 Hedges,
wind breaks, and screens with California natives
Natives are great for hedges! Most species only need a little
water to get established and then can be left on their own. They
often attract birds and other wildlife and can be very deer
proof. There are other natives that can be used for these
purposes but we have found these to be the most effective.
Plants to hide a fence or make a privacy hedge
These plants are good for giving you privacy from the
neighbors or keeping their not-so-tidy yards out of your view.
They can also be good for blocking future traffic. You can't stop
traffic with a 6 inch tall plant so make sure it is well
protected till it can protect itself. Or along these same lines
they can be used to keep out trespassers. These plants are also
good for hiding ugly fences or walls.
There are lots of good Ceanothus for hedges. They are
evergreen, colorful, and grow fast. Make sure you pick the right
plant for your soil. Some Ceanothus prefer sand and some clay.
DON'T PUT THESE ON
DRIP! They will be leggy, short lived, unhealthy and more
susceptible to deer. Ceanothus aren't good for high deer areas
unless you plant the Ceanothus native on the site. For more
Ceanothus see the Ceanothus
page
Ceanothus,
Ray Hartman Mountain Lilac
Ray Hartman Ceanothus can grow anywhere from 6 to 15 ft tall.
It grows very fast. It reaches full sized, from a gallon sized
container, in about 3 years depending on the location. It grows
OK in sand or clay soil. It makes a nice evergreen hedge with
fragrant flowers and not a lot of effort.
Ceanothus,
Frosty Blue
Frosty Blue Ceanothus grows about 6 to 8 ft tall. It is about
the same wide so give it some room or be prepared to trim it. If
you don't like to prune and you want it for a narrow area you
might choose something else. It grows very fast, reaching its
full size in about 3 years. It is very drought tolerant. Just
give it a little water to get it established then leave it alone.
It dose OK in sand or clay. Frosty Blue Ceanothus makes an easy
hedge or short screen with fragrant blue flowers.
Ceanothus,
Mountain Haze
Mountain Haze grows fast, within about 2 years, to around 8
eight feet. It is also about 8 feet wide. Mountain Haze is not as
drought tolerant as Frosty blue. It does better in well drained
soil. Mountain haze is another good Ceanothus for creating a
hedge. It is fast, evergreen, and attractive!
Manzanitas are evergreen and tidy. They are popular for their
colorful red bark. The flowers are good for hummingbird birds.
These are fairly deer proof and very drought tolerant. They make
good hedges because they are clean, evergreen and many grow fast.
To see more manzanitas see the manzanita
page.
Arctostaphylos,
Mama Bear Manzanita
Mama bear Manzanita grows about 8 ft tall and 6 ft wide. It
has very attractive dark red bark and light pink flowers. It
takes about 3 years to reach it's full hight.
Arctostaphylos
pungens, Mexican Manzanita
Mexican manzanita can tolerate very bad soils. It also
tolerates sand or clay. It has very showy dark red bark and gray
foliage. It grows about 3 to 6 ft tall. Mexican Manzanita takes
about 7 years to reach maturity.
Arctostaphylos
densiflora, Sentinel Manzanita
Sentinel manzanita grows about 6 feet tall in about 5 years.
It is about 6 feet wide. It has colorful dark red bark and light
pink flowers. Sentinel Manzanita will tolerate clay but prefers
well drained soil and does well in sand.
Other
good hedge plants
Cercocarpus
alnifolius, Island Mountain Mahogany
Island Mountain mahogany is excellent for tall narrow hedges.
It grows about 12 feet tall and only 3 or 4 feet wide. It is
evergreen and nice looking. It reaches full sized in around 3
years. Deer like to eat it so don't plant it if you are in a high
deer area. It will grow in decomposed granite or clay.
