- 1). Contact your local government and utility company to learn about any code or maintenance standards regarding the electrical posts. Ask about the distance requirements regarding the planting of trees near the posts. A municipality may have codes that limit what tree species or mature plant heights are acceptable to plant. The utility company can tell you how close a branch or plant may be to the pole before its maintenance crews prune it to protect their utility pole and wire property. Write down these requirements.
- 2). Look out to the electrical pole from every window and primary activity area in the back yard, including the patio or picnic area. Note where the view of the electrical pole is most offensive so you'll know where you need to landscape to improve your backyard experience.
- 3). Recruit a family member or friend to act as a model to gauge where a screening tree would be most effective in blocking the view of the electrical pole from several vantage points. Give him the retractable tape measure. While standing at the house or patio, send the person to stand at the back of your property line, representing the trunk of the potential tree. Have him move as needed to get a sense of where the tree would need to be to block the electrical pole from most, if not all, of the primary vantage points you are looking from. Use the tape measure to pinpoint locations, or to help you visualize the width of a tree's branch canopy needed for the best screening effect, and record these locations.
- 4). Write down any figures regarding how wide the plant must be for good screening, combining these with the code requirements regarding acceptable heights and tree species you obtained earlier. These notes and numbers will help you choose from the numerous plants available at a nursery. Remember to consider the plant's mature size, growth rates and any ornamental features along with its screening ability.
- 5). Visit the local plant nursery and look for evergreen plants that will potentially block the view of the electrical post. Avoid deciduous plants unless you don't mind seeing the utility post in winter months. Either a singular large tree -- or a tree that will grow and mature to an appropriate size -- or multiple narrow, upright shrubs or trees may be used to create a visual screen to block the view of the electrical post.
- 6). Plant the trees an appropriate distance from the electrical pole on your property, as advised by local code, the utility company or the nursery. Do not buy a tree that grows so fast or large that constant pruning maintenance is needed, causing the tree to become a nuisance or financial burden.
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