Question
Hello,

I live on a corner property and need a hedge to block the view of the cars.  I don't want the hedge to be too high because the view "above" the cars is wonderful.  I have about 100 feet I need  to cover.  To add to the challange, we do have deer so we need to be sure to use something that deer won't eat and destroy.  Since I already have white pines bordering another area of the property, I'd rather go with a non evergreen solution...if possible.

I live in the Philadephia area and the location gets an equal mix of sun and shade during the day.  Need about 4-6 feet in height and would like to it to stay green all year.

Any suggestings on what plants/shrubs/trees would do the trick?  

Thanks for your help!!
Rich

Answer
FOLLOWUP

I read your quetion too quickly!~  I'm sorry. Forgive my carelessness.  I thought you wanted evergreen.  Oops!

Here are more deciduous & deer-resistant shrub/groundcover options:

Buddleia/Butterfly bush, Cotoneaster, Dodonaea/Hopseed bush (D. viscosa is the hardiest for your zone), Heteromeles/Toyon, English Lavender, Nandina/Oregon grape, Saliva/sage, Ribes/Current (even though its got berrys, deer hate it), Ajuga, Lilac, Liriope, Daffodil, Santolina/Lavender Cotton, and the Vinca groundcover.  

These, plus the ones I listed previously all resist deer, and should give you lots of options....maybe too many.  Consult your local Nursery to see what is available, locally.

Regards, Marc




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I think you're in the same zone as us: 7B.  So, you might want to try some of the following:

Cotoneaster (semi-evergreen), Holly (evergreen), Spirea (deciduous, but lovely!), Barberry (dec., but the deer hate it - its got spines), Thuja (the 'Globosa' variety), Viburnum, and you can even try a clipped hedge of Yew - very evergreen, & can take a snow load.  The only caution with the Yew: it is toxic to livestock (and deer!), but is otherwise quite nice.

Also, you might want to check to see if your City/County/Township has a "vision triange" that needs to be respected at corners and roadway intersections.  Usually, its about a 30 ft. triangle, measured from the curbface of the intersections.  Imagine a triangle, whose two legs are along the curbfaces, and whose hypotenuse clips the corner.  

Our region is a bit more "restrictive" with what you can do at a street corner, with no bush taller than 18 inches, or tree whose branches hang down lower than 6 feet - so you can see on-coming traffic.

There are some additional "fancy" calculations, per the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO, for short), which are "engineered" solutions to this common-sense issue:  Don't block the view, if you don't want the potential liability.  

Normally, I don't make a big "stink" out of it, but we had a police officer killed locally, and now the property owner has been left with a huge lawsuit on his hands, so we now plant corners with caution.

Generally, this issue can be determined with a quick call to the local building department.  I should warn you, that this can also open up a nasty can of worms, too.  Better a litte dissapointment now, that a lawsuit down the road (no pun intended).

Good luck!  Marc