What tall shrub to plant near pine trees

Question: Hi,

We have several pine trees that provide privacy while sitting outside on our deck. The pines have been declining in health over the years and one has died. Would like to plant some tall shrub in the lot that can survive and grow fast so that in a few years they can provide the privacy if the pines need to be cut down. The shrubs doesn’t have to be evergreens. Please suggest. 

Thanks,
Deb

responder: Carolyn E  Replied April 20, 2023, 4:29 PM EDT
response: You are doing a valuable thing, planning ahead to replace the pine trees that may be losing their value to provide privacy at the edge of your property.  The links below are research-based reports that discuss various shrubs and their characteristics that may help you choose plants that will work in your space.  It may be useful to plan a soil sample to determine the situation you are dealing with and any amendments that may be good for your new plantings  https://extension.psu.edu/using-trees-and-shrubs-for-privacy-and-wind-screening  https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/hedges-7-208/ You will find information and materials on soil sampling, and many other subjects related to landscape planning and planting at Franklin County's office of The OSU Extension Service, at:  Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building 2548 Carmack Road Columbus, Ohio 43210 Phone:<personal data hidden>   Thank you for your question.  We wish you success.

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 21, 2023, 12:28 PM EDT
response: Hi, Thank you for the list of shrubs that can provide privacy. Have few further questions: 1) Can all of these be grown in Columbus climate? 2) Wanted some help in listing which of these plants will grow better near existing pines as the dense pine roots could cause issues  3) Which of the plants that can grow near the pines will grow at a faster rate?  This  will help me narrow down in my search.  Thanks, Deb

responder: Carolyn E  Replied April 24, 2023, 7:57 AM EDT
response: The Penn State University link includes the USDA planting zones for all the plants listed, and all of them include central Ohio.  While the Colorado source does not include that information, I saw no plants on their list that don't grow in central Ohio's climate. It seems reasonable to me that if you plant new shrubs/trees so that they are not under the canopy of the pine trees, the dense roots will not be a problem.  Both lists provide the expected height and width of all plants at maturity, which will help you determine the spacing of the new plants. Your public library is likely to have reference sources such as Michael Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, that you can use to learn more about how quickly a particular plant is likely to reach mature size.  Nursery catalogs often provide information on growth rates of individual kinds of plants.  Local retail vendors such as garden stores that sell trees and shrubs often have staff members who know a lot about the plants there, and most are willing to talk to customers about their questions.  Or you could try online searches for the particular cultivars you find of interest in the lists from the links to PSU and Colorado articles.  I hope you find this useful in your quest.