If you are amenable to it, we suggest you replace the privet as well, since this is an invasive plant (all of the privet species) in our area; seedlings from its berries spread in natural areas and out-compete wildflowers.

We are happy to provide some ideas for the fence line, but more information about the site would be helpful to narrow-down the wide variety of choices. For instance:

• do deer browse in the yard? (they can jump over most fences below 8')
• does this area receive full sun (6-8 or more hours) in summer? or is it partly shaded, either in the morning or midday hours?
• what would the upper limit be for mature height? (not all plants can be trimmed to fit a smaller area)
• is there a limit to mature plant width? many shrubs grow at least half as wide as they do tall, but others are more rounded and get about as wide as they are tall, and trimming to narrow their footprint isn't always possible
• do you want only evergreens (keep foliage in winter) or would deciduous shrubs (drop foliage in autumn) be ok?
• does the soil tend to get fairly dry, stay relatively wet, or is it of average moisture with good drainage after heavy rain?

Miri

Unfortunately we didn't receive the rest of the message (with the responses), so can you please try re-sending? We'll be able to offer our suggestions on Monday.

Miri

Thank you for the additional information. Below are some ideas to get you started (botanical names in parentheses), though the list is far from exhaustive. We don't understand if the "yes" means full sun or partly shaded, but we'll assume that was referring to the question about full sun. Similarly, we assume the "yes" answer to deciduous vs. evergreen was regarding the preference for evergreen.

• Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) - native, evergreen, spineless leaves
• Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) - native, evergreen; look for shrubby cultivars because the wild type gets much too tall; the main example would be cultivar 'Gray Owl', which will mature close to the height of the fence and grow a bit wider than tall
• Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica or Myrica cerifera, each could also be sold under the name Morella pensylvanica or cerifera) - semi-evergreen, meaning it retains some leaves unless the winter is really cold/dry, but it will shed a few in autumn; native; grows about as wide as tall; dwarf cultivars exist but can be hard to find
• Oriental Arborvitae (Thuja orientalis, might also be sold under the name Platycladus orientalis) - evergreen; several cultivars which mature at different heights, but in general they have an upright egg shape; some of the yellow-green varieties change color in winter and become caramel-orange colored
• Cherrylaurel (Prunus laurocerasus) - evergreen; some varieties are a bit more disease-resistant than others, and they grow to different heights

Deciduous candidates:

• Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) - multiple cultivars growing to different mature heights; this is the only hydrangea that thrives in full sun and grows the height you need; Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is a nice choice for partly-shaded areas and there are also numerous cultivars of this species with different mature heights
• Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) - native
• Witherod Viburnum (Viburnum nudum), and Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) - both native
• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - native; only for a spot with some afternoon shade as full sun could stress it
• Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) - native
• dwarf Lilac (Syringa patula or Syringa meyeri) - the other "classic" lilac types are too disease-prone, but varieties of these species fare pretty well here
• Glossy Ablelia (Abelia x grandiflora)

In general, a mix of different species instead of a row of the same type of plant would be best to make the planting more resilient in case of a pest or disease outbreak or extreme weather in the future, because not all plants will have equal vulnerability to the same problems. Plus, it will offer more seasonal interest in terms of different bloom times, berries (if applicable), or fall foliage colors. The native plants will generally provide more wildlife benefit as well.

Miri

We apologize if you didn't receive our reply, which was sent August 15th. Here is what we sent:

Thank you for the additional information. Below are some ideas to get you started (botanical names in parentheses), though the list is far from exhaustive. We don't understand if the "yes" means full sun or partly shaded, but we'll assume that was referring to the question about full sun. Similarly, we assume the "yes" answer to deciduous vs. evergreen was regarding the preference for evergreen.

• Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) - native, evergreen, spineless leaves
• Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) - native, evergreen; look for shrubby cultivars because the wild type gets much too tall; the main example would be cultivar 'Gray Owl', which will mature close to the height of the fence and grow a bit wider than tall
• Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica or Myrica cerifera, each could also be sold under the name Morella pensylvanica or cerifera) - semi-evergreen, meaning it retains some leaves unless the winter is really cold/dry, but it will shed a few in autumn; native; grows about as wide as tall; dwarf cultivars exist but can be hard to find
• Oriental Arborvitae (Thuja orientalis, might also be sold under the name Platycladus orientalis) - evergreen; several cultivars which mature at different heights, but in general they have an upright egg shape; some of the yellow-green varieties change color in winter and become caramel-orange colored
• Cherrylaurel (Prunus laurocerasus) - evergreen; some varieties are a bit more disease-resistant than others, and they grow to different heights

Deciduous candidates:

• Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) - multiple cultivars growing to different mature heights; this is the only hydrangea that thrives in full sun and grows the height you need; Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is a nice choice for partly-shaded areas and there are also numerous cultivars of this species with different mature heights
• Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) - native
• Witherod Viburnum (Viburnum nudum), and Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) - both native
• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - native; only for a spot with some afternoon shade as full sun could stress it
• Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) - native
• dwarf Lilac (Syringa patula or Syringa meyeri) - the other "classic" lilac types are too disease-prone, but varieties of these species fare pretty well here
• Glossy Ablelia (Abelia x grandiflora)

In general, a mix of different species instead of a row of the same type of plant would be best to make the planting more resilient in case of a pest or disease outbreak or extreme weather in the future, because not all plants will have equal vulnerability to the same problems. Plus, it will offer more seasonal interest in terms of different bloom times, berries (if applicable), or fall foliage colors. The native plants will generally provide more wildlife benefit as well.

Miri