If making your backyard a cozy, private space is your goal, start planting! While a fence could do the trick to screen a view or keep neighbors from looking in, a living wall of privacy trees is far prettier! "Using plantings adds more color, texture, and in some cases movement to the garden, which can be enjoyed from indoors and out," says landscape designer Kat Aul Cervoni, founder of Staghorn NYC and The Cultivation by Kat. "You also can attract wildlife to your space, such as songbirds and pollinators. That's a joy if you love observing nature up close."
Selecting privacy trees for your yard also adds visual interest and beauty that's unmatched by a fence. "A green screen provides a more dynamic element to your space—something that grows each year and changes with the seasons, which I find gives a person a beautiful way to observe the passage of time and feel more connected to nature," says Cervoni. You also can select flowering trees for even more beauty.
But which trees should you to choose for your natural privacy wall? Make sure your choices will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here). Also, be sure to mix it up! Planting a single kind of tree in a row is called a “monoculture,” which leaves your entire screen vulnerable to disease, pests, or a hungry deer; then you'll be left with an unsightly hole in your wall! Instead, plant in groupings or clusters, with trees in back and shorter shrubs and perennials for a layered effect.
Ahead, our selections for the best privacy trees and large shrubs, including fast growers, evergreen beauties, and even shade options:
Skip Laurel
Skip laurels have glossy, evergreen foliage with spikes of white flowers in spring. It's a fast grower, deer resistant and grows in all types of soils. It even works in shade!
Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria, or Japanese cedar, has the most amazing texture! Plant this beauty if you have plenty of space because it maxes out at more than 30 feet tall.
Rhododendron
This broadleaf evergreen has beautiful flowers in late spring. It's available in colors ranging from coral to lavender and is a favorite in part-shade gardens.
Juniper
Junipers come in many different sizes and forms with colors ranging from blue-green to gold. Upright forms make pretty screens with some types developing clusters of blue-green fruits that add interest and texture.
Chastetree
This elegant, lesser-known tree is a fast-grower with clusters of fragrant purple blooms and gray-green foliage. Prune to achieve a spreading multi-trunk display; it will screen expanses up to 15 feet wide or more at maturity.
Yew
There are many different kinds of yews, including low-growing types, but the tall pyramidal or upright varieties work well for borders and screens. They’re extremely cold-hardy, and some types tolerate part shade.
Serviceberry
This shrubby tree features clusters of fragrant white flowers in spring, which become deep purple berries that are good for jam (or to share with the birds!). You’ll need to prune to create a tree form, but it’s fast-growing up to 25 feet tall. It also boasts pretty fall color.
Arborvitae
Arbs grow in round, columnar or pyramidal forms, ranging from a few feet to more than 30 feet tall. Most don’t need shearing to maintain their shape. They’re hardy and fast-growing, but be careful if you have a deer problem: They're one of their favorite winter snacks.
False Cypress
Pretty fern-like needles and graceful limbs make this an attractive low-maintenance plant. Look for varieties with a vertical or roughly pyramidal shape to create screening.
Hemlock
This graceful tree has soft, feathery foliage and tolerates part shade and extreme cold. Many types can become quite tall, so read the label and look for more manageable dwarf varieties for your backyard.
Hydrangea
While hydrangea is technically a shrub, several types are fast-growers and make a colorful screen. You’ll get the bonus of gorgeous flowers that last from early summer to late fall; the dried flower heads remain for winter interest, too. There are a ton of types and sizes, so read the label to know what you're buying.
Cedar
Cedar trees have a naturally elegant form and interesting cones. Weeping varieties are a striking focal point in a mixed border and work well in the landscape or pots lined up for privacy on your patio.
Rose of Sharon
You might not think of this shrub as a privacy plant, but it's lovely planted in a cluster or loose row. The exotic-looking flowers start blooming in late summer when many other plants are winding down. Color and privacy? Yes, please!
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
Flowering Plants that Attract Bees
How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden
38 Deer-Resistant Plants Bambi Won't Go Near
Make Chores a Breeze with These Potting Tables
