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I am looking for a shrub that will act as a noise barrier. Here's the requirements: height 6 to 8 feet,
block out the truck noise, does not promote birds (they are noisy too), will grow and survive in zone 4 (northern wisconsin), My soil currently is mostly clay but I could bring in some black dirt for it. Will be in full sun (south side).
Honestly, you need one of those walls like they build alongside the highways to block the noise for the people who live next to the highway. You can block wind with shrubs, but I don't think one or two shrubs are going to have any significant impact on reducing truck noise. And even though you can avoid fruiting shrubs, any shrub provides a nice place for hanging out or nesting, so you can't guarantee no birds either. I'm assuming you can't build a wall like they build along the highways, so I'd invest in dual pane windows and a good set of earplugs.
I live between a highway and a small airport. Trees and bushes do make a difference though not huge, nominal differences can provide peace of mind. I planted 4 blue spruce on the highway side and hope that they will also help with blowing snow. I believe their are miniature or short versions of spruce. I also built a water feature to create white noise near my patio.
I'd plant a double row of arborvitae or yews, or maybe a mixture. Definitely evergreens, since you have the truck noise year-round. Or, dwarf spruces would work, but they usually grow slowly and the big ones are pretty expensive.
