Creating privacy in your outdoor space doesn’t have to take decades. The right fast-growing shrubs can transform your yard into a secluded oasis within just a few growing seasons.
These natural privacy screens block unwanted views and add beauty, texture, and wildlife habitat to your landscape. While traditional fencing offers immediate privacy, living barriers provide a softer, more natural solution that improves with age.
Here are the 18 most effective privacy shrubs to help create your backyard sanctuary.
1. Green Giant Arborvitae
This magnificent evergreen is a premier choice for privacy screening, combining rapid growth with year-round beauty. It creates an impressive living wall that can reach 30-50 feet in height while maintaining dense foliage from top to bottom.
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- Grows 3-5 feet annually and thrives in zones 5-9
- Requires 6-8 feet spacing and withstands temperatures below -20°F
- Adapts well to most soil conditions but needs protection from deer
The Green Giant’s pyramidal shape and consistent growth pattern make it an excellent choice for creating uniform privacy screens. Its resilience to weather conditions and minimal maintenance requirements have made it increasingly popular among homeowners seeking long-term privacy solutions.
2. North Privet
America’s fastest-growing hedge plant offers versatile screening solutions. Its dense, glossy foliage and adaptable nature serve multiple landscape purposes, from formal hedges to natural barriers.
- Will grow 3 feet annually in zones 4-8
- Maintains heights between 4-15 feet with heavy pruning tolerance
- Attracts butterflies with summer flowers and provides winter berries
The North Privet’s exceptional adaptability to urban environments makes it particularly valuable for city gardens and suburban landscapes. Its ability to thrive in coastal and inland areas while maintaining dense growth throughout the seasons ensures reliable year-round privacy.
3. Skip Laurel
An elegant evergreen solution that combines beauty with practicality, offering year-round screening with fragrant spring blooms. Its dense growth habit creates effective natural boundaries.
- Hardy in zones 6-9 with tolerance to -10°F
- Adapts to both sun and shade conditions
- Features deer resistance and aromatic almond-scented flowers
Skip Laurel’s versatility in lighting conditions makes it an excellent choice for challenging landscape areas. Its glossy leaves maintain their deep green color throughout the year, providing a sophisticated backdrop while effectively blocking unwanted views.
4. Leyland Cypress
A rapid-growing evergreen that creates soft, feathery screens with remarkable adaptability to various environments. Its columnar growth pattern makes it ideal for creating tall privacy barriers.
- Adds up to 3 feet of height annually in zones 6-10
- Thrives in coastal areas with excellent salt spray tolerance
- Requires 6-8 feet spacing for optimal screening
The Leyland Cypress’s fast growth rate and uniform shape make it particularly valuable for establishing quick privacy screens. Its ability to thrive in challenging coastal environments while maintaining its attractive appearance makes it a reliable choice for seaside properties.
5. Common Lilac
This classic privacy screen combines fragrant spring blooms with robust growth, making it especially valuable for northern gardens. Its traditional charm and cold hardiness create reliable, long-lasting barriers.
- Flourishes in zones 3-7 with tolerance to -35°F
- Reaches 10-15 feet tall with spectacular spring blooms
- Requires full sun and 5-6 feet spacing for optimal flowering
Beyond its screening capabilities, the Common Lilac’s legacy as a heritage plant adds historic charm to any landscape. Its ability to withstand harsh winter conditions while producing abundant spring blooms makes it a cherished choice for traditional garden designs.
6. Hydrangea
A versatile flowering shrub that excels in partial shade areas, offering both privacy and ornamental value throughout the growing season. Its large blooms and dense foliage create a romantic screening solution.
- Reaches 10 feet tall and hardy in zones 3-9
- Performs best in the morning sun and afternoon shade
- Features changing bloom colors and multiple seasons of interest
The shrub’s adaptability to various climates and ability to thrive in challenging light conditions make it an invaluable choice for difficult garden spaces. The large, showy blooms create an ever-changing display that enhances the privacy screen with seasonal color variations.
7. Burning Bush
A dramatic deciduous shrub that provides dense screening with spectacular fall color transformation. Its thick branching structure maintains partial privacy even in winter months.
- Hardy in zones 4-8 with tolerance to -20°F
- Dense growth habit with brilliant red autumn foliage
- Adapts well to urban conditions and various soil types
The Burning Bush’s reliability in urban settings and stunning fall display make it a standout choice for privacy screens that double as focal points. Its adaptability to different soil conditions ensures successful growth in most landscape situations.
8. Forsythia
An early-blooming shrub that creates natural privacy screens with its arching branches and vibrant spring display. Its informal growth pattern provides both vertical and horizontal screening.
- Grows up to 24 inches annually in zones 5-8
- Creates natural-looking barriers with cascading form
- Ideal for sloping sites with reliable spring blooming
The cascading nature of Forsythia makes it particularly valuable for challenging terrain where traditional upright shrubs might struggle. Its ability to bloom reliably after harsh winters provides early-season interest while maintaining effective screening.
9. Photinia
A striking evergreen that offers year-round screening with dramatic red new growth throughout the season. Its dense growth pattern creates effective living walls in urban settings.
