Privacy hedge? Privacy hedge!

How can one tell the age of barberry shrubs? 

Well, when one in a set of four is dead, it doesn't matter how old they are. All of them have to go! 

Snarled shrubs! (Pic from neighbor's driveway.)
The dead part was highly visible from our side of the shrub wall.

We weren't sure what to put in place of these prickly things. And they were PRICKLY! That's one thing we and the neighbors both said repeatedly. When it's time for these to go, let's not get something quite so terrible to brush up against, we all said. The neighbors even planted a row of hostas to keep their little ones from dashing right into the thorny bushes after lost balls and toys.

A fence was an option as well, but any fence longer than 16 feet and higher than 4 feet would require a permit from the village, which would in turn require a property survey at a cost of approximately $400. Plants you can stick in without a permit. So guess which way we're going.

Mr. H and I looked online for some options and finally settled on a variety of juniper. Of course, finding a plant variety online and actually finding that specific variety in local garden shops are two different things. We got pretty lucky at Stein Garden & Gifts and landed six very nice-looking Hetzi Column Juniper plants. Bonus: they were 25% off!

We also stopped by HD to pick up a special blade for the Sawzall that cuts through green wood. And then we went home and got to work. Mr. H. removed the bulk of each shrub from its stump with the Sawzall, I hauled the very prickly branches down the driveway and piled them in the parkway for DPW to remove next week, and we both were very thankful that the day was moderately cloudy and not hot.

And THEN, the big guns came out. And by big guns, I mean muscles, yes (not mine!), and also the pick axe and the hatchet. It took Mr. H. about an hour to pry the four stumps from the heavy clay soil. (I meant to take some pics during the barberry removal process, but we both got really sweaty and gross and I didn't want to touch my phone.)

Once the stumps were out, we placed the new junipers using a tape measure. They grow up to 5' wide and 10-15' high, so we placed them 3' apart in a straight line on our side of the property border (a.k.a. right where the barberries were). We amended the soil with sand, compost, and peat moss. Planting didn't really take very long. It's all of the prep work that makes you tired!

The junipers are supposed to grow "vigorously," but that could mean anything between 6" and 18" per year. While waiting for these screening plants to grow into their jobs, we're going to build a temporary fence. The trick is to build it so it's just under the village requirements for a fence permit. Next up: a 3'11"x15'11" fence! Stay tuned.