If you’re looking for a natural way to increase privacy in your backyard without the hassle of installing a fence, adding plants may be the perfect solution. Not only do they provide a barrier from your neighbors, but they also add a touch of beauty to your outdoor space.
Whether you prefer the natural screen of false cypress trees or the climbing vines of outdoor planters weaving their way up trellises, there’s an option for every style. With a little time and care, your backyard will transform into a private oasis that you can enjoy for years to come.
1. Burgundy Queen Bougainvillea
If you are looking for a fast-growing climbing vine for privacy or as an accent plant, Burgundy Queen Bougainvillea is an excellent choice. This vigorous climber can grow up to 30 feet long and is perfect for weaving through trellises and fences. The new growth leaves are a deep wine-red, and the flower-like bracts are a dramatic burgundy hue. This stunning plant is an ideal addition to large patio pots or as a standalone feature in your garden.
2. Darkstar Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
If you’re looking for a privacy border plant that adds color to your backyard, consider the Darkstar Purple Leaf Sand Cherry. This plant features dense branching that grows up to 5 feet tall, with foliage ranging from purple-red to maroon. During spring, you’ll enjoy its light pink to white blooms.
3. Jade Waves False Cypress
Plant a row of Jade Waves False Cypress to create a serene and evergreen privacy screen. This false cypress variety grows up to 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, with beautifully arching branches and airy green foliage. This plant adds a touch of elegance to any garden.
4. Sparkler Arrowwood Viburnum
Sparkler Arrowwood Viburnum is a shrub that features glossy green leaves and delicate white flowers. It is a great addition to any garden as it produces berries that attract birds to your yard. This shrub can be arranged together to form a beautiful flowering hedge along your garden’s perimeter.
5. Emerald Colonnade Holly
To create a lush privacy screen, allow Emerald Colonnade Holly to grow into its natural pyramidal shape. In gardens where privacy is less important, this dense evergreen also makes an excellent topiary. When left to grow unchecked, it climbs to 12 feet, forming a high border around your yard.
6. Mandevilla
If you’re looking for a plant that provides privacy, consider the climbing variety of Mandevilla. This fast-growing vine produces red, pink, or white flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s also usually ignored by deer and rabbits. Plant it in full sun after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Mandevilla can be trained to climb up a trellis, arbor, or other structure.
7. Jasmine
Jasmine is a beautiful and fragrant plant that can grow as a vine, making it perfect for covering walls or screening views. There are several types of Jasmine, each with their own hardiness zones, so it’s important to check the care tag before choosing one. Some types of Jasmine are also suitable as houseplants, adding a touch of elegance and freshness to your indoor space.
8. Blue Arrow Juniper
Blue Arrow Juniper is a hardy evergreen shrub that can grow up to 12 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Its base of cool blue foliage makes it an excellent complement to a wide variety of plants. Once established, Blue Arrow Juniper is fairly drought-resistant and can survive in temperatures as low as -30 degrees F. This shrub is perfect for use as a living privacy screen without taking up a lot of yard space, making it a great addition to any garden.
9. Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean Fir
Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean Fir, scientifically known as Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’, is an evergreen tree that is perfect for adding privacy to your yard. This slow-growing tree has dense branching, making it an excellent choice for creating a screen. Within ten years, it can grow up to 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
To ensure its optimal growth, it is best to plant it in climates with cool summers, all-day sun to part shade, and moist but well-draining soil.
Consider adding Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean Fir to your landscape for a beautiful, natural privacy screen that will last for years to come.
10. Arborvitae
Arborvitae is a family of evergreen trees and shrubs that are known for their dense, soft, bright green foliage. They are popular for living fences and privacy screens due to their vertical growth pattern and year-round greenery. Arborvitae is also fast-growing, low-maintenance, and cold-hardy.
The American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) variety can reach up to 20 to 40 feet tall, making it suitable for larger gardens where a windbreak is needed in addition to privacy. The Arborvitae ‘Emerald Green’ (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) and baby giant arborvitae tree (Thuja plicata x standishii ‘Virginian’) grow from 12 to 15 feet tall, making them a good fit for any size garden.
11. Spartan Juniper
The Spartan Juniper is a fast-growing, column-shaped evergreen that is perfect for creating a formal hedge. Its soft, needle-like leaves are dark green and thrive in full sun. This variety of juniper can grow to be between 15 and 20 feet tall, making it ideal for providing privacy and wind protection.
12. Moonglow Juniper
The ‘Moonglow’ (Juniperus scopulorum ‘Moonglow’) is a columnar evergreen shrub with stunning silvery-blue, soft, feathery foliage. It grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet, making it ideal for use as a living fence or a windbreak to provide noise protection. This plant thrives in full sun.
13. Cherry Laurel
Looking for year-round privacy? The Cherry Laurel, also known as English Laurel, provides dense, evergreen growth and fragrant white spring flowers. This tall shrub (10 to 20 feet) is perfect for hard-to-grow conditions and adapts well to all light conditions, including heavy shade. It’s also drought-tolerant and not picky about soil type.
14. Magical Amore Holly
Magical® Amore Holly, a member of the holly family, is a preferred choice for hedges. Unlike its cousin English holly, it is an evergreen shrub that grows up to 5 to 7 feet tall and creates a dense, prickly screen that deters unwanted intruders from entering your yard.
It is essential to note that the berries of any holly plant are toxic to people and pets, except for birds. Therefore, it is not recommended for planting in areas that are easily accessible to small children.
Pruning holly can be challenging due to its prickly leaves, but it is manageable with the right tools and techniques. Consider using thick gloves and long-handled pruning shears to avoid getting poked by the thorns.
Overall, Magical® Amore Holly is an excellent choice for homeowners looking for a beautiful and practical hedge plant that provides privacy and security.
15. Japanese Euonymus
If you’re looking for an evergreen shrub that can create privacy in a small-scale landscape, Japanese Euonymus is an ideal choice. With glossy, leathery green leaves, this hardy and woody shrub can grow up to 15 feet high and tolerates heat, drought, and moderate salt spray. It is also available in variegated varieties with bright yellow and green leaves, adding spectacular colors to your garden. The Japanese Euonymus performs well in full sun through heavy shade.
