Throughout the last year and a half, one thing COVID has taught us is how to entertain and enjoy life in our own backyards. Many of us have added additions to our houses, renovated our landscapes, and created our staycations at home. Now that we’ve all learned how to spend more time at home, have you noticed the neighbors peering over to see what you are doing? Or maybe you just want to sit out back with a good book and enjoy some alone time. If you’re looking to create more privacy around your Central or South Brevard County outdoor property, it’s time to think about a living privacy fence. Fences are great, walls are decorative, but a vegetation line makes a beautiful display of sound-blocking visual art.
Creating a living privacy screen with trees or shrubs is usually less expensive than installing and maintaining a fence. It requires little maintenance, blocks out wind and sound, and increases the amount of wildlife visiting your backyard. Let’s take a look at some of the most common yet best tree options for creating a privacy fence around your Central or South Brevard home. Then, you can decide for yourself the best course of action.
Arborvitae
One of the most popular shrubs due to its teardrop shape is the arborvitae. The arborvitae is a fast-growing evergreen with silk, glossy, dark green needles. You can plant these low-maintenance, soft bushes in a row to create a wall between one landscape and the next. Most varieties of arborvitae shrubs grow to be about ten to 15 feet tall. They need full to partial sun and prefer moist soil. Its tiny, scale-like leaves are packed closely together in rows, and its trunk is sometimes forked near the ground into several main stems covered with reddish-brown bark. It provides a home for many birds, including grackles, robins, and house finches. Deer can do damage to this tree, however, if this becomes a problem, a simple deer repellent can help.
Boxwood
There are a few different types of boxwood you can grow as hedges in Florida. These dense, evergreen shrubs can create the perfect formal wall, matching border, or be planted as a focal point for foundation plantings. They are easy to care for and have glossy, deep green leaves with a fine texture. The size, growth rate, and hardiness vary between the different types of boxwood shrubs. Some are low growing and spreading; some grow round, others grow upright, and some are more cylindrical. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering is needed if temperatures get too hot in the summer, which they often do here in Central and South Brevard.
Walter’s Viburnum
Walter’s viburnum will make a great privacy fence for any Central or South Brevard landscape. It grows well into a shrub or small tree with the added bonus of small white flowers that grow in the spring attracting butterflies and other pollinators. This Florida native’s leaves are glossy and dark green and emit an appealing fragrance when crushed. It can grow to be about 20 feet tall, but other, shorter varieties are available.
Walter’s viburnum is fairly low maintenance. It prefers full sun and tolerates a range of soil types. In the fall, its fruit attracts birds and other wildlife. It also makes a great nesting spot for cardinals. If you are looking for a privacy fence that will attract an array of wildlife, Walter viburnum is the plant for you.
Italian Cypress
If you’re looking to add style and grace to your property but have limited space, try planting a row of Italian Cypress trees. Known for its long and skinny silhouette, this compact plant can squeeze in tight spaces while giving you the privacy you need and plenty of height. It has dark green needles that are soft to the touch and dance in the wind, and glisten in the sun.
Italian Cypress trees are fast growers sprouting up to three feet in any given year, giving you the privacy you want fast. They require little water, prefer Brevard’s full sun, adapt to a variety of soils, and are heat tolerant.
For All Your Tree and Shrub Care Needs, Call on Flowers Turf and Pest Management
When it comes time to plant your living privacy fence, the experts at Flowers Turf and Pest Management can help. With a love for horticulture, we have a dedicated ornamental division with tree and plant specialists who are certified, insured, and bonded. We can help you assess your Central or South Brevard property and determine which evergreens will work best for you.
When it comes to the care and maintenance of the trees and shrubs on your property, Flowers Turf and Pest Management also offer a high-quality tree and shrub care program that will ensure the strength, sustainability, and endurance of your vegetation.
Contact us to get started today. You can reach us via our online contact us form or by phone at 321-254-1929.
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