Siberian Pea Shrub

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So you want privacy, but you don’t want the muss and fuss of trimming a hedge, or the expense of building a privacy fence. Is there an alternative? Yes there is. And this alternative non only looks good and provides summer screening from neighbors – it also tastes good and reduces your food bill!

I started looking for an alternative to the traditional hedge when I moved into my current home. It came with an overgrown hedge of Siberian peashrub, or Caragana arborescens. Unfortunately, this particular species of shrub is not really intended for urban hedges – in fact, the term “shrub” is misleading. These ar really small trees. They’re ideal for windbreaks in the country, but at over 12 feet tall and growing, they were overtaking the electric lines above them and shading the flower beds beside them. And the previous possessor planted the shrubs close to the boundary fence, so my neighbor was just as unhappy with them as I was. It was time for the hedge to go.

The biggest question was what to replace them with. Privacy is always a consideration on a small city lot, and that’s one thing the peashrubs were good for. Replacing the pea trees with a wooden fence would be nice, but it would also be expensive. Replacing the Caragana trees with traditional hedge plants was also an option, but the new hedge would require regular pruning to keep it looking good.

I distinct that the ideal option would be small fruit trees. Dwarf fruit trees grow to a manageable height, and provide a light privacy screening during the summer when one is most likely to spend time in the yard. They’re also very attractive trees, they stay small so you don’t need to worry about overhead power lines, and they provide delicious fruit. I can’t imagine a more appropriate plant for small urban lots.

Dwarf fruit trees can be used on the fence line in two unlike ways. They can be planted far enough away from the property line so you can walk between the wire fence and the trees to pick the yield and far enough away from the fence so the growing branches don’t overhang your neighbor’s yard. To determine how far from the fence they should be planted, you’ll need to know how wide the trees are likely to get when they’re fully grown.

If you don’t think you have room for a line of fruit trees grown in the usual way, you can still grow dwarf trees if they’re espaliered, or trained to grow horizontally in one plane. When grown this way they take up much less room, and if your neighbor may even chip in for half the cost of buying the trees if you grow the trees directly on the property line. The trees will still put out plenty of yield so you’ll have some to share. However, pruning trees in this way takes care and training. If you like the idea of a living fence that grows yield for your table be sure to check out a book on pruning from your local library before you commit to maintaining an espaliered line of trees.

Also determine the eventual height of your grown trees before you choose a variety. Some dwarf trees grow much bigger than you power expect. I’ve watched dwarf cherry trees add up to 5 feet of growth in the first year they were planted. They still grow far shorter than a full-sized tree, but they would be too large for most fence lines. Read your nursery catalogue cautiously and talk to your local nurseryman to choose the right fruit trees for your area. Then you’ll have the perfect alternative to the typical high-maintenance hedge.