Other Plants for Screens & Hedges

Leyland and Arborvitae are the first two that come to mind when thinking of a screen. Both selections are evergreen and provide beautiful deep green color throughout all seasons. There are alternatives to these trees that have been successfully used that provide color and even flowers.
Purpose, size, and location of the screen will be the most influential factors into what should be grown. Will the purpose of the screen be to create privacy, hide a view/eyesore, or keep noise down from a heavy traffic road? Smaller gardens won’t want to sacrifice a lot of ground space for large trees. Vertical height and interest can be added with trees that tolerate heavy pruning such as pollarding, vines on arbors, espalier woody plants, or living walls. The amount of sunlight in the area will change what plants will live there. For dry, shady areas, English Laurels (Prunus laurocerasus) do well as screens in these conditions.
Although evergreens are typically the first choice for screens, deciduous plants (lose leaves in winter) should not be completely taken out of the picture. I have grown up in this area bearing the cold winds of winter. The islands are practically ghost towns. My point being, evergreens are serving a year round purpose for many summer bound people. Instead of covering the garden from the ground up with Leylands, standard trees give an opportunity to extend the color and season of the garden below the canopy. Smaller trees work best such as Crape Myrtle, Dogwood, Serviceberry, and select varieties of shade trees that have more columnar forms such as Armstrong Red Maple (Acer rubrum ‘Armstrong’).
An alternative to Leyland and Arborvitae that many customers have asked about recently is Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) for its similar look but superior hardiness. Redcedar is native to nearly 37 states including New Jersey, withstanding poor soils with a fibrous root system and drought when established. It’s an important tree for many birds as a cover and nesting site. Leylands and arborvitae are not as widely adapted to soils including ones inundated by salt water. Leylands are very shallow rooted drying up quickly and having a tendency to lean in strong winds if not staked properly. Improved cultivars of Redcedar offer various sizes that will fit nearly any garden and holds color throughout the winter.
Many shrubs grow tall enough to be used as a screen such as Silverberry (Eleagnus x ebbingei) and Seven-son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides). Silveryberry is an evergreen shrub that can be used as an alternative to Red Tip Photinia. It has silver green foliage that grows quickly and gracefully tolerating a good shear throughout the season. It tolerates our coastal conditions of salt spray and wind. The fall, however, is its best time with white miniature flowers giving off a strong fragrance. Seven-son Flower matures to a large shrub or single stem tree if trained to about 15 to 20 feet holding large green leaves in the growing season and losing them in winter to reveal peeling bark. The white, fragrant flowers appear late summer into fall supplying a late nectar source for butterflies with the berries maturing dark pink, appearing to flower again.
The best plants will be the ones that work for you and the garden. Peruse local gardens, garden centers, and nurseries for inspiration. Don’t be confined to what everyone else is planting. There’s room to be creative and plenty of plants that fit the bill.
By Lauren Popper