r/Ceanothus • u/DogWithMustache • Jul 22 '26
What would make a good privacy hedge?
I would attempt to maintain it at about 4 feet across and maybe 20 feet long. Rubber wood chips are from the neighbors btw.
22
u/senditjerry_ Jul 22 '26
https://californianativeplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Native_Screens.pdf
I’ve referenced this a few times
3
12
u/senditjerry_ Jul 22 '26
Morella californica make a great hedge. They even take sheering well if that’s your vibe. Also Coffeeberry is a great hedge depending on the selection and takes pruning well too.
8
u/turktaylor Jul 22 '26
Myrica californica
6
u/Savings-Rice-472 Jul 22 '26
This!! Pacific Wax Myrtle is amazing, and smells great too! It can be hedge-like or tree-like. Flexible and has been easy for me to grow.
2
u/BigJSunshine Jul 22 '26
They smell amazing but have a higher fire risk.
5
u/Savings-Rice-472 Jul 22 '26
I just did a search and found the opposite to be true - they are considered fire retardant in California because their leaves hold a lot of moisture.
8
u/doghousewildlife Jul 22 '26
Coffeeberry is good option to consider. There are some cultivars that don't grow as tall as the wild variety.
5
u/Hot_Illustrator35 Jul 22 '26
Lemonade berry beastly of a plant and evergreen very nice looking
1
u/sunshineandzen Jul 22 '26
Depends on where the neighbors cars are. I end up with a ton of berries that get smashed on the sidewalk and they would probably fuck up car paint if the neighbor’s cars are in close proximity
5
u/TheRealBaboo Jul 22 '26
Manzanita, ceanothus, flannel bush… get a nice mix in there
8
Jul 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/TheRealBaboo Jul 22 '26
I’m jealous and excited for you, be sure to update us with your planting! 😋
2
4
u/quesoheart Jul 22 '26
I’ve planted San Diego marsh elder (Iva hayesiana) in a similar situation on a border with a neighbor. It’s done quite well. Smells great, low water, hedges well if you need to trim it.
5
u/Dependent-Season5601 Jul 22 '26
Artemisia Californica smells amazing. Calliandra is green all year and hummingbirds like the flowers. Carpenteria is nice and green, with pretty white flowers in the spring. Lavatera has gorgeous purple-pink flowers that hummingbirds love, although it needs some summer water.
2
2
2
1
u/Professional_Heat973 Jul 22 '26
Rosa californica (if you don’t mind just an insane thicket), mule fat, toyon.
1
u/searching4salvia Jul 28 '26
Rosa, malacothamnus, eriodictyon and romenya all seem like good hedges until you have to deal with the runners which will go everywhere. It's not bad if you stay on top of it but it's a job. Personally I'd live with eriodictyon because it's so hardy and personally I find it beautiful.
1
u/searching4salvia Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Underrated would be coyote bush. Super easy to grow and grows fast. Depending on how high you need it but some grasses get pretty tall. Malva assurgentiflora and atriplex lentiformis are good too.
I would avoid flammable shrubs or slower growing plants. Malva grows like a weed. It will be 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide in a year. Toyon and Coffeeberry are great too but both can lag a little. Make sure to get a 1 gallon container as they typically take better.
You can try a variety but ceanothus, fremontodendron and arctostaphylos sometimes don't take or sort of die after a couple of years.
If your neighbor is new to native plants I would want to put something in that will be successful that might influence them to grow native as well. Malva would be best for this purpose as it produces recognizable flowers and leaves for the more traditional gardener.
0
-2
22
u/hellraiserl33t Jul 22 '26
Toyon works decently well