One of the top questions we get asked is how to use privacy trees and shrubs to create a beautiful screen without making your yard look like a fortress. Whether you're blocking a bad view, creating a peaceful outdoor room, or protecting your home from wind and noise, the right plants can transform your landscape and add real value to your property.
Plants can solve so many modern homeowner challenges in a natural, cost-effective way. Ask yourself which of these applies to you:
- Do you want a fast way to completely screen out and block something ugly or a bad view?
- Are you a little "too close for comfort" with a nosy neighbor?
- Are you looking for a soft, breezy way to create a sense of separation without sacrificing sun or sky views?
- Do you dream of relaxing next to a live, flowering garden wall?
- Are your guests being blown away by harsh winds at your backyard barbecues?
- Do you live on a busy street or hear constant noise pollution?
Explore our full selection of privacy trees and privacy shrubs and hedges to find the perfect screening solution for your yard.
Hardscape Fencing Versus Plant Solutions
Hardscape fencing can be gorgeous and very effective at providing both privacy and wind protection. Of course, many HOAs and cities have ordinances that restrict fence heights, typically between 4 and 6 feet tall.
Often, the best privacy solution is a combination of hardscape and "softscape" -- environmentally friendly live plants. Read on for details on solutions, selection, siting, and spacing your privacy trees and shrubs for best results.
What Kind of Privacy Do You Need?
Evergreen conifers and broadleaved evergreens hold on to their foliage year-round. If you have a large expanse of unsightly views -- such as roadways, railroads, commercial sites, or parking lots -- you'll want to use evergreens in your privacy plan to completely screen them all year long. Adding an evergreen privacy screen adds real value to your property!
Evergreen plants display a huge amount of diversity in terms of form, shape, and size. Study the Plant Highlight Facts on every product page to learn the height and "spread" (or width) of the plant. Arborvitae and evergreen trees provide wonderful color in cold weather and can be used as specimens, hedges, and year-round privacy screens.
How can you actually use this?
In a short period of time, look what Green Giant Arborvitae can do for your property! This planting has only been in for a little over 10 years.
Even when the plants were smaller, they were trapping snow, blocking wind, and hiding unsightly views. No pruning was done. These Green Giants were allowed to grow naturally, and why not? They grow to 50 feet tall and 18 feet wide with soft sprays of bright green foliage.
Now, you may want to create an effective outdoor room for summertime fun without sacrificing precious winter sunlight. In that case, use deciduous trees and shrubs, which lose their leaves in winter. These come in a wide variety, and you can enjoy the added benefit of flowers that bring beautiful butterflies.
For an easy way to create an incredible outdoor room, plant ornamental trees in a row closely enough so they grow together. Crabapples, Ornamental Pears, or Ornamental Cherry trees all work beautifully for this purpose.
This photo shows a disease-resistant Red Jewel Crabapple. The homeowner loves the unbelievable pink bud and white flower cloud in bloom, followed by green disease-free foliage all summer. Ruby red fruits are showy from late summer and persist all winter long, feeding migrating robins, cedar waxwings, and many other birds in late winter and spring.
Plant these along a hardscape fence, or "underplant" them with smaller shrubs to achieve a complete screen from top to bottom.
Magnolias are another flowering tree often used as screening plants, with their lower limbs allowed to fill in naturally without pruning. What a gorgeous spring flower to look forward to!
Selecting the Right Plant for Height and Width
When putting together your privacy plan, select trees that reach the right height to achieve your screening goal at full growth. But here are some expert tips you may not have considered.
If you're planting along neighboring property lines, give each plant enough leeway to reach its full width without crossing into the neighbor's yard. Be especially careful when planting under overhead power lines, or along walkways, driveways, or patios.
Choose the right variety that naturally grows the right size for your space, rather than having to regularly prune for size control. Check with your local city zoning ordinances as you plan your privacy screen to ensure you meet restrictions for height and setbacks from your property line. Special restrictions may apply to corner lots and along driveways.
Trust us -- it's not fun to finish installing a beautiful new living fence only to be told you have to move it back five feet from your lot line! Choose a variety that naturally stays under any height requirements, or you'll give yourself a lifetime of regular pruning.
Privacy for Narrow Spaces
Let's say you have an upstairs window that overlooks a neighbor's master bath. You might choose to selectively plant for privacy to simply block that window. Filter our plant offerings by height and width to find just the right option for your unique privacy challenge.
