Do you need some privacy in your garden? Are you looking for tall outdoor plants that will provide some shade and seclusion? If so, then you have come to the right place!
Tall plants may be used to create screening in your garden, which is one of the most effective approaches to give your yard structure and seclusion. Screens will grow quickly and provide you with additional protection from intruders while also giving you much-needed seclusion, which is probably the most frequent reason for planting plants for screening.
There are several tall plants that may be used for screening and that will grow fast, take up whatever space you have, and can be interspersed among one another to provide variety and colour to your garden.
In this article, we will discuss some of the best plants for this purpose. Keep reading to learn more!
Table of Contents
Considerations for a Successful Installation
When selecting your screen, consider the type of soil you have. This will influence your selection. Soils may be improved, although if they are clay, particularly sandy, or chalky, certain bushes would be better than others.
- Decide on the highest height you want for your screen and select container plants that will not outgrow the area or take too long to reach that height.
- Avoid being tempted to cultivate huge plant specimens.
- It’s best to plant bushes or trees at 1.8m (6ft) in height, although they can grow up to 2m (6.5ft).
- If the planting area is exposed, you’ll need to build a shelterbelt or windbreak to protect the screening plants from the elements, especially if they’re still small.
- Make sure the ground is ready for planting. Organic matter should be added to the planting area in order for the flowering plants to thrive.
- Consider your current and future capacity to maintain any fast-growing evergreen hedges or screens.
- Because trees have extensive roots, you must consider the proximity of drains, soakaways, structures, or buildings when planting them. This will avoid difficulties on both sides of your property and across the street (if applicable).
Planning Your Design
Consider the plants you want to grow; consider their influence and appearance:
- Consider the size of the leaves in relation to the screen’s intended size. Laurels and Magnolia grandiflora, for example, are in scale with a tall screen. Small-leaved flowering plants like Pittosporum may grow rather tall, but if permitted they will most likely not appear proportional.
- You might want to make a screen from living materials such as willow. This gives an unpretentious enclosure that may be woven into any form of complexity or simplicity in accordance with your talent or taste.
Legal considerations
There are a variety of planning rules that may influence the position of a screen:
- A public right of way or highway may restrict the installation of new trees and hedges. Check whether any new tree or hedge planting, which is adjacent to or near a public right of way or motorway, needs council approval.
- Check to see whether your property is located in a conservation area. You may have to apply for permission to carry out any maintenance work you create, even if the planting is a hedge, but not always.
- If you’re planting a row of two or more evergreens, your screen might be considered a high hedge.
Ceanothus Concha (California Lilac)
The California Lilac is a semi-evergreen flowered shrub that’s commonly used as a screen. It’s a great screening plant because of its bright hues and is sure to add something extra to your garden. The rich lilac blues/purples from these blooms will do the job if you want a colourful screen. They’re beautiful from afar, with what appears to be an overabundance of tiny cotton-like clusters erupting forth.
You can discover them at a distance, and they grow even more beautiful up close. You won’t notice the vegetation beneath because they’re so overwhelmed with flowers in the springtime. The shrub attracts butterflies, birds, and pollinators to your garden while Deer are otherwise unaware of it, making it an excellent shrub if you live in an area where deer may be a problem.
Cypress Trees
Cypress trees are tall, evergreen trees that are native to the southeastern United States. Cypress trees grow relatively slowly and can reach heights of up to 70 feet. It has glossy, dark green leaves and produces small, white flowers in the spring. Cypress trees are a popular choice for privacy screens and hedges.
Cypress trees come in a variety of shapes, with over 130 distinct species. There’s certainly something for your container garden with so many varieties to choose from. They have leaves that range in hue from silver-green to dark green. They grow in whorled formations or spirals and can survive almost any soil texture. Most people think of cypress trees as tall, thin trees, but many kinds, such as Thuja Plicata pictured above, are wider and make excellent screens if planted far apart and trimmed once a year or two.
Dogwood (Cornus)
The delicate leaves and stems of Dogwood, both a tree and a shrub, are noted for the gorgeous bracts of white or pink flowers and the little maintenance required, but it is also popular for the brilliant stems in winter as seen above.
You may choose from many varieties when using Dogwood in your yard as part of your screening; single-trunked trees to tiny evergreen shrubs are all available. The flowering dogwood (Pagoda dogwood), Cornelian cherry dogwood (Crimson starflower), and Japanese pagoda dogwood are examples of the most popular kinds. These flowering plants thrive well in the shade if you water them adequately.
Dendrobium johnstoniae (also known as ‘dogwood’) grows at a furious rate, growing 30 to 60 centimetres each year on average. As a result, it takes less than a decade for a single tree to reach full ripeness. Various hues are available in the flowers’ petal-like bracts, including pale pink, bright pink, white, and pale red.
The leaves of the dogwood change colour from green to red-purple as they fall, offering spectacular beauty all year. These evergreen shrubs are best pruned back in the spring and allowed to develop, as this helps keep their stems looking good in the winter as old branches turn brown and lose their vibrant hues.
Elaeagnus x ebbingei (Silverberry)
Elaeagnus x ebbingei, also known as silverberry, is a tall, evergreen shrub that is often used for hedges and privacy screens. Silverberry grows rapidly and can reach heights of up to 6-10 feet.
This is a fast-growing shrub that thrives in sandy loamy soil with lots of sun and some shade. It tolerates dryness well once it has been established, making it an excellent choice for coastal regions. You can put it anywhere with infertile soil and good drainage if you plant it quickly. It gets its name from the rounded form and leathery, elliptical leaves, which resemble those of the silverberry (a different cultivar).
