Using Podocarpus (Fern Pine) As A Privacy Screen

I like firefighters. You probably like firefighters. Most people like firefighters.

They provide a service, they're courageous, and they save kittens from trees. 

Plus they work out a lot. 

I like firefighters. 

But I don't exactly want to be able to wave hello from my living room, while I'm drinking tea in my undies. 

Hi Guys! See how the height of the fire truck complements the height of my wall and provides the perfect angle for them to see my skivvies?

And even when I'm outside, I can still see the building (and the Carl's Jr. sign). Though the flags are a bit festive.

So, what am I going to do about it? Well, we already had the retaining wall removed (read about that here) and now we have this lovely dirt strip about 5 feet deep. 

I went to my local nursery, International Garden Center, and asked the knowledgeable staff for some assistance. We discussed bamboo (too invasive), bougainvillea (too much maintenance on the fire station side), and we ended up in front of a plant called a podocarpus, or a fern pine.

This guy will start out about 5' tall and will end up 10-20 feet tall. We are going to plant 11 of them along the back wall, which is 53' wide. They have a nice, leafy spread that I'm hoping will end up looking like this.

{via}

A thick, leafy, green wall that is low-maintenance and relatively drought-tolerant. And most importantly, allows me to drink my tea with some privacy. 

I can't wait to share pictures of what it looks like once the plants are in. Expect that update in about two weeks!

**See that update here!**