Do you have a large or relatively small outdoor area and have been looking for ways to provide privacy from passers-by and neighbors? Have you ever thought of using plants for this purpose? Also, do you know making use of plants for privacy from neighbors can also enhance the feel of the outdoor area and home?
Unlike brick or wooden fences that can be erected almost immediately, these plants take time to grow. Nonetheless, using some of these evergreen plants for privacy from neighbors and passersby provides a better advantage of improving your home and environment at large.
However, if you are wondering if plants can help create privacy around your home. You need to know a privacy hedge is made of individual shrubs planted one after the other to form a fence (to cover the yard or home at large), which prevents easy access to your home and keeps prying eyes away from your activities.
Regardless of the type of outdoor space you have, either small or large, privacy is very paramount. Thankfully, there are many evergreen shrubs you can use to block nosy neighbors away from your activities. These shrubs are fast-growing and require some care to ensure they get the required nutrient they need.
Furthermore, having a hedge around your backyard or outdoor space provides a natural habitat for birds and other flying animals; what great humor around your home. This provides a serene environment and atmosphere around the home and can also keep bugs off the area.
Using these plants for privacy, we want plants that don’t drop their leaves during winter to ensure the privacy is intact all year round. However, if you have been considering using other types of privacy screens around your home, listed are some of the advantages to convince you to use hedges for privacy around your small yard.
If you have a big yard, you can go for these fast-growing trees for privacy.
Advantages of using Plants for Privacy From Neighbors – Evergreen Hedges for Privacy
-
Design
These shrubs are suitable for giving your outdoor space a new look. These plants can be pruned to give your home an appealing design. With this, you can upgrade the feel of your home and the property as a whole.
If you find it difficult to create an aesthetic design with these hedges, you can request a professional’s service. After the first design is created, you can then continue with the trimming to maintain the design. The design can also be changed when you want.
Yards with shrubs appear more beautiful when properly maintained. With this, you can have a beautiful and serene outdoor space to spend your evening after a long day.
-
Natural air coolant
Aside from purifying the air, trees also serve as coolants to make your home and outdoor area cool all year. This can reduce the amount you spend on electricity for cooling your home. Air coming from the trees is usually cool and clean having a direct effect on your health.
-
Provide shade
You can choose to sit around or beside the trees after a long day. They provide shade around the home and outdoor area and can be used as a relaxing spot when sunny.
This is another advantage of having trees around your home aside from keeping you cool and calm while the weather is hot.
-
Prevent Erosion
Rain and wind are the two major causes of soil erosion. The presence of trees around your home will prevent soil loss, making your outdoor area imbalanced, especially if your outdoor space is not paved.
Having trees around your home will prevent such occurrences. The prevention of erosion will lead to the retainment of soil nutrition around the area. With this, you can have a garden to grow your vegetables and herbs.
-
Also, serve a windbreaker.
A high level of breeze can be disastrous, especially when you are having a nice time outdoor. These plants’ presence will help break down the wind force and serve you a fresh and cool breeze.
This will help you enjoy your home any time of the day. When it is sunny, the hedges are there to provide shade and make the environment cool. Likewise, when it is windy, the shrubs are there to regulate the air.
After going through the advantages of using trees for privacy, you should be convinced of using trees instead of the regular fence. You can also enjoy some of the advantages by having some of these plants along your fence line.
Plants for Privacy from Neighbors – Evergreen Shrubs For Privacy
1. Privet Hedge Plant
The Privet hedge is also known as Ligustrum ovalifolium in Latin. This name is given to it due to its dark-green foliage. This plant has tunning oval leaves that clip beautifully to create a dense and neat plant that can grow in most soil conditions. This plant is suitable for blocking your nosy neighbors’ view from your activities.
It’s also suitable for screening, windproofing, and noise reduction, as well as being tolerant of pollution, making it the perfect hedging choice. This plant responds properly to pruning and can grow up to 12 feet or more and spread up to 5 to 6 feet.
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Color variation: white flowers then blackberries
- Soil: any fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: Fast-growing
- Hardiness: fully hardy
2. Boxwood Hedge
Since the primary purpose of using plants is not only for privacy but also for decorating the home, Boxwood is the best for this purpose. This plant responds well to pruning and shaping into any form you want. These plants are typically large or small trees based on their species.
These plants can grow up to 8 feet which is ideal for creating adequate screen and privacy around your home. Unlike some trees that would leave space close to the ground level, these trees provide a complete screen around your home.
Additionally, this screen requires little to no form of maintenance and can be planted basically in any soil type. Furthermore, there are different species of boxwood, and choosing the right one is essential. Some of the right species you can use include.
B sempervirens’ Arborescens’ – is a fast-growing plant and can grow up to 20 feet with a spread of 7 to 10 feet.
