Natural Privacy - Tampa, FL (grow, palms, concrete, south)

[bavariantransplant]

I have an outdoor living area / inground pool that I would like to make more private by framing the outside edges of the this area. I would rather not use fences, etc but instead something natural like a hedge.

I am not familiar with the options that are available in a climate like Tampa, FL and welcome any suggestions the CD community may have.

The area is 41ft across the back and I would like to come up the sides about 10 feet so total perimeter of 60ft and I would like them to grow 6-10 ft.

Thanks!

[kinkytoes]

I don't live in the South, but I love the Tampa area. Actually all the way over to Dunedin and up the gulf side is nice. If I were you, I would look into bananas. If you don't think you can eat or give away all the fruit, there are some non-edible varieties that you can just compost.

Of course, you have to see how much sun and water the area gets. The soil may also be on the alkaline side because of the concrete from the pool. You can have it tested before selecting plants.

Other options that may be nice are palms, palmetto or croton. But I would recommend mixing these with some suitable native plants. You can use the Florida Native Plant society's plant finder here:

Florida Native Plant Society

I'm sure other people will come along with more suggestions.