Rows of trees create a sense of tranquility and conjure up a homely feeling. Making use of trees to create a private area is a great idea. Noble and stately homes often have feature trees strategically planted to create private areas that shelter treasured areas.
But most trees take years to mature, and often we need secluded areas to be screened off as quickly as possible. Fortunately, some trees are fast-growing and will quickly provide privacy to required areas.
The following are the ten best options if you want to plant fast-growing trees for privacy:
- Thuja Green Giant
- Leyland Cypress
- Nellie Stephens Holly
- Italian Cypress
- Taylor Juniper
- Murray Cypress
- Golden Bamboo
- Weeping Willow Tree
- Emerald Green Arborvitae
- Cherry Blossom Tree
Driving along a long driveway lined with neatly pruned and cared for trees leaves most people impressed. Even arid areas can use indigenous trees to create striking gardens. The use of trees to create privacy in a subtle but effective way is popular as ever worldwide.
By selecting fast-growing types of trees, you will be able to speed up the process of creating private naturally screened-off areas on your property.
10 Impressive Fast Growing Trees for Privacy
Some trees grow faster than others, so if you need a quick solution to your privacy challenge, knowing what to plant will soon have you enjoying relaxing and enjoying quiet time behind a lush, natural screen of trees.
The list of plants provided are all fast-growing. While you may be eager to get your privacy screen up as soon as possible, take careful note of the recommended planting distance of each tree variety.
The small saplings that you plant will grow quickly, and if they are planted too close together, they may struggle to thrive due to competition for space and soil nutrients.
Thuja Green Giant
| Maximum Height | 30 – 40 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Dense yet soft looking |
| General shape | Cone-shaped (can be shaped into a hedge) |
| Base width | 12 – 15 feet |
| Planting distance | At least 6 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | All soil types |
| Average annual Growth | About 3 feet per year |
| Drought Resistance | Good |
| Best uses | A pretty yet dense screen along a fence or to create a natural partition on an open piece of land. |
The Thuja Green Giant is a popular choice when planting privacy trees. When spaced correctly, mature trees form a thick screen that’s almost impossible to see through.
The Thuja green giant is well suited to climates range from hot to extreme cold. The structure of the tree is robust with strong limbs making them great for windy areas.
Leyland Cypress
| Maximum Height | 60 – 70 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Dense yet soft looking appearance |
| General shape | Cone-shaped (can be shaped into a hedge) |
| Base width | 20 feet for a single tree |
| Planting distance | At least 8 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Virtually all soil types |
| Average annual Growth | Around 3 – 4 feet per year |
| Drought Resistance | Drought Tolerant |
| Best uses | If you need a tall and dense screen to provide a private area, this is an excellent option to choose. |
The Leyland Cypress is a great choice when requiring a dense, soft-looking privacy screen. The Leyland Cypress is adaptable to almost all soils and has the fastest growth rates of all medium-sized trees.
The dense foliage lends itself well to shaping into a hedge or simply serve as a privacy screen to hide unsightly areas. Growing up to 20 feet in width at the base if left untrimmed, this is a good candidate for a corner filler or feature tree.
Nellie Stephens Holly
| Maximum height | 25 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Dense spike tipped broadleaf, dark green, bright red berries |
| General shape | Shrub shaped (can be shaped into a hedge) |
| Base width | 6 to 7 feet (2 meters plus) |
| Planting distance | 5 to 6 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Well-drained, slightly acidic soil |
| Average annual Growth | 3 to 4 feet per year |
| Drought Resistance | Drought Tolerant |
| Best uses | Great for use instead of a fence or to create a private area within a garden setting. |
The Nellie Stephens Holly is technically a shrub but grows up to twenty-five feet tall, so it looks like a tree.
The stiff green leaves tipped with sharp points make this a great privacy screen that would deter most visitors from pushing through. This plant bears pretty red berries in spring and lends itself well to being shaped into a hedge, makes it a striking feature.
Nellie Stephens Holly requires very little water and care in general. It is also an effective windbreak which makes this an excellent option for most gardens.
Italian Cypress
| Maximum Height | 40 to 60 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Dense but fine leaves |
| General shape | Cone-shaped (can be shaped into a hedge) |
| Base width | About 4 to 5 feet. Great for small gardens |
| Planting distance | At least 3 to 4 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Most soil types |
| Average annual Growth | Around 3 feet per year. Thrives in winter |
| Drought Resistance | Drought tolerant. It also thrives during winter. |
| Best uses | An impressive privacy screen and an attractive feature that will block your neighbors’ view. The tree has a narrow base, so it is well suited to smaller gardens |
The Italian Cypress is a firm favorite for both small and large gardens. This tall, relatively thin tree will effectively create a private wall if spaced in a straight line. Alternatively, they can be staggered or planted in a zigzag formation. The foliate is fine in texture and dense.
Being hardy, neat-looking, low-maintenance trees, and drought tolerant, the Italian Cypress forms a striking feature in any garden.
Taylor Juniper
| Maximum Height | 30 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Dense but fine leaves |
| General shape | Cone-shaped (can be shaped into a hedge) |
| Base width | About 3 to 5 feet. A good choice for small |
| Planting distance | At least 3 – 4 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Most soil types |
| Average annual Growth | Around 3 feet per year |
| Drought Resistance | Drought resistant thrives in winter |
| Best uses | Great for a property boundary or to block the morning or afternoon sun from shining into your house. Private area in the garden. Wonderful entrance feature. |
The Taylor Juniper is very similar in appearance to the Italian Cypress but not as tall. The Taylor Juniper is an excellent choice for the dryer regions where height is not required.
