Hi everyone,

I've been trying to decide on a good large shrub/small understory tree to serve as a natural-looking privacy screen/hedge along a shaded portion of my driveway. I live in a wooded area of the North Carolina Piedmont. The planting area is under a few loblolly pine trees - so it's shaded, and we've got clay soil that is probably acidic. The area is around 30 feet wide. We want something more tall than wide, and we'd plant a row of them. Right now the only thing growing in the area between the pine trees is stiltgrass.

Other large shrubs and understory trees that have done well in our yard in similar contexts are dogwoods, Carolina cherry laurels, invasive privets, and American holly.

I am wondering if a non-dwarf variety of yaupon holly would work in this scenario. I like that it would have branches down to the ground, forms a thicket, grows quickly, and is native to the southeast- even if it's more common by the coast. I would want to preserve its natural form rather than giving it a polished/shaped look.

Does anyone have experience with non-dwarf yaupon hollies? Do they well under pine trees along a driveway, and what varieties should I be looking for? Are they typically available at nurseries these days?

I grow them... The naturals (self planted) seem happy in deep shade and full sun... the more light they receive = the more berries for the birds.

I don't know about nursery propagation, but at my house, they come up from the ripe berries, and after coming up colonize from the roots, similar to sassafras, but never as aggressively as robinia.

Seems like a pretty good choice to me... I like them, I've even made tea from the leaves. Supposed to contain both caffeine and theobromine!

We have a row of Yaupons along a driveway growing under oaks and maples. They do well but tend to sucker so you might need to control that to maintain a narrower width. Some nurseries here do have them for sale.

The area is around 30 feet wide.

I doubt there is likely to be a concern about controlling the spread.
They just don't colonize as prolifically as some of the better known spreaders in my experience.

Now...
Black locust? kentucky coffee tree? callery pear trees? Those do some spreading...

Yaupon? Just not in the same league.

Thanks for the responses. After thinking about it more, I will probably end up planting a few different things there and not only Yaupons. But it sounds like they should work. Maybe I'll get to try Yaupon tea one day.