UF/IFAS Okeechobee Extension Service

Early this week I received a phone call from a Okeechobee homeowner who requested help on a landscaping issue. My column this week will share my responses to her with the community, and also share the answers that our Okeechobee Master Gardeners came up with to solve this problems.

Miss Annie (her name has been changed) has a neighbor that doesn't have the same level of "neatness" as she does, and she wanted to plant some bushes to block out the view. To a landscaper, this kind of planting is called a screen. Planting a "green screen" is no different than any other landscape feature. If care is given in selecting the right plants and proper planting methods are used, a desirable look can result.

The common way to plant a screen is to buy a bunch of bushes at the cheapest price, dig them into the ground in a straight row right along the property line, and give it lots of water and fertilizer to grow fast. The result can be less than satisfactory.

A first step ought to be to examine the site before the plants are selected. Does the location get full sun, partial shade, or a variety of light conditions? How about the soil - underwater most of the time, or desert-like? Is it marly shell rock, mucky black dirt, or sugar sand? Most soils in our area can experience seasonal variations in moisture and drainage. How about the prevailing wind directions? Screens can also be used to direct or deflect warm or cold winds.

Are there other site requirements? For instance, how wide a planting area is available for planting? Are there power lines above or underground utilities below the ground along this area? Are there plans to add other major landscape features, home additions or driveways in the future? Got kids? Avoid poisonous plants!

Next, consider the personal tastes of the property owner. Is there a need for thick foliage all year round (pick evergreen plants), or is the screen only needed in the summer months (choose deciduous plants). Is there a need for physical security as part of the screen? If so, consider choosing plants with thorns or thick growth habits. Add personal preferences for flowers, edible fruits, textures, tropical looks etc.

Now you are ready to choose the plants! Annie told me that she has no limitations on space, and the site has good well drained soil with full sun. She needs a year-round screen, and would like to have the plants mature at a height of 6 feet or more. Since her desire is to get the screen up and growing a quickly as possible, my first suggestion was to consider planting a series of clumping dwarf bamboos. She didn't like this idea because her only experience with bamboo was with taller, running varieties that can get out of hand.

Another suggestion I had was to use Red Cedar trees staggered in a zig zag planting pattern so that the screen would have greater depth at maturity. She seemed to like that suggestion a bit better, but wanted a few more ideas. So, I referred her to a real group of experts, our Okeechobee Master Gardeners.

Master Gardeners Terri and Bill came up with another excellent suggestion: a layered pattern of taller, medium, and shorter plants that could also be zig-zagged to produce a full barrier, yet would allow for diversity and economy among the plant choices. They were also looking a lower maintenance plants that are well adapted to local conditions as well as those free from pests.

These examples of layered shrub screens were photographed at McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach Florida.
Foreground plants are stoppers and snowberry; background plants are wax myrtle. These are low maintenance natives.	Wild Coffee are the front plants; Shell Ginger is the background plant. Note the differences in texture!

If you want more information about any of these choices, please contact us, especially on Tuesday afternoons when our Master Gardeners take over our office. Or, check our web page, where I have put up computer links to UF bulletins on each of these plant suggestions.

Master Gardeners can answer your questions about your Florida Yard - call or visit them on Tuesday afternoons here at our office. If you need additional information on landscape screens, visit out webpage at http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu , or stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North. Our phone number is (863) 763-6469, and you can email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu .

Gilman, Ed. Hydrangea quercifolia. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet FPS-259, 10/99.

ibid. Ilex vomitoria "Nana". Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet FPS-274, 10/99.

ibid. Ilex cassine Dahoon Holly. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet ST-299 11/93.

ibid. Juniperus silicicola Southern Redcedar. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet ST-326 11/93

ibid. Myrica cerifera Southern Waxmyrtle. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet ST-410 11/93.

Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS /University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Acting Dean.