Question
Dear Mark

I live in Foxboro, MA and would like to plant Italian Cypress trees as a buffer between my property and my neighbors.  Am I in the right zone to plant these trees?  They will have sun but my concern is the winter months?  Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.

Answer
Hello,

You are located too far north for italian cypress. I would not recommend italian cypress for a residence anyway because it looks too formal and out of scale in residential settings.

I would suggest the following pyramidal shaped privacy plants:

lombardy poplar:

This tree has risk factors involved in its planting that include disease,invasive roots and deformation of its form. These things appear mainly in the later growth stages. This tree also tends to be shorter lived (average 20 years). Other varieties,such as theves and tower,have less of these problems but are still subject to the same problems to some degree. The positives are that this tree has a very fast growth rate,can be purchased cheaply and in its early years,has a very nice shape for a privacy hedge.

         
arborvitae

thuja

juniperis chinensis (spartan)

leyland cypress

eastern red cedar

blue spruce


These plants will not present any special problems in the winter. I sent this as a rejected question. Sorry,hit the wrong button.  Hope this helps. Good luck.


Mark Harshman


For more comprehensive help check out my website at:

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