Planting privacy trees adds color and beauty whileincreasing your property’s seclusion, among the many benefits.
Choosing the right privacy tree depends on the space you have and the look you desire.
Read on for 17 privacy tree options to plant for yourbackyard oasis.
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Warning
Some privacy trees may be toxic to humans and animals, as noted below.
Although deciduous, it’s one of the first trees to leaf out with its uniform, squarish canopy.
Its fruits look like rounded, dark-colored nuts with a white center.
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The tree is toxic to people, pets, and horses.
Flowering Crabapple
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Flowering crabapple trees(Malusspp.)
Edible fruits and brilliant autumn foliage follow spring displays of white and pink fragrant flowers.
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Many species and cultivars, including a weeping variety, attract wildlife and add flair to the landscape.
Flowering Cherry
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Flowering cherry trees(Prunus serrulataspp.
)are famous for their extravagant blooms and serve as decorative plantings in major cities worldwide.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The tidy canopy spreads 13 to 26 feet.
It’s abundant with fragrant white, pink, or red blossoms every spring.
They can easily be pruned to a uniform shape.
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Whether planted as a single tree or in groupings, they’re guaranteed to add beauty.
Its fluted trunk, blue-gray bark, and autumn foliage add interest year-round.
This is a low-maintenance selection with good pest and disease resistance.
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Fragrant white and pink flowers bloom in spring, which is followed by small berries attracting birds and wildlife.
Purpleleaf plum doesn’t require much pruning but can struggle in urban environments.
Its foliage and seeds are toxic to people and pets.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
This understory tree is tall enough to add privacy with a 20-foot wide canopy that features three season colors.
A fence is a perfect backdrop for extravagant spring and autumn displays across canopies stretching to 20 feet wide.
From the hundreds of types available, choose a taller variety such as ‘Natchez’ for above-fence privacy.
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Little gem is evergreen in its hardiness zones, producing flowers in just two to three years.
Brilliant yellow autumn foliage stands out especially well againststoneand brick walls and borders.
This dwarf ornamental birch can be planted in groupings to create a dense screen.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Planted in rows, its uniform appearance adds a permanent, green screen to any fence line.
Sprays of glossy green needles and small red-brown cones offer year-round interest.
Fragrant white blossoms in spring are followed by red berries that attract songbirds.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
This tree fares well in urban conditions with its small size will fit any yard.
Foliage and berries are toxic to people, pets, and horses.
This evergreen adapts to most well-draining soil types and is drought and salt-tolerant.
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Trees naturally develop an attractive form but can easily be pruned to any desired shape, including topiary.
A narrow spread of 5 feet or less adds height and structure when planted in groupings or rows.
This holly is drought tolerant and adapted to poor soil as long as it drains well.
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It fares best in cooler temperatures, so protection from afternoon heat is recommended.
Holly berries are toxic to people and pets.
Black Dragon shapes itself without pruning and is pest, disease, and drought-resistant.
The Spruce / K. Dave
The plant can be grown as a shrub or small tree.
Flowers will be flat clusters of florets, blooms that look like lace-cap hydrangeas, or snowball-like clusters.
Viburnums bloom from early spring through June and deciduous varieties offer fall color.
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Its delightful scent resembles jasmine, orange blossoms, ripe peaches, or apricots.
Fragrant tea olive is somewhat of a slow grower, adding 4 inches to 1 foot per year.
Once established, it has a long lifespan of about 25 to 50 years.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Most evergreens naturally form an attractive pyramidal or columnar shape with permanent color year-round.
Varieties that reach maturity at 15 to 20 feet form dense hedges for borders and screens when spaced appropriately.
Upright growth and narrow crowns create a structured look to your landscape.
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Deciduous trees require more space and work better to soften hardscapes like wood or stone fencing.
They lose their full appearance in winter but offer greater choices for aesthetic appeal.
Wide canopies provide shade along with flowers, fragrances, fruits, and autumn colors.
The Spruce / Krystal Slagle
Deciduous trees attract plenty of pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
Crepe myrtles are a beautiful addition to any property while arborvitae remain green year-round.
When planted closely, it’ll create a top-to-bottom screen against fencing and along property lines.
You will find manyevergreen trees that make excellent privacy trees, including arborvitae, yews, and privets.
The drawback is they can quickly outgrow a designated space.
Also considerfast-growing flowering shrubs, such as lilac bushes or mock orange.
Red buckeyes have eye appeal in the landscape.Louisiana State University AgCenter.
Cherry,ASPCA
Prunus cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’.North Carolina State University Extension.
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’,North Carolina State University Extension.
Holly Berries,Poison Control
