Find the Perfect Natural Screen for Your Yard
Tall privacy hedges are one of the most effective ways to add privacy, soften a property boundary, and create a more comfortable yard. Dense, fast-growing evergreen shrubs and trees provide year-round screening, block wind, reduce noise, and bring lasting beauty to outdoor spaces.
Looking for tall hedges that create instant privacy and enhance your outdoor space? Discover evergreen and deciduous options designed for every yard situation. From fast-growing screens to established mature plantings, our collection combines effective coverage, beautiful foliage, and proven performance in California climates.
Find your perfect privacy solution and transform your yard today.
Tall Hedges for Every Privacy Need
Whether you need immediate screening or long-term privacy, there’s a tall hedge solution for every situation.
Immediate Privacy Hedges
When you want a privacy screen without a long wait, choose fast growing shrubs and evergreen trees with a strong growth rate. Some of the fastest growing privacy hedges can reach growth rates of 3 to 5 feet per year, including Thuja Green Giant and Leyland Cypress. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja x ‘Green Giant’) is known for its rapid growth rate, reaching up to 3-5 feet per year, making it a popular choice for privacy hedges.
Fast-growing hedges like the Leyland Cypress can grow 3-5 feet per year, providing quick privacy solutions for outdoor spaces. Mature hedge installations can also create the desired effect immediately, especially where neighbors, traffic, or exposed borders are a concern.
For tall garden privacy, evergreen conifers provide the fastest and most reliable year-round screening. Their dense foliage helps create a dense hedge that stays attractive through summer, fall, and winter.
Neighborhood Boundary Hedges
For property lines and shared borders, tall formal hedges such as English laurel and Portuguese laurel create a polished clipped hedge that can be pruned to a desired height. English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) can grow up to 3 feet per year and is known for its glossy evergreen foliage, making it a popular choice for privacy hedges.
English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is also known for its ability to grow up to 3 feet per year, making it an excellent choice for a fast-growing privacy hedge. English laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus) can grow up to 3 feet per year under optimal conditions, making it one of the fastest-growing hedges for privacy.
For a neighbor-friendly landscape, select plants that respond well to pruning and maintain a clean shape. A beautiful hedge along a property boundary should provide privacy, add security, and look intentional without taking over too much ground space.
Pool and Patio Privacy Screens
Pool and patio areas need privacy hedges that feel attractive up close, not just functional from a distance. Viburnum is a diverse group of shrubs that can reach heights of up to 10 feet, making it an attractive option for a flowering privacy screen. Many varieties offer flowers, textured foliage, and a versatile shape that suits entertaining spaces.
Cleyera, Viburnum, Jessamine, Brush Cherry (Eugenia myrtifolia), and other flowering evergreens can add privacy while bringing vibrant blooms, fragrance, and birds into the garden. These hedges are well suited to warm climates and can make outdoor spaces feel more finished and comfortable.
For exposed patios or poolside locations, choose dense, wind-resistant plants that can handle heat and regular maintenance. A growing hedge near a pool should be placed with enough space for access, pruning, and long-term growth.
Choose the Right Tall Hedge for Your Yard Conditions
The right hedge variety thrives in your specific environment and provides reliable privacy coverage.
For Full Sun Locations
Full sun areas call for plants that thrive in heat and maintain dense foliage in bright exposure. Oleander, Tecoma, Wax Myrtle, and other evergreen trees and drought tolerant options can create a privacy hedge that grows quickly while handling California sunshine.
The fastest growing privacy hedges can reach growth rates of 3 to 5 feet per year, with options like Thuja Green Giant, Leyland Cypress, and Wax Myrtle being popular choices. These fast growing plants are perfect trees and shrubs for homeowners who want quick coverage and year-round screening.
In dry regions, water-wise landscaping matters. Once established, many drought tolerant hedges need less maintenance, but they still require careful watering during the early years to build strong roots.
For Partial Shade Areas
Filtered light, morning sun, and north-facing exposures need adaptable shrubs that can grow tall without thinning out. Schip Laurel, Abelia, Carolina Cherry Laurel, cherry laurel, and some Cleyera varieties are well suited to partial shade and can create a dense hedge under tree canopies or near structures.
When selecting a privacy hedge, look for evergreen plants that grow dense foliage and respond well to regular pruning. This keeps the hedge full from the ground up and helps maintain the desired height and shape over several years.
Shade-tolerant hedges may grow more slowly than plants in full sun, so account for the timeline before planting. With the right spacing and care, these hedges still provide privacy, beauty, and a calm garden backdrop.
For Coastal Conditions
Coastal yards need hedges that can tolerate fog, wind, and salt exposure. Portuguese Laurel, Pittosporum, Podocarpus Fern Pine hedges, and selected evergreen shrubs are generally well suited to coastal California microclimates.