Garrya
elliptica, James Roof silk tassel
James Roof Silk Tassel is an evergreen shrub to small tree
growing about 6 to 10 feet tall. It has large male catkins that
give it the name silk tassel. It usually is taller than it is
wide and makes a nice hedge. It likes a little moisture and part
shade inland. It has large glossy green leaves.
Heteromeles
arbutifolia, Christmas Berry
Christmas Berry is an evergreen shrub that grows about 12 feet
tall. Depending on how happy it is, it may reach its full hight
anywhere from one year to seven. In winter it is covered in red
berries that are popular with birds. It tends to be a bit wide,
usually around 6 feet. So give it some room. It will grow in sand
or clay. It is denser and shorter if grown in the sun.
Rhamnus
californica, Coffeeberry
Coffeeberry is an evergreen shrub that grows about 8 to 10
feet tall. It reaches maturity in about 3 years. It is very
drought tolerant but seems to have more berries with more
moisture. The berries are black and popular with birds. Like
Christmas berry, it gets very leggy, open, and tall in full
shade. So if you want a denser hedge, plant it in a sunny
location.
Rhus
ovata, Sugar Bush
Sugar Bush is an evergreen shrub with large glossy leaves. It
grows to about 12 feet tall and about the same wide, in about 5
years. It has small sticky berries that the birds like. It is
very drought tolerant and cold tolerant.
Prickly
hedges
These last three plants are good for keeping out trespassers
or stopping traffic. They are great for under windows to keep out
burglars or mixed into hedges to keep people out of your yard.
Mahonia
nevinii
Mahonia nevinii makes a great hedge about 5 feet tall.
Birds love the berries especially the Western
Blue Bird. It takes about 7 years to reach maturity. It is
great for keeping people out as it is very prickly. These are not
huge spines! It definitely isn't comfortable to go through, but
it doesn't puncture. It is evergreen and showy with yellow
flowers and red berries. Deer usually don't eat it. It likes well
drained soil.
Ribes
speciosum, Fuchsia-Flowering Gooseberry
Fuchsia-Flowering gooseberry has huge thorns. They are quite
vicious. It grows about 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. They also
have 2 inch long, red fuchsia flowers and very attractive shiny,
dark green foliage. This is one of the hummingbirds favorite
flowers. It is summer deciduous and has fall color in late
spring. It takes about 3 years to reach it's full hight.
Rosa
californica, California wild rose
California wild rose grows about 3 feet tall and is deciduous.
It likes part shade and moisture. It has fragrant pink flowers.
It takes about 3 to 5 years to reach it's full hight. It is good
for mixing into an evergreen hedge to keep people out.
Trees
for screens
These are good at hiding your house from the road. Or hiding
the neighbors junk pile or ugly house or any other object you
don't want to look at.
Cupressus
forbesii, Tecate Cypress
Tecate Cypress reaches about 15 feet in two seasons. It then
grows slowly to around 25 feet tall. Don't over water them or
they will blow over. They are great for screens or for hiding
water tanks. They like well drained soils.
Populus
fremontii, Western Cottonwood
Cottonwoods grow very fast reaching about 60 feet in only 3
years. They are good for screens along a road. They can be
watered a lot or left alone and be very drought tolerant. It will
grow in sand or clay. Cottonwoods are deciduous. So, for a more
permanent planting they should be mixed with pines or other
evergreen trees.
Pinus
sabiniana, Gray Pine
Gray pine is good for screens.
These are good for people with some land who need some privacy
from the road or the neighbors. They are good mixed in with
cottonwoods or sycamores. They take anywhere from 7 to 15 years
to reach about 50 feet. They are great for birds and are very
drought tolerant.
Platanus
racemosa, California sycamore
The California Sycamore can be used in the same way as
cottonwoods and pines. It is a very attractive, very large, tree.
However, it is deciduous and needs water. It takes only 5 to 10
years to get to around 20 or 30 feet tall. It can be given extra
water to get it to grow faster without killing it. It has
beautiful fall color and makes good bird habitat.
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