Planted in rows correctly spaced apart or in a zigzag formation, the Taylor Juniper makes a striking feature while providing ample privacy.
Murray Cypress
| Maximum Height | 30 to 40 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Dense but fine leaves |
| General shape | Cone-shaped (can be shaped into a hedge) |
| Base width | 10 feet |
| Planting distance | At least 4 to 5 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Most soil types |
| Average annual Growth | 4 feet per year |
| Drought Resistance | Drought resistant |
| Best uses | Screening a tall unsightly boundary wall or fence, city lights in the distance |
The Murray Cypress is an impressive tree that, over time, can develop a broad base area. This base can often measure ten feet and is set close to the ground.
The trees are cone or triangular-shaped and provide privacy, whether planted singularly in a strategic position or in a row to screen view. The growth rate is excellent at about four feet per year.
The Murray Cypress is typically Christmas tree-shaped and has delicate, dense leaves. As young trees, they require care and watering as most trees do, but once they are established, they require very little maintenance. They are drought-resistant, hardy trees.
Golden Bamboo
| Maximum Height | 10 to 12 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Slender trunk with thin leafy offshoots |
| General shape | Long trunk with a small canopy |
| Base width | 10 feet |
| Planting distance | At least 1 to 2 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Moist well-drained soil types |
| Average annual Growth | 6 feet per year (2 meters) |
| Drought Resistance | Drought tolerant but must be watered when hot |
| Suitable for | Screening off an unsightly wall or object, creating a divide in your yard |
Golden Bamboo is not really a tree, but it gets tree-sized and grows quickly, so it should be considered if you need an area screened off quickly.
Bamboo is a high-speed growing option. Golden Bamboo is best planted within a boxed area where a foundation will restrict the spread of the roots to avoid the roots and new shoots from spreading uncontrollably.
Weeping Willow Tree
| Maximum Height | 40 to 50 feet |
| Type | Deciduous, perennial |
| Foliage Cover | Fairly dense, long hanging branches carrying leaves |
| General shape | Tree with canopy buy long hanging leafy branches |
| Canopy width | 35 feet |
| Planting distance | About 20 to 25 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Rich and moist |
| Average annual Growth | Around 3 to 4 feet |
| Drought Resistance | Good but will require regular watering in arid areas |
| Suitable for | Large enough to block an entire house or screen unwanted views from your porch |
A Weeping Willow Tree makes a striking feature in a spacious garden. Growing very large over time, and if they are planted in a row, Weeping Willows will make a significantly large screen, ensuring privacy.
Weeping Willows require ample water and do best in areas where groundwater is readily available. Their roots branch out roughly as wide as the canopy and should be planted far away from septic tanks.
Willows drop their leaves annually, but re-growth begins as soon as the leaves have fallen.
Emerald Green Arborvitae ‘Smaragd’
| Maximum Height | 10 to 15 feet |
| Type | Evergreen |
| Foliage Cover | Fine fibrous leaves, dense needle-shaped. |
| General shape | Cone |
| Base width | Approximately 3 to 4 feet |
| Planting distance | 2 feet |
| Soil Preference | Moist and well-drained |
| Average annual Growth | 1 foot |
| Drought Resistance | Tolerant but will need regular watering |
| Best uses | Plant along a fence or around the swimming pool area to improve privacy. |
The Emerald Green Arborvitae is a magnificent choice for smaller gardens or where a smaller private area is required. Growing up to only about 15 feet tall, having a narrow base, cone-shaped with dense foliage, makes them an excellent privacy shield and a striking feature in your garden.
The Emerald Arborvitae do best in damp, well-drained soils. The trees are evergreen, so minimal maintenance is required to ensure the area looks neat.
Cherry Blossom Tree
| Maximum height | 75 feet |
| Type | Deciduous, perennial |
| Foliage Cover | Green Broadleaf |
| General shape | Bare stem with large canopy |
| Canopy width | 25 to 40 feet |
| Planting distance | At least 5 to 20 feet apart |
| Soil Preference | Acidic well drained |
| Average annual Growth | Around 2 feet |
| Drought Resistance | Good |
| Best uses | Creating a screen between you and your neighbor’s house |
The Cherry blossom trees are hardy and can survive in most regions but enjoy moist but not soggy well-drained soil. Cherry blossoms can grow huge, almost as wide as its tall.
Ideally, the Cherry Blossom should be planted in open spaces away from buildings to allow it to grow to its full potential. When planted in neat rows, these trees make great privacy screens, given their eventual size. During spring, the impressive display of pink and white blossoms are a showstopper. A Cherry Blossom tree covered in spring blossoms is a beautiful sight to behold.
The leaves of the Cherry Blossom are small, light green, and oval-shaped with a pointy tip. The leaves turn an impressive array of yellows red in autumn before eventually dropping off.
Even once the leaves have dropped, an impressive and relatively dense canopy of gray branches remains that provides good privacy. All around, a versatile and attractive tree that will continue to bring delight for years to come.
Final Thoughts
Trees make lovely features and can provide effective privacy to specific areas of your property. Whether you require a subtle screen, one that’s dense, short, or tall, they’re all readily available.
By selecting fast-growing trees to plant, you will effectively be able to create a lovely private area on your property that may otherwise take years to establish.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.