Monticello in Summer
www.monticello.org
Judd viburnum in bloom
The standard solution for screening along a property line is usually a row of 'Emerald Green' arborvitae lined up like soldiers. However, clients should be advised of two drawbacks: 1.) arborvitae is a yummy treat for browsing deer, and 2.) the effect is totally unnatural. A better solution is to create a multilayered "woodland border" along the property line with a strongly curvilinear bed line facing your view. Where deer are not an issue, use the traditional arborvitae solution along the property line, accounting for the width of the plants at maturity (about 4' for 'Emerald Green' arborvitae), but create your "woodland border" in front of it.
Low-growing David viburnum
Now, incorporate the "Lexus of shrubs," glorious varieties of viburnums. The Green Man recommends going with 3 varieties that are most-resistant to the viburnum leaf beetle: Judd, David, and doublefile. Here is the complete list:
Viburnums most-resistant to the viburnum leaf beetle:
•V. bodnantense, dawn viburnum
•V. carlesii, Koreanspice viburnum
•V. davidii*, David viburnum
•V. x juddii, Judd viburnum
•V. plicatum, doublefile viburnum
•V. plicatum var. tomentosum, doublefile viburnum
•V. rhytidophyllum, leatherleaf viburnum
•V. setigerum, tea viburnum
•V. sieboldii, Siebold viburnum
View the complete list here:
www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/suscept.html
The most graceful and elegant viburnum of all, doublefile
Aronia arbutifolia can be pruned into a small tree within your woodland border.
Accent your selection of viburnums with
Aronia arbutifolia and
Aronia melanocarpa, pink
Clethra 'Ruby Spice',
Pieris japonica 'Forest Flame',
Fothergilla 'Mt Airy', and 'Ivory Halo' dogwood.
Where deer are not a problem, you can also incorporate swamp and pink shell azaleas, mountain laurel, and rhododendron.
