A homeowner wanted a natural solution to the noise problem near their house, hoping to utilize plants to block the sound.
In the r/landscaping subreddit, they put a question to the forum, writing, "I could really use some advice on particular plantings that work well as a noise barrier and privacy screen."
They continued: "I live in NE Ohio on a main road and am a little overwhelmed by the options. I tried to do some research and it seems like junipers, hollies, and arborvitae are good options." The homeowner wasn't sure if those would be a good fit and was hoping to find suggestions for "some specific varieties that may be affordable, hardy, and don't get huge or have roots that are issues."
"I truly appreciate any insight and am trying to plant a variety of things so it might look a bit better," they added.
One person wrote: "Some trees will reduce 50% of the noise, especially arborvitae if they are offset. It will not reduce all of it. Arborvitae have multiple surfaces that bend the sound waves."
"Don't do pines, they are dirty and messy and don't have many bottom branches for privacy. Eastern red cedar would be a nice mix," another recommended.
Others also suggested adding a berm or embankment to really dull any noise coming from the road.
The original poster acknowledged it was going to take a lot of work to plant all those trees, but one way to lower their long-term maintenance efforts is to opt for native plants. For example, some of the suggestions offered in the comments, including red cedar, are native to Ohio, so they will grow more easily with less effort, conserving water and maintaining the soil.
Adding native plants also offers opportunities for pollinators such as bees, birds, and insects as well as wildlife to find habitation and thrive. Pollinators are important to the life cycle of plants and necessary to ensure the continuation of thousands of species, including produce and crops used by humans.
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