expert, but here's go. White pines grow the fastest. However, they tend to go bald near the bottom if you plant him too close. I planted a barrier of scotch pine on my property. I've been very happy with them. They grow relatively fast and are low-maintenace. If you have the room, I would tell you to plant two lines of pine trees. The first being white, then the scotch. When the scotch mature, you could then cut the white down.

 

[RIX]

I'm no tree expert, but here's go. White pines grow the fastest. However, they tend to go bald near the bottom if you plant him too close. I planted a barrier of scotch pine on my property. I've been very happy with them. They grow relatively fast and are low-maintenace. If you have the room, I would tell you to plant two lines of pine trees. The first being white, then the scotch. When the scotch mature, you could then cut the white down.

Thanks Stanton, that is a big help. I do have a lot of room, a big yard and no cover near the house. It was my parents place and my Dad hated having trees near the house. I don't plan to plant them real close but enough to enclose the property a little. I like the look of both white and scotch pine I just need to see if I can find som 6 ft to 10 ft trees rather than planting saplings. Thanks again.

 

[Husky137]

White pines always lose their lower limbs as they mature, regardless of proximity.

 

[slowp]

Scotch Pine will grow and makes nice cover, but, the cones are a real pain when mowing the lawn. They are hard, and shoot quite a ways out of the mower. But maybe you have kids to pick them up prior to mowing? White pine will grow well there, and other natives are Red Pine and Jack Pine. I don't know the scientific names of the latter two. A good time to plant is as soon as the ground is thawed. You might want to water them a bit if it is a dry year. The cones of the White Pine go easily through a mower. I lived on Chequamegon Bay for a couple years. It was a little warmer than Duluth.

 

[RIX]

Scotch Pine will grow and makes nice cover, but, the cones are a real pain when mowing the lawn. They are hard, and shoot quite a ways out of the mower. But maybe you have kids to pick them up prior to mowing? White pine will grow well there, and other natives are Red Pine and Jack Pine. I don't know the scientific names of the latter two. A good time to plant is as soon as the ground is thawed. You might want to water them a bit if it is a dry year. The cones of the White Pine go easily through a mower. I lived on Chequamegon Bay for a couple years. It was a little warmer than Duluth.

Right on, the more I learn about this the more I think I should stick with a white or blue spruce, soft cones, thick all the way done even at close prox. I love white pines but I want cover. I may plane some white pines and some spruce. Thanks for the info Slowp.

Husky, thats what I have been finding out. They are sure a beautiful tree thougth, there are lots of them in our area but your right not much for cover as the mature. Still more research to do on finding more mature trees to plant.
Anyway thanks again all. I welcome any other info. RIX

 

[turnkey4099]

You are looking at mutually exclusive (almost) properties. Evergreens are great for border screens but don't give any useable shade. Deciduous trees make good shade but not good screens. For shade and quick growth Hybrid Elm would do but I would plant some slower growing and better looking trees in with them with the idea of cutting out the elms lade.

I moved onto a basically bare place in 1976 and immediately went on a tree planting spree using seedlings as money was tight. I now have my 2 acre patch totally screened on the N and W (highway) sides with spruce (mostly), a few scotch pine. they are 30 and 50 ft tall now. Shade on house is one white birch that I planted way too close. Have 6 Black Walnuts 30-40 ft tall now (had 7 but had to cut one out - same thing - too close), some Locust, Mountain Ash (a bunch), bush cherries and pie cherries (for the birds).

It doesn't take 40 years but 25 at least.

Harry K

 

[RIX]

You are looking at mutually exclusive (almost) properties. Evergreens are great for border screens but don't give any useable shade. Deciduous trees make good shade but not good screens. For shade and quick growth Hybrid Elm would do but I would plant some slower growing and better looking trees in with them with the idea of cutting out the elms lade.

I moved onto a basically bare place in 1976 and immediately went on a tree planting spree using seedlings as money was tight. I now have my 2 acre patch totally screened on the N and W (highway) sides with spruce (mostly), a few scotch pine. they are 30 and 50 ft tall now. Shade on house is one white birch that I planted way too close. Have 6 Black Walnuts 30-40 ft tall now (had 7 but had to cut one out - same thing - too close), some Locust, Mountain Ash (a bunch), bush cherries and pie cherries (for the birds).

It doesn't take 40 years but 25 at least.

Harry K

Thanks Harry, your right, I really need two different type of tree. The trees that I want for privacy are more important now than the shade. Thanks for your help . RIX

 

[gavin]

at my mom's house there are some blue spruces and they are really thick and bushy all the way to the ground. i figure they're 30-40 years old so you won't have to worry about them losing limbs for a long timel. as far as i know they are not fast growers, but maybe it's because they are out of their natural climate here? regardless they are an excellent privacy tree.

 

[slowp]

Thought of something else. Does Duluth have a deer problem? I had to put netting or fencing around pretty much everything in Wisc. The town I lived in had a deer herd that munched on trees, shrubs,... anything not protected.

 

[RIX]

Thought of something else. Does Duluth have a deer problem? I had to put netting or fencing around pretty much everything in Wisc. The town I lived in had a deer herd that munched on trees, shrubs,... anything not protected.

Yeah there a lots of deer, but a lot of people feed them in my area so they seem to have left the trees alone in my yard at least, although they will chow down the stuff planted in the garden if you don't fence it off.

 

[RIX]

at my mom's house there are some blue spruces and they are really thick and bushy all the way to the ground. i figure they're 30-40 years old so you won't have to worry about them losing limbs for a long timel. as far as i know they are not fast growers, but maybe it's because they are out of their natural climate here? regardless they are an excellent privacy tree.

I agree, blue spruce are great looking trees, they do grow naturally here, but I don't know how fast. That may be the direction I head with this. I think I am going to talk to our DNR and see if they can give some input as well. Thanks Gavin.

 

[Husky137]

Typically,blue spruce are pretty slow growers.