Shrubbery for privacy

20 Fast-Growing Shrubs and Bushes for Privacy

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Don’t want to stare at that ugly block wall next door? Tired of seeing your neighbor taking out the garbage in his pajamas? Plants are the answer! If you don’t have years to wait around, no worries. From hydrangea bushes to lilac bushes and every evergreen in between, many attractive, fast-growing shrubs provide privacy, hide eyesores, and offer food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife in a matter of a few seasons.

To ensure your shrub gets a good start, choose varieties that work in your USDA Hardiness Zone. Then dig a hole twice as wide and just as deep as the pot. Rough up the root ball with your hands a bit to help the roots spread out. Backfill the hole, but resist the urge to add peat moss or other organic matter. That’s an outdated practice that actually creates drainage problems (called the “bathtub effect”) which can stunt or kill the plant eventually. Just water and mulch your new shrub, and don’t let it dry out the first season as it gets established. Then enjoy the view!

Here are the best plants for privacy that typically reach their mature size within a few seasons.

Arborvitae

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Arborvitae are stately evergreens which come in many different heights, ranging from a few feet to 30 feet tall or more. Most don’t need shearing to maintain their shape.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8

Varieties to Try: Green Giant, Spring Grove

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Butterfly Bush

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Sometimes called summer lilac, this sturdy shrub with purple flowers withstands drought, blooms all season long, and attracts pollinators. Newer types are not invasive.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Varieties to Try: Miss Violet, Miss Ruby

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Hydrangea

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Hydrangeas are one of the few plants that can be grown from coast to coast in most climates. Some tolerate part shade, but most need a few hours of sun for best blooms. In the hottest regions, give them morning sun and afternoon shade so they don’t fry.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 10

Varieties to Try: Firelight, Monmar

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Elderberry

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Late spring or early summer flowers and attractive foliage make this graceful plant attractive in a mixed border.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7

Varieties to Try: Instant Karma, Lemony Lace

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Pyracantha

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This vigorous shrub grows upright and boasts clusters of gorgeous fall berries that last well into winter.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Varieties to Try: Graberi, Kasan

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Lilac

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Beautifully-scented lilacs like plenty of sun, but give them a space between plants to let air circulate and reduce the risk of powdery mildew developing. Some types are extremely cold-hardy.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 8

Varieties to Try: Lavender Lady, Angel White

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Forsythia

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You know spring has arrived when the bright yellow forsythia starts blooming! It’s a more moderate grower than some other shrubs but will still reach its mature height relatively quickly.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9

Varieties to Try: Meadowlark, Spring Glory

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Beautyberry

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Some types of this sun-loving, perennial plant have solid green or variegated green-and-white foliage, but the prettiest variety has dark purple foliage with masses of white blooms in late summer. The real show is the purple berries in fall.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8

Varieties to Try: Pearl Glam, Purple Pearls

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Ninebark

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This white-flowering native plant is a standout in the garden with its handsome burgundy foliage that lasts all season, topped with creamy white flowers in early summer. The plant is ultra-cold-hardy and has a elegant arching shape.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 7

Varieties to Try: Diablo, Summer Wine

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Loropetalum

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Also called fringe flower due to its beautiful, showy blooms in shades of pink, white and purple, this graceful, vase-shaped shrub reaches maturity relatively quickly.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 9.