Modern plant breeders are now producing columnar varieties that grow tall, straight, and skinny. You'll also want something that grows fast -- Leyland Cypress grows up to 4 feet a year and may be a good choice when you need quick height in a moderate amount of space.
Thin Man® Arborvitae: The Narrowest Privacy Hedge Available
When space is extremely tight, nothing beats the Full Speed A Hedge® Thin Man® Arborvitae. This remarkable cultivar of Thuja occidentalis grows 12 to 15 feet tall but only 2 to 3 feet wide -- making it the go-to choice when a traditional arborvitae would simply take up too much room.
Here's what makes Thin Man® stand out for narrow privacy situations:
- Incredibly fast growth: 2 to 3 feet per year means you'll have a solid screen in just a few seasons
- Ultra-narrow footprint: At only 2 to 3 feet wide, you can plant these just 2 to 3 feet apart on center for a tight, seamless hedge
- Hardy in Zones 3-7: Cold-tolerant to -40°F, making it one of the toughest narrow evergreens available
- Zero maintenance: No pruning required to maintain its naturally slim, columnar form
- Deer resistant: An important plus for suburban and rural properties
- Year-round color: Rich emerald green foliage stays vibrant through every season
If you have a side yard, fence line, or property boundary with only 3 to 5 feet of depth to work with, Thin Man® Arborvitae is your answer. It delivers the same reliable, dense screening as a traditional arborvitae hedge -- just in a fraction of the width. #ProPlantTip: Plant 2 to 3 feet apart on center for a tight, gapless screen that knits together beautifully within a season or two.
Other Great Columnar Options for Tight Spaces
When space is tight, these narrow privacy plants also perform beautifully:
- Sky Pencil Holly -- a sleek, formal columnar evergreen that thrives in Zones 6-9, stays just 2 feet wide
- North Pole® Arborvitae -- densely branched and naturally narrow, ideal for cold climates (Zone 3)
- Blue Arrow Juniper -- striking silvery-blue color, extremely narrow, very drought tolerant
- Castle Spire® Blue Holly -- an upright shrub with glossy foliage and red berries, can be spaced as close as 2 feet on center
These super-slim plants make superior privacy screens close to your patio or home with little care or maintenance. They can all be planted closely every 2 feet on center to create an immediate, gapless screen.
Best Privacy Trees and Shrubs for Noise Reduction
Did you know that live plants actually absorb sound? Plants with long needles, dense branching, and lots of surface area can absorb a significant amount of noise -- and their effectiveness increases as the plants grow and fill out.
For the best noise reduction, choose dense evergreens like Techny Arborvitae, which features exceptionally thick branching from ground to top. A double row of tightly spaced privacy trees creates even better noise buffering than a single row.
If you live in an area with winter snow and you'll be planting along a road or highway, choose plants that can tolerate brackish (salty) soil. Junipers and certain hollies handle road salt well. Check with your local agriculture extension office for recommendations suited to your specific area.
How Far Apart Do I Plant Privacy Trees and Shrubs? Spacing Guide
Are you looking for privacy up close to your patio, or do you need to screen a large open area? The amount of space you have will determine what kind of plants to use and the proper spacing required to get the job done.
First, look at how wide the plant you're considering will spread at maturity. A plant that reaches 4 feet wide means it will grow about 2 feet on either side of the main stem. Split the mature width in half to know how close to plant before the plants would touch at maturity. If you want the plants to grow together to create a solid screen, shorten the distance between plants by about a foot.
Note that you'll also need to measure the width of the actual container size you're installing. If you buy larger plants, you'll get a head start on privacy and can plant them closer together from day one.
Arborvitae are among the best plants for privacy screening because they can be planted close together without harming each other. A row of tightly spaced arborvitae becomes one solid mass of soft, feathery foliage from the ground up. They're very forgiving and can be pruned along the tops of the plants to widen and thicken the growth slightly. Browse our full arborvitae collection to compare widths, heights, and growth rates for your spacing plan.
Don't Make These Spacing Mistakes With Your Privacy Screen
You may feel a little like Goldilocks as you plan your privacy fence: don't plant too far apart, but don't plant too close together either. The Norway Spruce pictured above were planted too far apart 25 or 30 years ago, and they never formed a privacy screen. Instead, they appear as individual specimen plants.
This is a costly mistake that takes decades to reveal itself. Remember to carefully calculate half of the mature width to know when the plants will touch at maturity -- and reduce that distance by a foot if you want them to knit together into a solid screen.
