A living privacy screen is an ideal way to block an ugly view while creating a beautiful view. Screening plants can be used to hide an unsightly outbuilding, an outdoor heating/air unit, or your next-door neighbor’s messy yard and enhance the look of your landscape.
There’s an old adage that says ‘good fences make good neighbors’ but you also want the fence to look good while it makes your outdoor living space more enjoyable.
Check out these 5 popular screening plants for privacy to find the right one for your outdoor privacy needs.
1. Bamboo (Bambusoideae)
Bamboo is fast-growing and will create a narrow wall of privacy in just a few years. This is a tall-growing plant and is great for use when neighboring structures are taller than one-story.
Some species of bamboo are cold-hardy, evergreen, and have non-invasive roots.
2. Boxwood (Buxus)
This popular evergreen hedge bush has been used for decades as a way to provide privacy and delineate outdoor spaces.
Easy-care boxwood can be pruned and shaped into any design or grown in large containers to add height. Boxwoods are relatively maintenance-free and have very few pests or disease problems.
3. Cacti (Cactaceae)
Easy-care, slow-growing, and long-living, cacti are ideal privacy plants for hot climates. Tall, stately cacti fit in well with a modern design and can add an architectural element to an outdoor space.
These screening plants can also be used to increase property security since they do produce large thorns. It’s another popular screening plant!
4. Italian Buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus)
Italian buckthorn is a good evergreen shrub to use as a screening plant. It’s a fast-growing plant that has dense dark green glossy foliage throughout the year. The small spring-blooming greenish-yellow flowers produce reddish fruit that ages to a dark purple color by the end of summer.
The flowers and berries attract butterflies, birds, and bees and plants can be used in topiary designs.
5. Leyland Cypress (Cupressus × leylandii)
This is a fast-growing coniferous evergreen tree that is ideal for use as a screening plant for large areas. Use a living privacy screen along roadsides or around a pool or play area.
Leyland cypress will reach 60 feet (18m) tall and 10 feet (3 m) wide when mature.
You may be interested in reading another article, “What Are Some Low Maintenance Lawn Substitutes?“.
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