Question
Hello.  My name is Curtis.  I own a house on the eastern (prairie) edge of Colorado Springs, Colo.  The house (like all the houses in the subdivision) was built @ 1995 and sits on about 1/5 of an acre of land.  The area is about Zone 5, lots of sun, little precipitation and little grows naturally except native grasses and small shrubs (e.g. rabbit brush, potentilla, etc.).  The actual soil is about pH 6 and has sand in it.  Typically, the developer flattened the whole area, put up a bunch of houses, enclosed the lots with ceder fencing, and sprinkled about 1 inch of actual topsoil down to help the sod grow.  The point of all this is, the ceder fences are all looking bad.  Some people are replacing them now -- with more ceder fencing!  I hate the look of it and I would like to replace mine with a landscape (plant) fence.  I'm writing to you for guidance in this.  THe landscape fence must meet a few basic criteria: 1.) It needs to provide privacy without becomming too bushy.  I don't want it encroaching over into my neighbor's property or my own, whereby it starts to feel like it's making my backyard smaller.  Something collumnar perhaps?  2.) It needs to be inpenatrable - especially at the ground - to keep dogs from being able to traverse from one lot to another.  3.) It needs to be effective year 'round.  It's okay if it looses its leaves in the autumn, but it still needs to afford privacy and protection [from dogs] all the time.  So my question is, what plant (or plants -- I understand that there may be a few types required to make this work) can you suggest and what planting tips can you offer?  Thanks a lot.  -- Curtis

Answer
Dear Curtis,

How about Leyland Cypress?  Lacy, evergreen will get very tall and wide, but when planted properly (spaced) will not encroach or take over.  Good old fashioned Privet is another option.  You can also look at Boxwood, though it will be an expensive proposition to build a thick fence that way.  DeGroot Arborvitae is another great choice.  Close in aesthetic to an Italian Cypress but hardy in your zone 5 area.

For deciduous materials, I love the look of Euonymous 'Burning Bush' but it will require pruning to keep it in check.

Hope this helps!

Gina