Tropical Privacy Screening - Tampa - Suggestions

[FloridaKash]

Came up with a brilliant idea. We're going to pick up some Areca's (really love these trees) in 15 gallon pots. They should be about 7' tall. We're going to plant them in 25 gallon pots and put them where the old fence used to be, next to the enclosure. The old fence provided the privacy we are seeking.

This will provide us the privacy we are wanting at an affordable price (it's amazing how much a bigger tree costs). We're going to feed and water the Areca's, and other shrubs/trees like they're at the Golden Corral. Thinking in a year or two they will be tall enough to plant down by the fence and afford us the privacy we're looking for.

Thank you for all the suggestions. We will be looking at nurseries this weekend and will be sure to look at some of the variety of greenery that has been suggested here.

[HughMcs]

Why is it "illegal" to have a fence over 6 ft high?

[FloridaKash]

Originally Posted by HughMcs

Why is it "illegal" to have a fence over 6 ft high?

Dependent upon where you live it may be in violation of the HOA if you reside in one. Here is the county law, for Hillsborough:

Fences over four feet in height are not allowed within the front
yard, with the exception of yards which abut arterial or collector
streets, fences surrounding public utility structures, and
when a six-foot fence height is required for the purpose of
screening. Fences in side and rear yards are not to exceed six
feet, except in the specific circumstances as described above.
For corner lots, a fence up to six feet in height is allowed within
one front yard, which would then function as a side yard, provided
the fence is located no more than ten feet into the required
front yard, as measured from the rear line of the front
yard.

http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/hcce/resources/publications/codeenforcement/2008/februarycodetip.pdf (broken link)

[Sunnydee]

Update please. FloridaKash, what did you end up planting and how does it look? Could you post pictures? I'm always curious to see what others are growing down here. Thanks.

[chi_tino]

[Oops...didn't see that it was an old post until I was done. Sorry!]

I'm in the same boat, and I think I have your solution: sweet viburnum. It's cheap ($10 or less at Home Depot), provides 100% coverage and grows like a weed. Note the 6-foot fence behind it to the right, which I am "extending" with the viburnum.

The plant on the left was just installed, the center plants are about a year old, and the ones on the right are 18 months. I have to prune them every few months because they grow extremely fast. I'd plant them at least 3 feet apart and 3 feet from the fence line, because they fill in very rapidly.

By the end of the year I won't have to look at my neighbor's house ever again.

[Tamatem]

I also got sweet viburnum to block the view of the tiny white jerks (yappy dogs) next door. We can be INSIDE OUR HOUSE and they will bark at us. Ours are only about 2ft tall but since those little jerks are so small - they are already doing their job.

Do yours flower? I was sort of hoping to see something, but they might have been planted after the bloom.

[FloridaKash]

Originally Posted by Sunnydee

Update please. FloridaKash, what did you end up planting and how does it look? Could you post pictures? I'm always curious to see what others are growing down here. Thanks.

Funny thing about trying planting natural tropical screening foliage. You have to plant it for it to ever grow and actually do some good. We never planted anything.... LOL. I wish we had because it would be a rather nice size by now!

[chi_tino]

Originally Posted by Tamatem

I also got sweet viburnum to block the view of the tiny white jerks (yappy dogs) next door. We can be INSIDE OUR HOUSE and they will bark at us. Ours are only about 2ft tall but since those little jerks are so small - they are already doing their job.

Do yours flower? I was sort of hoping to see something, but they might have been planted after the bloom.

I can't say that I have ever seen any flowers. What's great is that the branches split up and head off into random directions, so they fill in very, very well.

I've also tried to put them in large planters, but they don't do as well that way.