On the other hand, planting too close together in an effort to achieve immediate privacy will lead to crowding and competition between neighboring trees. Spruce trees planted too close together will shade each other out, causing inner branches to die out. Give the plants enough room to just barely touch their neighbor at maturity.
Far better to spend money on buying the largest container size you can afford. These are older trees that have received expert care, and you'll see a big, immediate impact in your landscape. Win, win!
The Look of Uniform Privacy Fencing
If you prefer a formal look, create a privacy fence of a single variety planted in a straight line, evenly spaced. A straight line of plantings helps you maximize space in your yard while delivering consistent, wall-to-wall privacy.
You might choose to create a formal hedge using Boxwood, Yew, or Privet, which can be sheared every year. This works best on a level site. Be warned -- it takes consistent pruning to achieve perfection with this technique, and all the plants need to perform well to achieve a uniform look.
Mixed Privacy Tree and Shrub Borders
For a more natural look, consider planting privacy trees in a slightly staggered row, placed a bit farther from your home or outdoor space to allow them to attain their natural form. The space between the plants can be increased to accommodate the mature width.
Take a page out of a farmer's windbreak playbook by growing two rows of privacy trees. Plant fast-growing trees in the back row and slower-growing, densely branched trees in the front row. When the slower-growing trees reach the desired size, remove the shorter-lived trees in the back row.
Use larger plants in the back and include both deciduous and evergreens to create an interesting mixed privacy screen and windbreak that provides year-round interest.
Don't forget to add color, flowers, and wildlife appeal in your privacy plan. Mix Lilacs in cooler climates and Crape Myrtles in warmer climates into your evergreen hedges. Birch trees add beautiful peeling bark that shows up dramatically against dark evergreens.
Creating a "shrub border" mixed with privacy trees is a great way to create year-long interest, attract beneficial insects and birds, and provide a perfect backdrop for outdoor activities. Map out your design on paper first and use a repeating pattern for good results. Plants look most natural in odd-numbered clustered groups of 3, 5, 7, or 9 -- look for opportunities to add interest you'll enjoy from your living room or deck.
Tough, Effective Windbreak Trees
Trying to cut down on wind? A quick solution to reducing wind and snowdrifts is to add a natural, elongated planting on the north and/or west side of your property. A double row of White Spruce works well to screen off a property from a north-facing windy location and a highway.
Live plants block winds and can act as snow fencing in colder regions. A windbreak privacy plan will protect valuable fruit trees and tender garden plants from prevailing winter winds -- and you'll appreciate the extra protection inside the house plus some savings on energy costs, too.
If you've recently moved to your house, call the local airport to find out the direction of your prevailing winds. It's usually north, northeast, or northwest. Plan to place your windbreak at right angles to the wind, typically between 40 to 80 feet away from your house, for best results.
Top Privacy Trees and Shrubs: Our Best Picks from Nature Hills
Ready to get started? Here's a quick guide to some of our most popular privacy trees and shrubs, all available at Nature Hills:
- Green Giant Arborvitae -- The gold standard for large privacy screens. Grows 3-5 feet per year to 50 feet tall and 18 feet wide. Hardy in Zones 5-9.
- Full Speed A Hedge® Thin Man® Arborvitae -- The narrowest arborvitae available. Just 2-3 feet wide, grows 12-15 feet tall at 2-3 feet per year. Zones 3-7.
- Emerald Green Arborvitae -- A classic medium-sized privacy shrub with a naturally pyramidal form. Stays 10-15 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. Zones 2-8.
- North Pole® Arborvitae -- Extremely columnar and densely branched, ideal for cold climates. Hardy to Zone 3.
- Techny Arborvitae -- One of the densest arborvitaes available, excellent for year-round noise and privacy screening. Hardy in Zones 3-7.
- Sky Pencil Holly -- Sleek columnar evergreen shrub, perfect for tight urban spaces. Stays 6-10 feet tall and just 2 feet wide. Zones 6-9.
- Castle Spire® Blue Holly -- Upright form with glossy foliage and red berries, great for shrub borders and tight hedges. Zones 5-9.
- Blue Arrow Juniper -- Striking silvery-blue columnar form, extremely drought tolerant and low maintenance. Zones 4-9.
Ready to Plant Your Privacy Screen? Shop Nature Hills Today
Creating the perfect privacy screen starts with choosing the right plants for your space, climate, and screening goals. Whether you need a towering evergreen wall, a narrow hedge for a tight side yard, or a mixed shrub border full of color and texture, Nature Hills has the perfect privacy trees and shrubs for every situation. Happy Planting!
