Following Mr. Jefferson's lead

When the old shingled cottage behind our Rehoboth Beach house was torn down and the lot cleared, we realized we needed to do something quick to create privacy. I mean, who knows what kind of plastic McMansion might be built or if the new neighbors will be an obnoxious Republican family from northern Virginia.

So, we head upstate to Ronny’s Nursery to buy some California privet, which is great for creating hedges – the more you cut it the denser it gets. It seems to thrive on the Delaware coast. Especially when you toss on some of that powerful Milford fertilizer which I know is responsible for some of the "unfortunate looking" downstate Delawareans I see at the outlet malls.

Privet is not native to the United States. English settlers brought it to the New World in the 1700s. Thomas Jefferson used it at Monticello. Toparians favor it for their art. California privet actually came from Japan in the 1940’s and quickly became the privet of choice for Golden State gardeners and landscapers who appreciated its fast-growing attributes and utility as a shield against prying eyes. It can grow 25 inches in a year. I need about 36 inches to screen the neighbors.