Cedar works on an east exposure. The folliage and buds of cedar have two problems in Alberta. If they are exposed to the northwest, then those long winter days with light very cold dry winds from the northwest do them in, especially if it's sunny. The sun warms up the twigs when the air is still, then the breeze takes the humidity away.
But if you put them on the south side of the house, you put them in a heat trap, where it can easily get 10-15 degrees warmer than the surrounding area -- but the roots are still frozen, and cant bring in any more water. Hence east side of the house.
In the city, enough of the wind is blocked by other houses that they usually do ok on the North side of the house, or if on the south side, 20-30 feet away from the house.
It also works if you have a good solid shelterbelt to the NW to slow down the wind.
Poplar grow VERY fast, but have a tendency to sucker if anything hits a root, or just because they feel like it. Their roots are shallow, and can lift and crack driveways and sidewalks. Don't let them near your septic field.
Poplar are dirty trees. Every time the wind blows hard, you will find leaves, and twigs scattered about. The lawn mower mulches them nicely, but if you are at all lawn proud, they aren't a good idea.
For all that I like poplar. Hill poplar will form a nice screen in about 4 years. (I have some that are 16-18' tall going into their 5th summer. Great big leathery leaves that sound like distant applause.) Swedish aspen are one of the least bad for suckering. Tower poplar is narrower than hill, wider than Swedish.
Poplar are short lived trees -- 30-70 years.
Contrary to a previous poster, in my experience both scots pine and white spruce will grow about 1.5 feet a year -- if you water them. Choose between them on the basis of your soil type: Sandy soil -- go with pines. Clay or peaty soil, go with spruce.
One way to go is to alternate poplar and an evergreen. The poplar give you a screen in a hurry. When the evergreens get big enough to start taking over the job, you turn the poplar into firewood.
When you plant them leave room to mow around them. Keep the grass mowed short around the trees during the first few years. They will do better with less competition. If you plant a solid row of evergreen put them 8-10 feet apart. If you do the alternating approach, put them 6 feet apart.
Other possibilities: Native choke cherry. Only gets about 12 feet tall, lots of twigs to break up the view in winter. Fruit make good jam. Nice pink/orange fall colour.
Native dog wood. Only gets about 5 feet tall. Bright red twigs in winter. Needs moist soil, or extra water.
Golden willow: Grow as a multistem shrub rather than as a tree. Doesn't do well in sandy soil.
Green Alder. Fast growth, very solid hedge. Gets about 12-15 feet tall. Will grow on awful soil.
Wood is great for smoking meat. Seeds of interest to winter birds. Tree can be messy, b ittle wood that breaks easily. Needs an occasional chainsaw haircut.
Caragana. Grows on anything.
Larch/Tamerack: Our fastest conifer. 2+ feet per year. Loses needles in fall, and looks like dead christmas tree.
Hope this helps.
Sherwood Botsford
Sherwood's Forests Tree Farm
"Trees for Rural Living"
http://sherwoods-forests.com
sfinfo@sherwoods-forests.com
50042 Range Road 31, Warburg, AB
(780) 848 2548
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