Planting a Hemlock Privacy Screen (Tsuga canadensis)

Here’s a picture of our eastern property line. Along the line we placed 4 Canadian hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) about 8 feet apart to create a border hedge and privacy screen. The hemlocks will eventually fill together and create a nice soft evergreen screen for that side of the house. I would like to make this area into a woodland corridor connecting the front yard and the backyard with a shady path.

Hemlocks, while their common name includes “Canadian”, can be found as native plants in many different areas of the United States including Tennessee.

Planting Hemlocks

When planting the hemlocks I removed the grass in a 3ft area around the planting hole area. Then I dug the holes a little wider than the root ball and placed them into the holes making sure that the base of the plant remained slightly above the level of the soil. I then put newspaper down over the edges as a biodegradable landscape fabric and covered with a cypress mulch.

I don’t recommend amending the soil in the hole. That encourages the roots to stay in the hole where all the good dirt is and not spread out. It is better for the plant to adjust to the conditions in which it will grow in from the beginning. Amending the ground all around the plants is a better plan to improve the soil. Sifted compost in spreader can do wonders.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgids

Hemlocks are prone to insect damage from the woolly adelgid which can be devastating to the hemlock trees. These insects infest the trees and suck on the sap. It’s a native to Asia where there are predators that keep them in check. In the United States we do not have the natural predators to balance adelgids. (More info on these pests can be found here: Hemlock Wooly Adelgid USDA Forest Service)

Two options to fight off the hemlock wooly adelgids:

1. Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil during the active cycles for the adelgid
2. Use a systemic pesticide that kills the adelgid while they feed on the trees.

Update for 2020: You can see the results of planting hemlock trees in this area along with some of the other evergreen plantings we now have in the video below.

Evergreens in the Winter Garden