Question
Hi
Thanks to people like you, I may be able to sleep better tonight without worrying about spacing.We live in houston area. We have a ugly looking water motor unit behind our backyard and would like to cover the views to it from the house with a line of trees. We found a good deal on live oaks and our landscaper suggested planting the oaks 8 ft apart to get a canopy. We are planning to plant 6 of them of 65 Gallons(3.5" dia). My question is is it too close? We have power lines above them (about 20 ft high). Is this a good idea at all. After how many years will we have to start trimming so tree will not hinder the power lines?
Another question is is 45 G(at 115$) or 65 G(at 150$) better

Answer
Hello,

I would suggest planting conifers in your backyard to block out things you do not care to view.  Conifers like pines, spruces, firs.  Oak trees are deciduous, which means they loose their leaves. with oak trees as they grow the bottom branches become high on the tree truck which will not give privacy.  If you have the space I would suggest planting a mix of oak and evergreen trees.  I would not suggest planting oak trees under power lines, they get very tall (max out at 60 to 90 feet)  I would go with the 45 gallon, easier to work with.  Hope this helped you in your decision

Bud Christmann