- Thrives in zones 7B-9B with heights of 10-15 feet
- Features signature red new growth multiple times per year
- Adapts to various conditions with minimal pruning needs
The plant’s ability to produce vibrant new growth multiple times during the growing season adds dynamic color to privacy screens. Its resilience in urban environments and low maintenance requirements make it an excellent choice for busy homeowners.
10. Viburnum
A diverse family of shrubs offers deciduous and evergreen options for privacy screening. Their multi-seasonal interest includes flowers, berries, and fall color.
- Grows well in zones 5-8, reaching 10-12 feet tall
- Produces fragrant flowers and wildlife-attracting berries
- Responds well to pruning for customized shapes
Viburnum species’ versatility makes them invaluable for creating layered privacy screens that provide year-round interest. Their ability to support local wildlife while maintaining dense growth patterns adds ecological value to the landscape.
11. Dappled Willow
A stunning ornamental shrub that offers unique variegated foliage and rapid growth for privacy screening. Its weeping form creates an architectural statement while providing effective coverage.
- Thrives in zones 4-9 with 2-3 feet annual growth
- Features pink, white, and green variegated foliage
- Tolerates moist conditions and occasional flooding
The Dappled Willow’s tolerance for wet conditions makes it an excellent choice for problematic areas where other privacy shrubs might fail. Its striking variegated foliage adds a luminous quality to the landscape, especially effective when planted in groups.
12. Mock Orange
A classic beauty that combines privacy screening with enchanting fragrance. Its fountain-shaped habit creates an elegant natural barrier with dense coverage.
- Hardy in zones 4-7, reaching 10-12 feet in height and width
- Produces citrus-scented white blooms in late spring
- Maintains screening effect through winter with sturdy branches
The Mock Orange’s heritage status and powerful fragrance make it a cherished choice for traditional garden designs. Its reliable blooming pattern and sturdy structure provide aesthetic and practical benefits throughout the seasons.
13. Wax Myrtle
A robust native evergreen that excels in challenging environments. Its dense growth habit and aromatic foliage provide year-round screening solutions.
- Grows rapidly in zones 7-11, reaching 15-20 feet
- Shows exceptional salt and drought tolerance
- Attracts birds with blue-gray berries in winter
The Wax Myrtle’s native status makes it particularly valuable for sustainable landscape designs, supporting local ecosystems while providing effective screening. Its natural resistance to pests and diseases reduces maintenance needs while ensuring consistent privacy.
14. Rose of Sharon
A late-season blooming shrub that provides vertical screening with stunning flowers. Its upright growth pattern creates effective privacy barriers.
- Flourishes in zones 5-9 with 1-2 feet of annual growth
- Produces summer blooms when other shrubs are finished
- Adapts well to urban conditions and various soil types
The Rose of Sharon’s ability to bloom during the late summer extends the garden’s flowering season when most other shrubs have finished. Its tolerance for urban pollution and adaptability to different soil conditions make it an excellent choice for city gardens.
15. Juniper ‘Skyrocket’
A columnar evergreen that provides narrow but effective screening solutions. Its dense branching pattern ensures privacy in tight spaces.
- Races skyward at 2-3 feet annually in zones 3-9
- Features consistent blue-green foliage year-round
- Resists urban pollution and deer browsing
The Skyrocket Juniper’s narrow profile makes it invaluable for small gardens and tight spaces where traditional spreading shrubs wouldn’t fit. Its excellent winter hardiness and consistent appearance provide reliable screening even in challenging urban environments.
16. Holly
A stately evergreen with glossy foliage, it offers year-round privacy. Its dense growth creates effective visual and noise barriers while providing winter interest through its bright berries.
- Thrives in zones 5-9, reaching 15-25 feet
- Tolerates heavy pruning for formal hedges
- Provides winter interest with bright red berries
The holly’s ability to serve multiple landscape purposes is particularly valuable in privacy screens. Its dense growth pattern and adaptability to various pruning styles allow it to function as both a formal hedge and a natural barrier.
17. Bamboo (Clumping Varieties)
A well-behaved screening solution that offers quick privacy with tropical appeal. Its vertical growth pattern suits narrow spaces perfectly while creating effective sound barriers.
- Grows up to 3 feet annually in zones 6-10
- Creates effective sound barriers with dense foliage
- Maintains tight clumps without invasive spread
Unlike running bamboo varieties, these clumping types provide reliable screening without the risk of spreading beyond their intended boundaries. Their architectural presence and sound-dampening qualities make them excellent choices for urban gardens.
18. Red Twig Dogwood
A hardy shrub with rapid growth, it offers multi-season interest. Its dense branching provides effective screening during the growing seasons, while winter brings dramatic red stem coloration.
- Thrives in zones 2-8 with 2-3 feet annual growth
- Features white spring flowers and brilliant red winter stems
- Adapts to both wet and dry conditions
The Red Twig Dogwood’s exceptional cold hardiness and adaptability to various moisture conditions make it an outstanding choice for challenging sites. Its year-round interest peaks in winter when the bright red stems create stunning visual displays against snow or neutral backgrounds.
Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.