Privacy Tree Suggestions? All 99 we planted died :(

hersheykiss21

My DH and I moved into our home in Charlotte, NC a little over a year ago.  Our backyard faces a main road and an elementary school along with a main electrical box where workers often park to address issues.  Creating privacy before we have kids is a number one priority which is why we made it our main project the first year.  We've built garden boxes and are creating an awesome garden and having a lot of fun doing it together. We planted about 99 3 foot Emerald Green Arborvitae along the fence line of our almost 1 acre backyard.  We picked them up from Lowes ourselves and planted each one within 24 hours of receiving them in February.  Here's where the problem lies: they all died!

Fortunately Lowes accepts returns within a year so we were at least able to recoup the money but now we're both feeling very intimidated as to what should be our next step.  Right now I have a backyard covered in holes without a plan (which I'm sure our HOA just loves!).  We're just starting to throw ideas out, so any suggestions are very much welcomed...

Sillygirl45

I would consult a professional landscaper to see why they died and what might work better. I had a lot of work done this summer and our landscaper will give us advice on our DIY projects too.

moonprincessd

Have you checked the soil? Are the PH levels right for the plants? Were there pests? 

I would suggest a landscaper to check it out as well because you could also have contamination. 99 trees should not just die like that unless you were planting in the wrong zone. 

Otherwise the simple route to go would be to just put up a fence.

formerlyGDaisy09

definitely have it checked out by a landscaper to make sure there aren't pests.  have you thought about something with more spread? I personally love hydrangeas, most want shade or part-sun, but there are breeds that can take full-sun. 

~NB~

The #1 cause of mortality for new plantings is lack of adequate water. And that is by a huge margin. After that, there could be many reasons.

Erikan73

If you still have them take photos of them and take a branch to a local garden center. Go to a mom/pop type place not Lowe's. Nothing against Lowe's but your luck in finding someone that can identify disease issues is pretty slim. With the weather around the country being unusualy harsh this winter mybe it was just bad timing with the weather & normally they would do fine. Also check your soil content to make sure it's a good type of soil for that type of plant. Not too much clay, not too much sand, etc.