B. sempervirens ‘Monrue Green Tower’ – This species can grow up to 9 feet tall with a spread of 2 to 3 feet.
Buxus microphyllavar. Japonica – This is the popular Japanese boxwood and suitable where more drought-tolerant is needed. These species have a maximum height of 6 to 8 and can spread out as far as 15 feet wide.
Other species are dwarf and are suitable for providing privacy. So ensure you get the right species from your horticulturist.
3. Arborvitae Bushes
This is another giant plant that can be used to provide privacy for neighbors. This plant is a fast-growing plant with the potential of growing up to 30 feet in height.
The Arborvitae is also known as the American pillar and can be planted on any soil. Additionally, this plant requires a meager form of maintenance.
There are different species of this plant, ranging from dwarf to giant, so you have to be careful when choosing your ideal Arborvitae. These plants can be planted 2.5 to 3 feet apart to ensure it is close enough to provide privacy.
- Hardy Zones 3-8
- Mature Height: 20-30′
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Dark green foliage
4. Leyland Cypress Hedge Plants
Another plant you will want to look into is the Layland Cypress plant to make your home private. This plant is an evergreen plant and does not require high maintenance.
When this plant is fully matured, it makes a good privacy screen and wind barrier to make your home more comfortable.
Furthermore, this plant can grow in any soil with a PH of 5.0 to 8.0, and the best time to plant this tree is during the fall when it is dormant. This tree can reach up to 50 feet or more in height and with a spread of 15 to 20 feet.
To use this tree for privacy, it needs to plant 12-13 inches away. This will allows it to be pruned and also form the fence needed to keep the home private.
4. Cherry Laurel Hedging
This is another fast-growing hedge suitable for making your home private. This plant can withstand various weather, suitable for different soils, and require very little maintenance.
When planted adequately, its shrub shape bright green leaves helps to add humor to the outdoor area. Additionally, this plant can be pruned into different shapes, enhancing the feel of the outdoor space.
This plant can grow up to 10 feet or more with a base of about 6 feet which can form a good fence around your home. This plant is ideal for blocking noise and other forms of distractions from the neighbors.
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: any fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: Fast-growing
- Hardiness: fully hardy
5. Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)
This is another plant suitable for decorating your outdoor space and also provides optimal privacy around your home. The plant comes with a combination of red berries and green leaves, which gives your outdoor area classic humor.
This plant produces white flowers during the winter, adding more feel to the outdoor space. Furthermore, this plant can grow in any soil requiring full sun or partial shade.
This plant is attractive to bees, birds, butterflies, and other small birds as it provides them with protection from predators. Also, the Firethorn plant can grow up to 9th with either 1 to 2 ft growth per year and a width of 4 to 6 feet.
For this plant to from proper compactness when matured, give this plant a 2ft spacing between each plant. Additionally, this plant responds very well to pruning, making it easy to control and design.
- Growing Zones: 6 to 9
- Color Varieties: green leaves, red berries, and white flowers during the winter
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained soil
6. Ilex Aquifolium Hedge Plants (Holly)
This is an ideal plant to block your neighbors view while also decorating your outdoor area. This plant can be planted in any soil and require a minimal form of maintenance.
For proper compactness, this plant needs within 40 to 80 cm spacing between them. Also, its medium hedges enhance the beauty of this plant.
Furthermore, this plant can be shaped, making it easy to control within a specific area. By shaping, you can improve the beauty of the outdoor space and the plant as a whole.
Furthermore, this plant is a medium grower, reaching a maximum height of 10 feet and spread up to 8 feet, suitable for providing a solid barrier between you and your neighbors.
- Growing Zones: 5 to 9
- Color Varieties: Greenish-white flowers and red berries
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained, slightly acidic, fertile soil
8. Viburnum tinus (laurustinus)
This is an evergreen plant suitable for creating privacy from your neighbors all year round. This plan Viburnum hedge plant can grow on any soil, and it is easy to control.
With this, you can have it around your home without having to care about soil PH. This plant can grow up to 10 feet, ideal for providing a complete screen around your home.
The Viburnum plant can also reduce noise and wind, making your home cool peaceful any time of the day.
This plant features white flowers, blackberries, and very fragrant flowers to create a sweet atmosphere around your home. Furthermore, this plant can be shaped to improve the design of the home as a whole
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Color variation: white flowers, blackberries, and fragrant flowers
- Soil: any fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: Fast-growing
- Hardiness: fully hardy
9. Taxus Baccata (Yew Hedge)
This is another plant for privacy from neighbors; this plant is easy to control as it responds well to pruning. This plant can grow up 8 feet and spread 16 feet wide, giving you a full screen and complete privacy from your nosy neighbors.
The plants can grow uniformly, making them suitable for creating a fence around your outdoor area.
However, this plant is not a fast-growing plant, but it can be categorized under the slow to medium growth plant. Also, this plant can be pruned into different to give your outdoor area an appealing look.
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: any fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: slow-growing
- Hardiness: fully hardy
