Everybody loves to have a little bit of solitude in their homes. One of the best ways to get seclusion from the prying eyes of neighbors is to plant shrubs, hedges, and plants in one’s garden and yard. These plants create an endurable eco-friendly natural screen in place of concrete fences.
Here are some excellent options, right from trees and shrubs to vines, grasses, and tall plants to get that little space for reclusion.
Table of Content:
Privet or Japanese Privet or wax-leaf Privet is one of the best hedges for screening. The attractive white flowers bloom in early summer and the springtime, transforming the green bush into a magnificent display. It is a native shrub of central and southern Japan. These drought-tolerant plants can be quickly grown in pots and containers throughout the year.
Type: Evergreen shrub Light Requirement: Full sunlight of a minimum of 6 hours with semi-shade. Water Requirement: Once a week (summer) Height/Width: 15-20 feet/5-6 feet Growth rate: Moderate to Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-10
Kohuhu is a thin upright pyramid-shaped fern, producing lovely purple flowers with a dark-reddish tint blossoms in the night time from spring till early summer. It is perfect for narrow gardens because its lean form makes it ideal as fences for small corners. It is more drought-tolerant compared to other ferns.
Type: Evergreen shrub Light Requirement: Full sun to semi-shade Water Requirement: Daily moderate watering (summer and spring) Height/Width: 8-25 feet/6-16 feet depending on different varieties Growth rate: Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 8 – 11
Planting bamboo in containers for privacy is the right choice, especially the Fargesia robusta “Pingwu” or the “Green Screen” umbrella variety. The tall tropical bamboo plants are the perfect choice for anyone’s backyard, as it can be grown in decks or patios and also in outdoor pots.
Type: Woody perennial evergreen Light Requirement: Full sun to semi-shade Water Requirement: Once a week Height/Width: 12-18 ft. Growth rate: Moderate to Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-9
Leylandii is a fast-growing evergreen climbing plant suitable for fencing. These coniferous trees grow swiftly and can be used as a large concealing plant or otherwise trimmed as a bush. They are not meant for smaller gardens, as they can quickly climb up to 90 cm just in a year. Most Leylandii plants are container-grown, which proves as the most successful method of maintaining them while keeping within a manageable height.
Type: coniferous evergreen Light Requirement: Full sunlight and semi-shade. Water Requirement: Once a week (March to October) Height/Width: 131 feet/16 feet Growth rate: Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-10
Indian Hawthorn is a comparatively small creeping shrub. They are well suited to warmer temperatures, especially a flora of spring season when they are in full bloom with aromatic star-shaped white or pink flowers. They do not require frequent trimming, as they are a slow-growing evergreen climbing plant being used as a privacy fence. They can be kept anywhere, right from decks to patios and in porches.
Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub Light Requirement: full sun or semi-shade Water Requirement: Once in 5-10 days per week. Height/Width: 3-4 feet/4-5 feet Growth rate: Moderate to fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-11
This emerald green giant has thick foliage and bushy appearance. The landscaping plant displays a smooth composite eye-catching look with its tapered shape. It can also be raised as outdoor potted plants, but the size may become smaller.
Type: Needled evergreen Light Requirement: Full sunlight for a minimum of six hours. It also survives in semi-shaded areas. Water Requirement: Once in 5-10 days per week. Height/Width: 12-14 feet/3-4 feet Growth rate: Medium to Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 3–7
This drought-tolerant plant is a hardy evergreen best box hedge suitable for warmer temperatures. Also known as a Japanese box or little leaf box is a smaller patio plant that requires a minimal amount of water once established. This little bush featuring small shiny green dense foliage can be quickly grown in pots and containers.
Type: dwarf evergreen shrub Light Requirement: full sun or semi-shade Water Requirement: Once a week (summer season). Height/Width: 3-4 feet/4-5 feet Growth rate: Moderate to fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-11
Slender Weavers is the best drought tolerant among bamboo plants meant for screening and hedging. They are very coarse and bushy hedges having thin canes with a compact base, excellent for smaller areas like a patio. The low maintenance potted plant is the number one selling bamboo in the world.
Type: woody perennial evergreen Light Requirement: full sun or semi-shade Water Requirement: 2 to 3 times a week Height/Width: 19-26 feet/6 feet Growth rate: Extremely Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 9-11
Evergreen Magnolia is the most exotic variety of tropical plants, producing creamy-white scented flora during warmer months. Also known as Bull Bay or Southern Magnolias, they are best suited for hedging and shading purposes. As the roots of this shrub require more space to evolve, they should preferably be developed in a large pot on a patio.
Type: Deciduous Evergreen Light Requirement: Full sun to semi-shade Water Requirement: Daily watering (summer season) Height/Width: 40-50 feet/15-25 feet Growth rate: Slow to Moderate USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-10
Schip Laurel is one of the top plants as a privacy hedge easily grown in a container near a patio. Oval-shaped broad, shiny leaves make this evergreen shrub look very attractive. They are an exceptional drought and shade tolerant tree providing a 10-foot tall, dense screen for neighbors. They like well-drained soil and produce aromatic white flowers in the spring season.
Type: Evergreen shrub Light Requirement: Full sun to semi-shade Water Requirement: Once a week (March to October) Height/Width: 10-18 feet/5-7 feet Growth rate: Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 8
Amongst the best shady climbing vines, Honeysuckle fills up one’s courtyard with thin stretched yellow flowers turning into red. These intertwining climbers love to be in an average medium-moisture thoroughly drained soil and are fairly drought resistant.
Type: ornamental shrubs and climbers Light Requirement: Full sun to semi-shade Water Requirement: Daily watering (summer season) Height/Width: 5-20 feet/9 feet Growth rate: Extremely Fast USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9
Photinia Robusta is an ornamental drought-tolerant evergreen plant comfortably thriving in a shaded area. Also called Red Leaf Photinia or Fraser Photinia, this low-maintenance tall shrub is often classified as a tree with its red tip foliage creating natural boundaries for one’s home. The shrub prefers well-drained porous soil facilitating a proper air movement, and can be grown in containers for a deck or patio.
Type: Evergreen shrub Light Requirement: Full sun to semi-shade Water Requirement: Daily watering (summer season) Height/Width: 12-18 feet/8-12 feet Growth rate: Rapid USDA Hardiness Zone: 7- 9
Thus these unique trees, plants, shrubs, and vines have demonstrated their ability to block the view of any unwanted inquisitive eyes. When strategically located in the courtyard, they are perfect as natural privacy screens, apart from improving the home landscape.
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