We had all the pines cut after a storm and there's not much left but sweet gums and most every tree is scarred. We need trees that grow fast, spread out nicely, and are hardy. I've heard hybrid poplars grow fast but are weak. There are lots of white oaks in another area. My dad said something about cherry bark oaks fitting the bill several years ago. We will plant at least one river birch, which we had good luck with in the past. We need some that will make good screens - not so tall but wide. We don't really want any columnar trees. There is one area that would be good for fruit trees, but I don't know which ones are simple to grow and just magically give fruit.

Also, we need low ground cover and low slow growing grass. And also wild flowers. The soil is sandy and probably acidic due to the pine needles.

They plant hybrid poplars for windbreaks in zone 5. They are skinny with no canopy . Plant them about 10 ft apart and you get a wall that looks like a hedge . There was a Boisie Cascade tree farm that had couple thousand acres of them for wood pulp . With the price of paper going down they shut it down .

River birch are good but do best with a fair to large amounts of water.
Azaleas and rhododendrons, for flowering shrubs, like acidic soil, but prefer high shade, like under pines, so if it out in the sun, you would need to get the azaleas that take more sun, like some of the Encore varieties.
You could use daylilies for shorter flowering ground cover. Liriope or mondo or monkey grass might also work for ground cover.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2020 08:14PM by rgG.

I have violets taking over the heavily shaded area under a large American Holly. They will form a ground cover that stays reasonably healthy even in the hot dry summer.

As for trees, you might look at Japanese Maple, red leaf, not too tall. Don't know if they grow fast enough for you need, but a row of them would provide a wide screen.

We have one Japanese Maple and two yellow maples left. We will probably get some more yellow maples and some red maples.

Fast growing fruit trees:

[homeguides.sfgate.com]

Fast growing nut trees:
[arbordayblog.org]

Hawthornes, flowering crabs, ornamental pears are all very leafy/twiggy, to provide screening.

Fruit trees require a good deal of maintenance if you want nice fruit.

Young poplar trees are winter fodder for deer. There are varieties of maple that grow fairly fast.

Is there a nearby college or university that could give some advice. Also contact the nearest 4-H group. It might be a project they could take on with your support.

Does your state have a dept. of natural resources?

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Ed (modelamac)

I think I will just put an OUT OF ORDER
sticker on my head and call it a day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2020 09:21PM by modelamac.

Although pine trees grow best in acidic soil, pine needle decay does not itself make soil more acidic. You can test soil acidity with a kit.

Maple trees are generally fast growing, however be wary of the red maple and red maple cultivars. They are pretty in the fall, but they are soft wooded and subject to breakage. In zones 7/8 you probably don't have much of an ice problem, but if you get high winds these maples tend to break easily. I had a 30 foot red maple cultivar split right down the middle from high winds. Same goes for the flowering pear trees. By the way, here in Missouri, the Bradford pear has been designated a noxious weed! I understand the need for fast growing, but that requirement also carries with it fragility and short life. A good program of fertilization can greatly enhance the growth speed of many deciduous trees.