Q.rhododendron
I have privacy trees in front of my backyard fence that are having major issues. Turning brown and they look like they’re dying. However, the rhodo is doing excellent. It has leaves all thru the winter and I was wondering if I rip out the privacy trees and plant rhodo’s in their place? I would like them to grow above the fence line a give me more privacy than the fence provides (6ft fence). I live a mile from the beach and have a corner property. Their first 6 ft would be protected but anything above the fence line would not. My planting zone is 7a. And most summers we get no rain from like mid-June to end of Sept. If there is something else you can recommend that would be great. I thought about the black bamboo but I heard that is a plant that is hard to control.
I definitely do not recommend black bamboo anywhere that you are not wanting it to completely take over. It will, and very fast. I think your idea would be fine. It could be that the trees already in place have an infection, but if there is no effect on the other shrubs, then it would be safe to assume that it will not transfer between these two species.
If you just want something fast growing that will not get excessively tall, then you could go with any type of mimosa. They are tolerant of many conditions, neglect, and poor soils. This is another option to consider.