Varieties to Try: Snow Panda, Zhuzhou Fuchsia

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Viburnum

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This beautiful evergreen shrub has interesting puckered leaves and pretty white fragrant flowers, followed by showy red fruit.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8

Varieties to Try: Allegheny, Prague

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Dappled Willow

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The weeping stems of this shrub are pink, with mottled foliage of white, green, and pink. It’s spectacular when massed as a hedge for privacy.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 10

Varieties to Try: Hakuro Nishiki, Flamingo

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Spirea

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This arching shrub boasts a mass of white flowers in spring and colorful orange or reddish foliage in fall. Many types are cold-hardy.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7

Varieties to Try: Renaissance, Grefsheim

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Red Twig Dogwood

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This multi-stemmed shrub has striking red branches that are stunning in the winter landscape, especially against snow. It’s cold-tolerant, too.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 8

Varieties to Try: Isanti, Sibirica

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Crape Myrtle

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These heat-tolerant and elegant shrubs or small trees have vibrant purple, pink or white flowers in summer. Some varieties have eye-catching peeling bark.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9

Varieties to Try: Tonto, Natchez

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Serviceberry

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This shrub or small tree is prized for its beautiful orange-red fall color and clusters of white flowers that become deep purple fruits that the birds love.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9

Varieties to Try: Glenform, Autumn Brilliance

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Mock Orange

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This fountain-shaped shrub with beautiful white flowers has a light citrusy scent and lush green foliage.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 7

Varieties to Try: Natchez, Belle Etoile

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Euonymus

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Many types of this evergreen work well as a clipped hedge, while others look best left to naturalize. Happy in the shade or sun, some varieties have green and gold variegated foliage.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8

Varieties to Try: Manhattan, Aureovariegatus

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Juniper

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Junipers come in a staggering array of sizes and colors ranging from green to gold. It’s an extremely cold-hardy evergreen that’s not particularly fussy.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9

Varieties to Try: Montodd, Spartan

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Rose of Sharon

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This reliable summer bloomer boasts exotic-looking flowers of white, pink, purple, or lavender and every shade in between. New varieties grow in a pillar (columnar) shape.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Varieties to Try: White Pillar, Notwoodthree

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Arricca SanSone Arricca SanSone writes for CountryLiving.com, WomansDay.com, Family Circle, MarthaStewart.com, Cooking Light, Parents.com, and many others.

17 Fast-Growing Shrubs for Privacy Hedges

01 of 17

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Its leaves are gone. Its berries have disappeared. Its flowers are absent. It is winter, and yet red twig dogwood still stands out. Despite having lost so many features, red twig dogwood may be at its best when nothing blocks the view of its finest feature: its signature fire-red bark color (the same applies to yellow twig dogwood, but in a different color). Looking at such a plant can lift your spirits on the gloomiest of winter days.

USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 7
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Rich, fertile, moist soil

02 of 17

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The wonderfully fragrant shrub, mock orange is rather unfortunately named for what it is not, rather than for what it is. As the "mock" in its name suggests, mock orange is not a true orange. But the citrusy smell of its white blossoms is enough to invite comparison. Another white-flowered option is doublefile viburnum.

USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Well-drained, loamy soil

03 of 17

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Like mock orange, the traditional lilac is an olfactory treasure with fragrant flowers that you probably remember from your grandparents' yard. There are plenty of new cultivars available.

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Loamy soil

04 of 17

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There should be a special place in your heart for forsythia bushes. When their flower buds start yellowing up, forsythia flowers herald nothing less than spring, itself. Among the bushes, they are some of the earliest spring flowers.

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained soil

05 of 17

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The branching of rock cotoneaster is stiff and dense, giving the plant a rather bristly look. Stems shoot off the branches in what is often referred to as a "herringbone pattern," a term also used in hardscaping. The bristly look is significantly softened once the red berries appear, as your attention will be drawn to their fleshy orbs. But for a privacy hedge, go with one of the taller types of cotoneaster, such as C. lucidus.

USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 7
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Loamy, well-drained, evenly moist soil

06 of 17

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Beautyberry is such a fast-growing bush that many recommend pruning it down to within a foot or so of the ground in early spring. The resulting new growth, laden with berries by autumn, is sufficiently large to make for a compelling display.

USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 10
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained

07 of 17

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Even though ninebark was named for its bark, it is not in quite the same class as red twig dogwood. The Diablo cultivar offers something beyond an interesting bark: Dark foliage that makes it one of the so-called "black" plants.

USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Clay or loamy soil

08 of 17

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Forsythia may be one of the earliest heralds of spring, but it's not as early as pussy willow, which displays its characteristic fuzzy white catkins even before the arrival of forsythia's yellow blooms. You can also try another willow shrub that grows quickly, Flamingo Japanese willow.

USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 7
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained

09 of 17

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Loropetalum's use is not restricted to the American Southeast, but that region may well be considered its "capital" in the New World, where it is an evergreen shrub and an immensely popular plant.

USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Rich, well-drained, loamy, acidic soil

10 of 17

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There are many kinds of evergreen arborvitae that are used in hedges (including the relatively small 'North Pole'), and they do not all exhibit the same rate of growth. Therefore, not all arborvitaes are equally suited for use in privacy hedges. A good choice for large privacy hedges is the fast grower 'Green Giant', which can reach 50 to 60 feet tall (with a spread of 12 to 20 feet). If you want a bush that is more compact and do not mind waiting a bit longer, 'Emerald Green' arborvitae is a better option. The latter usually reaches just 12 to 14 feet tall, with a spread of 3 to 4 feet. Its foliage comes in flat sprays and, if you look closely, the needles appear covered in scales.

USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 7
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained, loamy soil

11 of 17

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One advantage that yews have over many similar evergreens is that these shade-tolerant plants will thrive in north-facing foundation plantings, no matter how sunlight-deprived. Yet they can be grown in full sun, too.

Warning

If you have small children, make sure they do not eat the berries: Their toxic seeds classify yew as poisonous plants.

USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun to shade, depending on type
Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

12 of 17

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This is not the poisonous plant that famously killed the Greek philosopher Socrates. No part of this tree is poisonous. Moreover, whether you think of hemlock as a tree or shrub may well depend on where you live. If you dwell in a rural area of North America, you probably know hemlock as a towering tree. But some of the finest privacy hedges in suburbia are composed of scaled-down Canadian, or Eastern, hemlocks.

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
Sun Exposure: Part sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Rich, moist soil

13 of 17

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Burning bush may be the poster child for invasive shrubs in North America. It is a fast grower with a terrific fall color that ranges from red to pinkish-red. Burning bush also produces reddish-orange berries in fall. Just be aware that this is an invasive shrub and should be planted with care.

USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Sandy, loamy soil

14 of 17

Garden fence with leylandii (Cupressocyparis leylandii) hedge. Stephen Shepherd/Getty Images

Also known as leyland cypress, leylandii is a hybrid of Alaskan cedar and Monterey cypress. It is an aggressive grower, capable of growing up to 3 feet per year, and it gets a bad rap for being difficult to handle. However, if you keep up with annual or semi-annual pruning, leylandii makes an excellent privacy hedge or windbreak.

USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 10
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Clay, loamy, sandy soil

15 of 17

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Like most maples, the amur maple is prized for its brilliant fall color, but it's also a fast-growing shrub that makes a great privacy hedge as well as a winter windbreak. The most popular cultivar for hedges is 'Flame', which grows in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 to 8. It can grow up to 2 feet per year and needs only annual pruning to keep its shape.

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Clay or loamy to sandy, well-drained soil

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Cherry laurel, also commonly called English laurel, is a good option for those in relatively warm climates, as it's hardy only to zones 6 to 8. In ideal conditions, it can grow up to 3 feet per year. Its glossy green leaves are evergreen and do not change color in fall. Creamy white flowering clusters bloom in spring.

USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 8
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Needs: Rich, well-drained soil

17 of 17

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The privet is the quintessential (or at least the most familiar) privacy hedge plant. It grows quickly, prunes nicely, and has flowers that lead to fruit clusters that last through the winter. While Ligustrum vulgare was once the most common type of privet planted, it has lost popularity to some of the more ornamental varieties, such as Japanese privet (L. japonicum).

USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 10
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part sun
Soil Needs: Well-drained, rich soil

Plants and shrubs for hedges - nature guards country privacy

Real rest is impossible without privacy from prying eyes. Indeed, in order to comfortably drink coffee in nature, accompanied by birds singing, surrounded by fragrant flowers and shrubs, it is not at all necessary to have a neighbor in sweatpants in the foreseeable visibility!

I suggest that you diplomatically isolate yourself from your neighbors with hedges made from plantings of various types and forms of bushes and garden vines.

For example, girlish (wild) grapes are quite suitable for this purpose. Launch it along a trellis 2 m high, in a year its lashes grow by 1 m. In the fall, your hedge will turn crimson-purple!

A “lattice” was welded from metal rods, and a couple of bushes of climbing roses were planted next to it. If the density of such a hedge does not suit you, plant a purple clematis (clematis) on the shady side of the structure behind a rose bush and let its lashes pass to the sunny side of your fence. After 2 years, your hedge will become dense and very beautiful!

If there is material, fold the wall. Walls made of stone and brick will not only protect you from prying eyes and from the wind, but will also look very picturesque. The wall made of clinker bricks is decorated with flowerpots with ampel beautiful flowering plants.

White wooden trellis will decorate any corner of the garden, giving it a solemn look. You won't want to leave this romantic corner.

The combination of several elements of vertical gardening on supports of various types looks most harmonious. For example, wooden trellises or wooden planters in combination with pergolas, on which you will run climbing and climbing plants.

Even for a "balcony" holiday, privacy is an important quality! Balconies and terraces are usually enclosed from the sides. Wooden and metal gratings can be bought, or you can make (knock down or “weld”) yourself.

Wooden lattice will hide your balcony from the neighbors, and if you put, for example, morning glory on it, then the shelter will be completely reliable. Stretch strong threads on the open parts of the balcony and run annual vines along them, planting them in containers attached to the balcony railing.

You feel uncomfortable on the open terrace. To create an optical "barrier", purchase wooden gratings and enclose the terrace space with them. Place several tubs with large indoor flowers, they will also serve as a visual fence for the terrace. The flowering arch will serve as a symbolic entrance to the terrace.

Homemade grating with a decorative passage creates a special division into “zones” on the site.

A riot of greenery and flowering plants is the best solution for everyone. No, even the most exquisite fence, can be compared in its beauty with natural greenery.

Under this pergola there is a cozy resting area, completely invisible from the outside. During the flowering of climbing roses under it, not only beautiful, but also a pleasant aroma!

If you like oriental motifs, you can use a bamboo screen! Several plants in tubs, as well as bonsai plants will create harmony and comfort.

Ampels with long shoots in pots attached to the fence create a unique chic! Suitable petunia, fortune, diascia.

Being the boundary of the plot, the fence does not cease to be an element of garden design. Colored fence looks more attractive!

Read also

How to decorate a fence with living plants

All about hedges in the garden

How to make a fence

Content of article

Hydrangea

There's no denying that hydrangeas are a stunning addition to the garden, and no list of the best ornamental shrubs would be complete without them. We think these are wonderful low maintenance shrubs for the front of the house as well. Hydrangeas, characterized by their beautiful blooms, can brighten up your yard with vibrant colors during the summer months.

“These shrubs are absolutely stunning and are one of the few plants that can be grown in most climates,” says Shannon Bernadine, CEO of The African Garden. "Mostly they prefer to soak up the sun for a few hours a day, but some can tolerate semi-solar conditions."

When it comes to choosing a hydrangea variety, you are spoiled for choice. “The top choice among hydrangeas is Nikko Blue, which has dinner-plate-sized dark blue snowballs throughout the summer months,” recommends Tammy Suns, founder of TN Nursery.

Shrub roses

A timeless addition to the garden, roses are undoubtedly one of the best ornamental shrubs. Their beautiful flowers, single or double, will add color, character and fragrance to your yard and will continue to bloom from mid-summer until the first frost.

