Gardening: Screens, hedges, and outdoor garden rooms

In our busy and oftentimes noisy world, some folks like to create private space in their landscape. Screening can come in many styles, shapes, and materials.

The most natural is a “living fence,” or hedge, made of shrubs and small trees.

Privacy can also come from vines growing over a ramada or trellis.

Low-hanging branches on native trees such as palo verdes can be left unpruned until they sweep the ground, creating an effective private place.

Use plants to define an outdoor “garden room” in a quiet corner of the yard.

Citrus trees prefer to grow branches down to the ground.

Lower limbs provide dense evergreen foliage all year if left uncut.

As an added bonus, fruit is easy to harvest on low branches, and the foliage protects the trunk from sunburn.

A citrus screen provides sweetly fragrant blossoms and tasty fruit.

Arizona rosewood (Vauquelinia californica) is a large dense evergreen shrub that makes a good informal hedge or screen.

Maturing at 10 to 20 feet high, its leathery, strap-like leaves resemble oleander from a distance.

Arizona rosewood has excellent natural rounded form and rarely needs pruning for shape.

In summer, the plant has many small, creamy white flowers in large clusters.

It is a low-water user, cold hardy to 15 degrees, and is not susceptible to pests or disease.

Hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa) makes an excellent evergreen screen or hedge. It appreciates high reflected heat, so can be planted near a southern or western wall.

This striking dark green bush readily accepts our alkaline soil, extreme heat, low rainfall, and winter temperatures down to 15 degrees.

Mature height is 12 to 15 feet with a 10 feet spread.

A popular purple leaf form is less cold hardy, and over years can revert back to green.

Another great option for screening, native evergreen shrub Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is referred to by Arizona author Mary Irish as a “classic desert endurer.”

It has waxy gray-green leaves that turn inward to protect the surface from extreme sun.

Cold hardy to 15 degrees, jojoba matures at 6 to 10 feet high by 6 to 8 feet spread.

It accepts intense reflected heat, and is not susceptible to pests or disease.

In our area jojoba thrives on only natural rainfall.

For planting against a trellis, wall, or on an arbor for dramatic spring flowers, Tombstone rose (Rosa banksiae), also called Lady Banks’ Rose may be the answer.

When space permits, it makes a perfect privacy screen or hedge, growing up to 20 feet high by 20 feet spread.

Small flowers, either yellow or white, occur in dense clusters usually in April.

Branches will require pruning in spring to train along an arbor or trellis.

Although more often used as specimen plants, Texas rangers (Leucophyllum) can easily be used as an informal hedge or screen.

Another less commonly-known plant for screening is sugarbush (Rhus ovata.)

With large dark green waxy leaves, small white flowers, and dark pink bracts, this colorful evergreen shrub grows from 3 to 10 feet high and wide.

Especially tough, sugarbush is cold hardy down to 5 degrees.

With some shaping and training, other evergreen screening shrubs and trees are: leather-leaf acacia, mastic, Texas mountain laurel, Texas olive, and desert hackberry.

A single shrub or tree species can be planted in a row, or for a less formal look, stagger the varieties.

Allow sufficient space for screening plants to grow without crowding, or they will need pruning often to keep them in bounds.

Keep in mind their ultimate mature size and shape.

Check HOA rules for possible restrictions. If plants are in close proximity to each other, be sure they have the same watering and light requirements.

As your hedges, screens, or outdoor rooms develop, enjoy the tranquility of their privacy and quiet.

You have created your own peaceful retreat surrounded by nature’s gifts.

Mary Kidnocker is a Master Gardener who writes frequently about the subject from a local perspective. Her columns are featured each Sunday.