Your home is your sanctuary, a place where you should feel safe, relaxed, and free from the scrutiny of others. Therefore, privacy is a precious commodity in today’s world, especially in an era where urban living and close neighbors are the norm.
However, how can you shield your home from prying eyes, reduce noise pollution, or create a tranquil outdoor sanctuary? Plant some fast-growing shrubs and bushes for privacy.
During selection, consider your region’s climate, preferences, available space, and the maintenance level you’re willing to commit to.
Here are 20 different shrubs and bushes you can grow to create privacy and improve outdoor aesthetics.
20 Fast Growing Shrubs and Bushes To Create Privacy
1. Privet (Ligustrum spp.)
Despite experiencing a decline in popularity recently, privet remains an excellent option for creating privacy at home.
This fast-growing, deciduous shrub has dense green foliage that effectively creates a visual barrier.
Plant it closely together to form a thick wall of greenery that blocks the view from outside and muffles noise.
This shrub adds a significant height in just a few growing seasons, making it a top contender if you need privacy urgently.
Hardiness zones: 3-8
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2. Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii)
Leyland Cypress stands as an exceptional choice regarding the list of shrubs suitable for creating privacy. At maturity, Leyland Cypress can reach towering heights of 50 to 60 feet or even more, making it ideal if you require a tall, imposing privacy barrier.
Your Leyland cypress’ vibrant green, needle-like foliage remains lush and green even during the winter, keeping your home covered.
Hardiness zones: 6-10
3. Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
For a timeless, dependable choice, go for this green giant that retains its vibrant green foliage throughout the year. The foliage features densely packed, overlapping branches and scale-like leaves, providing adequate coverage and creating an attractive visual barrier.
Arborvitae can grow between 12 to 24 inches in a year, making it one of the swiftest-growing evergreen shrubs. Beware that it can take over your space.
Hardiness zones: 2-7
Read More: Low-Maintenance Full Sun Perennials For Front Yard
4. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Your cherry laurel privacy hedge can reach 12 to 24 inches annually and grow to 1.5 to 5 meters high. Apart from keeping your home secluded, the evergreen, dense, glossy leaves remain vibrant throughout the year, ensuring consistent coverage and visual appeal.
Prune and shape this low-maintenance shrub to fit your desired privacy screen style, maintain its form, and encourage dense growth.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
5. Forsythia (Forsythia spp.)
It may not be an evergreen, but forsythia’s woody branches will help add cover and structure to your privacy screen.
However, the real showstopper is its brilliant yellow flowers that appear in early spring, creating a cheerful, vibrant landscape.
When the growing season comes, forsythia’s dense, arching branches will develop proper coverage. The foliage offers a beautiful green backdrop and complements the yellow flowers.
Hardiness zones: 5-8
6. Boxwood (Buxus spp.)
Boxwood suits you if you want a classic, formal, and structured hedge. This shrub’s small, densely packed leaves and compact growth habit exude a sense of refined elegance and will elevate your garden’s aesthetics.
As for privacy, evergreen foliage retains its vibrant green color year-round, effectively blocking unwanted views and reducing noise. Choose this shrub for a well-behaved, easily manageable privacy screen.
Hardiness zones: 5-9
7. Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
This versatile shrub deserves a place in your home if you want to establish a privacy screen and enhance your outdoor aesthetics quickly. It can increase its height by 12 to 24 inches per year.
However, the stand-out feature is the colorful foliage that comes in various colors, including green, red, and purple. Japanese Barberry has thorns, so it can help deter intruders.
Hardiness zones: 4-8
8. Cotoneaster
If you create a privacy screen with Cotoneaster, you can create a formal hedge or an informal privacy border. Depending on the variety, this shrub can grow between 12 to 24 inches per year and has dense branching and small, glossy leaves.
A cotoneaster privacy screen can help you transform your garden into a private oasis for relaxation and enjoyment, with the red berries and blossoms adding to its appeal.
Hardiness zones: 4-8
9. Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
Are you looking to create a colorful, vibrant privacy screen? Plant Rhododendron. Its stunning and vibrant blooms, featuring large, colorful flowers, will add natural beauty to your garden.
On the other hand, the evergreen foliage provides coverage and aesthetic appeal throughout the year. It’s not the fastest-growing shrub in our list, but it will offer you privacy within a few years.
Hardiness zones: 3-7
10. Arctic Willow (Salix purpurea ‘Nana’)
This deciduous shrub is a charming and effective choice for creating a natural privacy screen because of its rapid growth, elegant appearance, and adaptability.
Although it sheds its leaves in the fall, reducing privacy during the winter, the delicate green leaves return in the spring for a lush privacy screen.