Unlike traditional roses, which grow vertically on straight stems, spray roses have a more spreading form that can be formed into a standard bush or woven into a hedge. They are also more compact and can therefore be grown successfully in pots, making them a great addition to container gardening ideas.

See also: How to grow roses in the garden

Cherry laurel

If you are looking for the best flowering shrubs for privacy, then cherry laurel is a great choice. An evergreen shrub, it will provide privacy all year round and in the spring it will produce many beautiful white flowers that are also a great choice for flowers that attract bees to your garden.

Cherry laurel hedges are the perfect choice for gardeners looking for privacy and beauty without sacrificing themselves. They can grow quickly or slowly, depending on how much sun you want them to receive. These evergreen shrubs produce white flower spikes between April and May, followed by black fruits that are great for feeding birds in the winter.

Forsythia

One of the best house front shrubs, forsythia is characterized by an abundance of yellow (or white) flowers that bloom in early spring. It is these beautiful flowers that make forsythia one of the best ornamental shrubs.

Potentilla

This graceful shrub will make a wonderful addition to any garden. Potentilla flowers, one of the best flowering shrubs, range from bright red and burgundy to peach, yellow and white, depending on the variety you choose.

Ideal plants for the country garden, this is a beautiful shrub that adds cover and character in equal measure. With low nutrition and water requirements, it is also great for dry gardens and rock gardens. As a relatively small shrub, reaching a height of 60 cm and a width of 40 cm at maturity, Potentilla is ideal for adding to herbaceous borders.

Lilac

One of the best fast growing hedges, lilac is also one of the best flowering shrubs for retreat as it will quickly fill in gaps in your garden.

If you are looking for a long-blooming lilac, the Bloomerang lilac bush is a great choice. While most lilac shrubs only bloom once per season, Bloomerang has two flowering periods, one in spring and one in late summer.

Ceratostigma

While it's easy to pick the best flowering shrubs for spring and summer, finding a flowering shrub that will bring interest to your fall garden requires a little more thought. One of the best flowering shrubs for fall bloom is ceratostigma. Featuring attractive blue flowers and red and purple leaves, it's sure to stand out in your yard.

An herbaceous perennial, ceratostigma can be grown in a wide variety of soil types, from chalk and sand to clay and loam, although it prefers moist, well-drained soil. Choose an evergreen variety to enjoy its red and purple leaves during the fall and winter months.

Mahonia

If you are looking for the best flowering shrubs to add winter interest to your garden, Mahonia is the perfect choice. While the rest of the garden seems to be sleeping, the mahonia is coming to life, bringing with it an array of bright yellow flowers - no wonder it's one of the best winter flowers.

In winter, this shrub blooms bright yellow flowers, which is a great way to add a happy splash of color when the weather is dull and grey. After flowering, dark berries appear. These shrubs grow best in the shade.

Lavender

Lavender is a staple in any garden and although small in size, it is powerful, bringing with it beautiful purple flowers and an iconic scent.

These fragrant herbs are especially popular as part of the garden. Lavender can grow up to one foot tall, but its flowers are two inches wide and are a great choice if you're looking for bee-attracting flowers. Once established, they are drought tolerant but do best when not in full sun.

Azalea

With its beautiful flowers, Azaleas are a spectacular shrub in any garden. One of the best flowering shrubs for Victorian garden design, azaleas bring a grandeur that will brighten up any flowerbed idea.

Shrubbery for privacy

20 Fast-Growing Shrubs and Bushes for Privacy

17 Fast-Growing Shrubs for Privacy Hedges

Warning

Plants and shrubs for hedges - nature guards country privacy

Read also

Hydrangea

Shrub roses

Cherry laurel

Forsythia

Potentilla

Lilac

Ceratostigma

Mahonia

Lavender

Azalea

Learn more