Trees For Privacy – Regardless of how much we like our neighbors. We all like our privacy too. When you live where you have neighbors.
Don’t want to put a fence up, privacy trees are the next best thing. What is a privacy tree? They are trees that can be planted close enough to create a wall-type effect. So, let’s look at some of the trees that make the best privacy trees.
EVERGREEN TREES
These trees make for excellent privacy simply because you get year _ round coverage with them. They have large foliage, and their branches reach the ground. The green giant arbo0rvitae evergreens are a garden hybrid and the Japanese cedar evergreens are native to Japan. You also have the southern magnolias that are found in the Southeast United States as are the slash ones (or longleaf pines) and your white spruce is native through the northern U.S and Canada while the blue spruce resides in a mountain range that stretches from Canada to central Mexico.
TIPS FOR PLANTING:
When planting evergreens, they need to be spaced just far enough that their branches touch. This way they grow with enough foliage to create a wall like a privacy fence.
EVERGREEN SHRUBS
Broadleaf evergreens and evergreen shrubs make for wonderful privacy for sights that are closer to the ground. These are great to make a privacy barrier to your patio and sitting areas. Makes a great privacy screen for swimming pools too just make sure to plant far enough away that you aren’t having to constantly clean the leaves out of the pool. Inkberry, native to the eastern U.S., makes for good privacy but I don’t suggest them if you have animals are kids. the reason being that all parts of this shrub are poisonous. if eaten. The Sawara cypress is native to the Japanese area and is also poisonous as are the Dahoon holly which is native to the southeast U.S. The Saw palmetto is the 0one I would suggest, it resides in the southeast of the U.S. and doesn’t seem to be poisonous.
TIPS FOR PLANTING
These also need to be planted where their branches are barely touching. It gives them room to grow out and will let their branches overlap each other.
HEDGE PLANTS
Hedges are mostly made from up-right shrubs or columnar trees. A plant that makes a fabulous hedge responds well to being pruned by becoming denser. Carolina laurel cherry is native from N0rth Carolina to Texas. The Arborvitae is native to the upper Midwest, eastern U.S. as well as eastern Canada. The yew plum pine resides mainly in Japan and parts of eastern China.
TIPS FOR PLANTING
To be able to have a hedge that is continuous, you will need to plant about half of their mature length apart to be able to achieve a full screening when it’s pruned. An example is if a tree grows to a twelve-foot width then they need to be planted six feet apart.
ROBUST VINES
Vines that spread both up and outward will provide dense growth. This will provide a living wall for you. Virginia creepers are widespread throughout North America but, remember, the berries on these vines are poisonous. Hydrangeas that climb are native to Japan, also to Korea and don’t do too well in humid, warm climates.
TIPS FOR PLANTING
You need to have support for your vine, base it on how your vine climbs. Some grow upward by wrapping their parts around the support you have for it. Some vines have suction cups or feet that grab onto the surface. These vines do great on trellises. A clinging vine does well anywhere that it can grab onto a surface, like a stucco wall.
BAMBOO
Bamboo isn’t a good choice unless you choo0se it with care. There are only 2 kinds of bamboo. The clumping ones and the running ones. The running ones spread out long rhizomes under the ground that go farther out than the plant does. The clumping bamboo has a new growth that stays in the vicinity of the plant and gets dense over some time. A lot of the hedge bamboo that is clumping is native to warmer climates. While most running bamboo is better in cold climates, they are invasive throughout the south U.S.
TIPS FOR PLANTING
Bamboo is useful in small spaces and also in containers. If you’re planting the bamboo into the ground then you need to use a root-barrier liner. This helps to keep it from branching out too much. Plant the stems in a crowded manner for fast privacy.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
These are best during the autumn and summer seasons for the best privacy due to the fact that grass reaches its fullness in warm months. The Shenandoah switchgrass resides in the United States Midwest and the big bluestem is all over the Midwest, West and it also lives in the Southeast United States Pacific Island silver grass is mainly in the Southeast United States and the feather reed grass started from a native of Europe.
WEEPING TREES
A lot of weeping trees are cultivars that breed and they have branches that look like they melt downward. They make a great privacy wall because of the dense foliage that goes to the ground. Weeping European larch is native to China and the weeping beech started from a plant that was native to Europe.
TIPS FOR PLANTING
These weeping trees get to be pretty expensive. Make sure that you plant weeping trees in areas where there is plenty of room for them to mature.
OTHER TREES FOR PRIVACY
There are many other trees that would work for a privacy tree.
Upright juniper trees come in a lot of different colors which makes for a beautiful screen.
The Chastetree is a fast grower with gray-green foliage and purple blooms.
The Serviceberry tree has beautiful white flowers that become purple berries which are great to make jam with its fast-growing, and they grow up to twenty-five feet so, if you’re looking for a high privacy wall, this is your tree.
All of these trees and shrubs make for great, living privacy walls and when taken care of and pruned when they need it, look much better in your yard than a wooden fence does.
