landscaping for a townhouse wall

by Linda
(Raleigh, NC)

I have a new townhouse that is an end unit. It is a two story unit with light cream colored siding, no windows, no break in color, only a huge two story massive wall. The developer planted a hedge of small green shrubs along the entire wall.

The ground space between my unit and the next set of units is probably four feet in width on my property side. The ground is flat. The wall has no character and is an eyesore. The huge wall seems to need some tall or varied heights of plants, shrubs, trees, etc., but the minimum space between my unit and the next set of units doesn't allow for large plantings.

ANSWER

Do you need access around this side of the building? If you do, then you will have to use very narrow plants. If not you have more options. Is the area sunny or shady? do you have a deer problem? Without knowing any of these answers, here are some general suggestions.

I don't know how long the distance of the "wall" is, but you might consider using three groups of different types of shrubs. For example, a group of 5, then a group of 3, then repeat the first group again.

Some plants you might consider are the following:

1. Arborvitae - choose a narrow variety. They will get very tall and hide the wall. They are evergreen and like the sun.

2. Nandina - use an Umpqua variety, such as Umpqua Princess. These will get at least five feet tall, are evergreen, stay narrow, and get lovely berries on them. Likes sun.

3. Consider using a trellis with vines climbing on it. Climbing Roses, Clematis, or Honeysuckle 'Heckrotti' will all work.

4. You might want other types of vines that will climb themselves without a trellis. Climbing Hydrangea (likes shade) or Boston Ivy are both nice ones. Boston Ivy gets beautiful red color in the fall.

Be sure you determine a plants growing conditions regarding sun or shade preferences. The above plants stay rather narrow (depending on the variety of Arborvitae) so will fit your space. If you have deer, forget the Arbs!