Does everyone like podocarpus for a border plant?

[MarkD]

Saw podocarpus mentioned on a different thread. The plant/tree can get very big (50 ft. plus?) with dense foliage. If lots are small, podocarpus planted on Lot A border can heavily shade Lot B.

Maybe in areas of Puna with little soil it might not grow that big, but if soil is deep it gets oppressively big. Any opinions on this?

[MarkP]

I have seen them pruned into a hedge. Doing so would keep the height under control.

[MarkD]

I see that regularly. Some neighbors keep the hedge pretty high, though. Have heard instances of them being called a "spite hedge."

Not near as pleasant as arica palms on the border, IMO.

[ElysianWort]

I would pick the palms over the podocarpus. The palms have a crunchy vegetable heart that can be eaten. They have a secondary use. I'm not sure a podocarpus tree has any value past obscuring and windbreaking. That's how I pick what I plant.

[bluesboy]

there are some nice podocarpus along hwy 11 between kurtistown and mtn view.

[KiminPL]

No. It takes up a lot of space when mature (even after pruning) and the bottom branches die away from lack of light. Roots make it difficult to plant anything else nearby. Palms are more Hawaii looking: Pinanga coronata are very pretty as a hedge, Licuala ramsayii, Areca vestiaria, Mauritiella armata, Rhapis... so many choices with more color and character.

[Royall]

My neighbor planted them along the property line about 9 years or so back. They grow very fast and quite tall and dense now. Blocking morning sun and cuts down on some of the air movement. They are quite broad at the bottom, so I'm glad they put them more on their property than mine as they take up about 10-12' of their lot. Like every other plant, the fire ants like them. Would be nice if they were topped... would give the neighbors a little more evening sunlight.

[kalakoa]

I'm partial to "caricature plant". There's a big purple variegated one in downtown Pahoa, next to the smoke shop across from 7-11. Grows fast, starts easily from cutting, takes well to being pruned, doesn't get huge, even has a medicinal use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graptophyllum_pictum

[MarkD]

Would be nice if they were topped... would give the neighbors a little more evening sunlight.

I have always had an interest in the subjective topic of "scenic beauty." IMO it includes being able to see a long distance. Such as the horizon. Or a mountain 20 miles distant. Vegetation growth is nice but it can bring significant aesthetic change. (Podocarpus is one of my least favorite.) Some changes in Puna over past 25 years:

1) Getting much harder heading either north or south from 4 corners to see any vistas because of ironwood growth. (Will we lose the last open stretch between entrance to Kapoho and to 1/2 miles before Ahalanui Park? This span is about 1 to 1 1/2 miles and the ironwoods are marching fast on closing this area up. Maybe 20 years left??)

2) Heading from Pahoa to Kalapana after the Opihikao Road turnoff an expansive lava field once revealed itself. Stunning coastal view. Now all forest.

3) Or a drive from Pohoiki to Kapalana; used to be many more ocean vistas.

IMO it is worth seeking a balance of sorts here. It is one reason that almost anywhere in the world man-made parks will have meadows. Open space accentuates the beauty of trees, allows the play of sunlight and perspective. (Some drier parts of Hawaii naturally have "open forests.")

Forms of "open terrain" other than lava fields and meadow (or grassland, e.g., Waimea): water (as in lakes), low cropland (e.g., vegetables), scrubland.

When we first came we planted the heck out of our 10 acre property (was mostly abandoned sugar cane, and some cattle grazing). A few years later we were essentially living in a dense forest. Later we opened it up by some 50%. We can't see either mountain, of course, but can glimpse the sea. And sunset horizons are nice..... JMO.

[ElysianWort]

True Mark. Right after Opihikau where the sign says scenic point...
what a joke. There's nothing to see except weed trees. I laugh when I drive by and see tourist pulled over looking around for the view there. When I was a kid, the view there was beautiful.