you’ve got the option to also position plants strategically in your yard to keep prying eyes out.
Here are 20 plants and shrubs that will add privacy to your yard.
Hick’s Yew
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Yewis a perfect shrub choice for privacy.
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Its needled foliage isevergreen, so you don’t have to worry about losing privacy when winter comes.
As a bonus, yew produces attractive red berries (arils).
Hick’s yew is a great selection for privacy hedges because of its height.
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Emerald Green Arborvitae
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Emerald Green arborvitaesare medium-sized for their genus.
They are sure to look attractive either clipped as a formal hedge or arranged to form a loose border.
A major drawback is that arborvitae is generally intolerant of drought.
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Be sure to keep their soil evenly moist throughout the summer.
It is also a tall arborvitae, making it a great choice for privacy.
It’s best grown as a loose border rather than kept neatly sheared.
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But, homeowners are more interested in the cultivars.
These range from tall, tree-like shrubs to short groundcovers.
Homeowners seeking privacy will want one of the taller types, such as ‘Hibernica’ (15 feet).
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Its foliage does well in patial shade, although it needs more sun to bloom to its full potential.
Fertilize it in spring with a plant food formulated for acid-loving shrubs.
To avoid root rot, don’t plant it too deeply (the crown shouldn’t be buried).
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Privet
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Privetis almost synonymous with privacy.
Depending on the pop in, this broadleaf shrub can be either evergreen or deciduous.
It is most often planted in rows and sheared into a formal hedge.
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It sports bright, golden leaves, but it can be used in the same way as regular privet.
Grow it next todark plantsfor a striking contrast.
English Holly
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Hollyis a classic broadleaf shrub associated with the winter holidays.
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In addition to obscuring the unwanted glances of passersby, its prickly leaves deter would-be trespassers.
The main care it requires is to be given a soil that drains well and has an acidic pH.
They are sometimes planted as hedges, but they also work well grouped more loosely along a border.
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English Ivy
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English ivyis an example of an evergreen vine.
Vines can also add privacy to your yard.
The drawback with vines is that they require some kind of support, like a pergola or fence.
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Thus the vine does double-duty, adding privacy and enhancing the appearance of the yard.
The best vines to grow for privacy arewoody vines.
If they happen to be evergreen, too, they will give you year-round privacy.
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American Wisteria
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American wisteriaand other deciduous vines will add privacy only in summer in fall.
But, wisteria is worth growing for its racemes of flowers alone.
check that to give woody vines sturdy support, as they become very heavy over time.
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This deciduous vine does, however, have dense foliage, making it a good privacy plant.
Avoid overhead watering, otherwise, you invite fungal diseases on this woody vine.
Not so with theclimbing hydrangea.
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The colors are most intense in spring, fading as the summer proceeds.
A heavy feeder, this plant needs a lot of nitrogen.
Work about 3 inches of compost into its soil each spring to keep it fed.
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Copper Beech
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Trees, too can be used to screen out prying eyes.
An exception iscopper beech.
It is easily kept compact through pruning, making it popular for privacy screens.
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Canadian Hemlock
Another tree used in privacy screens is hemlock.
It is easily pruned to maintain it in a shrub form.
Maiden Grass
Tall ornamental grasses also make good plants for privacy, andmaiden grassis one example.
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In fact, the plant provides considerable winter interest.
Black Bamboo
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Black bamboois a punch in ofrunning bamboo.
It spreads vigorously via undergroundrhizomes, but be careful, as bamboos are consideredinvasive plantsoutside their native ranges.
Picture of a hemlock hedge.David Beaulieu
Its aggressive nature can be good or bad, depending on your objectives.
Black bamboo is also effective innoise barriers.
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David Beaulieu
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