Green and silver scales are part of their colour palette. The leaves are bright yellow in the fall. The creamy white blooms appear in the fall, followed by delicate red/brown fruits that become edible in the spring. You may plant this anywhere you want a screen and it works well as part of an erosion control strategy. It will grow to be about 3-4 meters tall and spread out in a circular form.
It’s simple to grow, and the only real concerns you should be aware of include spider mites and fungal leaf spots, but this isn’t a problem for most people. Finally, variegated types are available.
Fargesia Murielae Bamboo
The Fargesia Murielae bamboo is a tall, evergreen bamboo that is native to China. It is a clumping bamboo and can reach heights of up to 3.5 – 4 metres tall. The Fargesia Murielae bamboo is a popular choice for privacy screens and can be used to create a natural fence. It has broad leaves and produces yellow flowers in the spring. The Fargesia Murielae bamboo grows quickly and is easy to care for.
It should be spaced out about 1.5 metres apart when planted. It prefers full sun but can tolerate partial shade. It is drought tolerant and does not require much water once established. The Fargesia Murielae bamboo is a hardy plant that is resistant to pests and diseases.
This bamboo grows to be three meters tall and has medium foliage. It thrives in any environment in which other bamboos may survive, including extreme cold, heat, or rain. You may trim 20% of the leaning canes each June and watch as the plant straightens up again the next year. In addition, it looks fantastic when grown in bigger pots as a screen.
Magnolia grandiflora
This is technically not a potted plant but it still works a treat. Magnolia grandiflora, also known as the Southern Magnolia, is a large, evergreen tree that is native to the southeastern United States. The plant grows rapidly and can reach heights of up to 30 metres tall. It has glossy, deep green leaves and produces large, white flowers in the spring. Magnolia grandiflora is a popular choice for privacy screens and hedges.
Magnolia grandiflora should be spaced out about 10-15 metres apart when planted. It prefers full sun but can tolerate partial shade. It is drought tolerant and does not require much water once established. Magnolia grandiflora is a hardy plant that is resistant to pests and diseases.
The gorgeous deep green leaves of this Magnolia plant are extremely distinctive, as is its large white blooms which bloom in the spring and summer. The flowers will eventually produce fruiting clusters in early Autumn. Unlike other Magnolias, this kind is also evergreen, allowing it to serve as a screen all year round.
Photinia Red Robin
Photinia red robins (Photinia x fraseri) are a hybrid of two Australian species, the scarlet Robin (P. erythrina) and the white-winged Robin (P. leucoptera). They are small to medium-sized, deciduous shrub that typically grows to 3-4 metres tall but can reach up to 6 metres tall. Photinia red robins have attractive, glossy, deep green leaves and produce prolific quantities of small, red flowers in late spring/early summer.
Photinia red robins are a popular choice for privacy screens and hedges as they grow quickly and are easy to care for. They should be spaced out about 3-4 metres apart when planted.
The red-tipped/top leaves of this plant complement the evergreen foliage. The fresh crimson leaves of spring and the serrated edges of the new growth begin to change into a rich green colour, providing for a stunning leaf display that ranges in hue. In addition to that, white blooms arrive in April and have a Hawthorn-like fragrance. You may always prune the flowers at the start of Spring if you don’t want the scent but prefer the red and green leaves.
Prunus Laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel)
Prunus laurocerasus, also known as cherry laurel, is a type of tall, evergreen shrub that is often used for hedges and privacy screens. Cherry laurel grows rapidly and can reach heights of up to 15cm in length. It has glossy, deep green leaves and produces small, white flowers in the spring. Cherry laurel is a popular choice for privacy screens and hedges.
This is a fast-growing shrub that may be used for privacy screens or other screening in your yard and is frequently seen as hedging and sold as laurel hedge. It will grow up to 12 meters wide at maturity, spreading out more than it rises, with heights of 3 and 10 meters. The plant prefers partial shade or full sun, as well as well-drained soil. You should prune it after the blooms have faded because otherwise, very little upkeep is required. This makes an excellent screen and looks wonderful when unpruned.
People also ask
What is the fastest growing plant for privacy?
Bamboo grows quickly, so it may quickly establish a lush and exotic privacy screen. Some types of bamboo are invasive, so choose a slow-spreading, clumping variety or plant it in big raised planters to keep it in check.
How do I stop Neighbours looking into my garden?
You may use tall outdoor potted plants, like cypress trees, to create a privacy screen. You may also build a fence or trellis to support vines that will grow and provide privacy.
Can you put trellis top 6ft fence?
Is it possible to add a trellis to your fence in order to enhance your seclusion? This is a question of personal preference. There is no legal distinction between trellis and fencing. As a result, the height of your trellis should not exceed 2 meters in theory.
Do you have a right to privacy in your garden?
You may have a right to privacy in your garden, but this will depend on the laws of your country. In general, you should be able to enjoy your garden without being disturbed by neighbours or passers-by. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if your neighbour needs to access your garden in order to carry out repairs on their property, they may be legally entitled to do so.
What is the best time of year to plant a privacy hedge?
The best time of year to plant a privacy hedge is in the spring or fall. This will give the evergreen plants plenty of time to establish themselves before the hot summer months or cold winter months set in. Planting during these seasons will also help you avoid having to water the container plants as much.
