Question
I just moved to a yellow house on one acre with a built in pool which can be seen from the street.  I want to plant a small cluster of evergreen trees halfway between the pool and the street for beauty and eventually distract the eye of passersby from the pool. I am trying to decide before spending a lot of money exactly what to plant that would be most pleasing to the eye.  If I plant 3 trees, the tallest in the rear, should I stick with one variety for continuity, or plant one dark green and two blue spruces, or two yellow tinged varieties with one dark green?  Which would be the best choices?  I live in central New Jersey.   Thank you for any advice or direction you can give.

Answer
Hello:

I would think more of privacy screening the pool from the street rather than distracting. The idea of creating a distraction to one view away from another is not likely to accomplish much. Simply using privacy screening would be much less complicated.

I would suggest plants from this list:

blue spruce

privet

arborvitae

thuja


Consider arranging them in a zigzag pattern to get a more aesthetic appearance and give an appearance of depth. Using more than one variety of plant will enhance visual appeal and decrease the chances of losing the entire row in case disease strikes. Use any color you like.


Mark Harshman


For more comprehensive help check out my website at:

http://www.prestoexperts.com/expert/markland