Arctic willow’s graceful, arching branches and slender leaves give it an attractive, unique look.
Hardiness zones: 1-7
11. Red Tip Photinia (Photinia x fraseri)
Aside from its fast growth rate ( 12 to 24 inches yearly), this shrub stands out for its stunning red foliage. New bright red leaves emerge in the spring, creating a dramatic contrast with the older green leaves.
It effectively blocks unwanted views and reduces noise throughout the year since it retains its leaves.
Hardiness zones: 7-9
12. Fragrant Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
There’s plenty to love about this deciduous shrub as a privacy screen, from its rapid growth and stunning blooms to its aromatic fragrance.
Its abundant, beautiful clusters of flowers in various colors, including lavender, purple, pink, and white, are a sight to behold.
That’s not all; these blooms emit a sweet, floral scent that will fill the air in your home in late spring and early summer. Your fragrant lilac privacy screen will grow by 12-24 inches annually.
Hardiness zones: 3-7
13. Nellie Stevens Holly (Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’)
With dark green spiny leaves and round berries, this broadleaf evergreen shrub resembles a Christmas tree.
It is a reliable choice for creating a fantastic, prickly privacy screen with its thorns deterring intruders.
On the other hand, the lush and dense evergreen foliage will shield your home from prying eyes throughout the year.
Hardiness zones: 6-9
14. Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)
Firethorn is a lush evergreen shrub with dense foliage that not only offers privacy but also a security barrier. Its sharp spines make breaching it challenging, thus enhancing its protective qualities.
This plant’s vibrant berries in fall and winter are edible and attractive to birds and add seasonal interest and color to your garden.
Hardiness zones: 6-9
15. Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Add this deciduous shrub to your mixed privacy border to create a more effective privacy screen. Its brilliant red stems will add color to your privacy screen, especially in winter.
While it shades its leaves in fall, new leaves emerge in spring, enhancing the coverage.
Red Osier Dogwood grows fast, increasing its height by 12 to 24 inches yearly, rising to 6-9 feet tall.
Hardiness zones: 3-8
16. Ninebark (Physocarpus spp.)
You can create a thick privacy barrier with Ninebark if you plant them close together, allowing its many branches and leaves to block the view from the outside. Ninebark shrubs also offer year-round visual interest.
It produces beautiful spring blooms, attractive foliage throughout the growing season, and colorful foliage in the fall. This fast-growing shrub also comes in compact and tall varieties.
Hardiness zones: 3-9
17. Hedge Roses (Rosa spp.)
If you don’t mind doing more maintenance and care work, create a privacy screen using hedge roses for a timeless, classic beauty. Hedge roses produce numerous branches and foliage that form a thick barrier.
Most varieties also produce attractive and often fragrant blooms, making your privacy screen more visually appealing. Roses also offer year-round appeal, featuring beautiful flowers, colorful foliage, and gorgeous hips or fruit.
Hardiness zones: 2-11
18. Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
Burning bush’s fiery red foliage in the fall creates a splendid visual spectacle. While this deciduous drought-tolerant shrub loses its leaves in fall, it will produce new ones in spring.
Burning bushes are suitable for creating a mid-sized privacy screen as they grow to 6 to 10 feet tall.
You can also easily manage your burning bush privacy border through pruning.
Hardiness zones: 4-8
19. Oleaster (elaeagnus x ebbingei)
Elaeagnus x ebbingei’s lustrous, silvery-green foliage is distinctive and capable of enhancing the aesthetics of your outdoor areas. However, that’s not all; as an evergreen shrub, the leaves will ensure no one can see through your fence.
Hardiness zones: 7-9
20. Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum)
This attractive plant with 2-4 inch elliptical, glossy green leaves is perfect for hedges or screens because it grows fast (24 to 36 inches yearly) and can reach 10 to 20 feet or more high. It also has a dense multi-branched growth habit.
Its small, white, and highly fragrant flower clusters add to its appeal.
Hardiness zones: 8-10
Conclusion
Creating a privacy screen with shrubs and bushes helps you attain much-needed seclusion and enhance your surrounding’s beauty and tranquility.
There’s a fast-growing shrub suitable for you, whether you want an evergreen, dense plant, a deciduous shrub, or a vibrant, colorful one.
Hey there, I’m Derek Schew, a writer for Lawnholic.com, where we cover everything and anything related to lawns. As someone who’s spent countless hours tending to my own lawn, I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping others achieve the perfect yard. From lawn care tips to product reviews, I’m committed to providing our readers with the most accurate and up-to-date information available. So whether you’re a seasoned lawn enthusiast or just getting started, I invite you to join our community and discover the joys of a lush, green lawn.