Salt-tolerant and wind-resistant hedges help block ocean breezes while creating a natural privacy screen for patios, windows, and property edges. In these conditions, foliage quality matters because leaves can show stress from wind burn or salt.
For coastal outdoor spaces, choose plants with a proven track record and a manageable growth habit. The best hedges balance privacy, low maintenance care, and resilience through cool summers and damp winter conditions.
For Small Spaces Needing Height
Small yards and narrow side areas need tall hedges that grow upward rather than outward. Emerald Green Arborvitae reaches 12–15 feet tall and 3–4 feet wide, has a tidy, natural pyramidal shape, and excellent cold hardiness, while Fern Pine trees (Podocarpus gracilior) offer a taller, versatile evergreen option for narrow spaces in milder climates.
American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is a low-maintenance evergreen that can grow up to 1-2 feet per year and is particularly suited for creating privacy hedges in colder climates. These arbor vitae options work well where ground space is limited but height is still needed.
Columnar hedges create security and privacy without overwhelming urban lots. Their upright form makes them easier to maintain, especially when space, walkways, fences, and neighbors must all be taken into account.
Premium Hedge Varieties That Deliver
Quality hedge plants should provide lasting beauty and reliable privacy for years to come.
Fast-Growing Evergreens
Thuja Green Giant, Leyland Cypress, Cryptomeria Radicans, and other popular options from specialized privacy tree nurseries are strong choices when speed is a priority. Some of these plants can reach 3-5 feet of growth per year, making them among the fastest growing privacy hedges for homeowners who want coverage quickly.
Evergreen conifers provide the fastest and most reliable year-round screening for garden privacy because they hold foliage through winter and form a dense visual block. They are ideal for large yards, long borders, and areas where consistent coverage is important.
Fast growth does come with a maintenance commitment. Fast-growing plants require more frequent pruning to maintain desired height and shape, especially while the hedge is young and producing active new growth.
Flowering Privacy Hedges
Flowering privacy hedges combine coverage with seasonal color and texture. Skip Cherry Laurel grows 10–15 feet tall with glossy, dark green leaves and fragrant white spring flowers, and is highly deer-resistant.
English Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Viburnum, Jessamine, and other varieties can create a beautiful hedge that offers evergreen privacy along with flowers that support birds and beneficial wildlife. These plants are a strong choice when you want a privacy screen that feels lush rather than purely structural.
Viburnum is especially versatile because many varieties blend dense foliage with fragrant blooms. Depending on the species, Viburnum can be pruned formally or allowed to rest in a softer, more natural shape.
Low-Maintenance Classics
Rose of Sharon, Ligustrum, Waxleaf Privet, and other established shrubs are often chosen for reliable performance and easy care. Waxleaf Privet is popular in warmer climates (Zones 7–11) and features dense, smooth, oval leaves.
Privet and Glossy Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) can be useful in the right setting, though local guidance should be considered where invasive behavior is a concern. For many yards, deer resistant and disease resistant selections help protect your privacy investment with less maintenance over time.
Deciduous shrubs such as Rose of Sharon may lose leaves in winter, but they offer flowers and seasonal interest in summer. Evergreen options provide more consistent privacy, while deciduous plants can add beauty where full winter screening is less of a worry.
How to Plant and Care for Tall Privacy Hedges
Proper installation and care ensures your tall hedges provide maximum privacy and longevity.
Strategic Planting Layout
A successful privacy hedge starts with spacing, layout, and mature size. Staggered double-row planting can create faster coverage and a denser screen, while a single row may be enough for narrow borders or a formal clipped hedge.
Spacing should be based on the mature width of each plant, the desired effect, and how quickly you want the hedge to fill in. Planting too close may create early privacy, but it can also increase pruning, competition, and disease risk later.
Professional consultation is helpful when choosing between trees, shrubs, and mixed hedges. The right design can account for sun, shade, irrigation, property lines, local rules, and the long-term shape of the landscape.
Establishment Care
Watering is crucial during the first 1-2 years after planting a hedge, as it helps establish deep roots; a drip line can be used for efficient watering. This is especially important in warm climates, sandy soil, clay soil, and new plantings exposed to heat.
Applying a high-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer in the spring can promote optimum growth for hedges, especially during their early years. Healthy spring growth helps plants fill in, recover from pruning, and build the dense foliage needed to block views.
Pruning is generally best done in early spring before new growth begins, as this helps maintain the shape and health of the hedge. Regular trimming keeps a growing hedge at the desired height, encourages density, and reduces worry about branches spreading into walkways, fences, or neighboring property.
Shop Tall Privacy Hedges Online
Explore our curated collection of tall hedge varieties proven to perform in California conditions. Choose from fast-growing options, mature installations, and specialty varieties to create the private outdoor space you’ve always wanted.
Whether you need a low maintenance evergreen screen, a flowering privacy hedge, or cold hardy arborvitae for a narrow side yard, the right plants can add privacy, structure, and beauty to your landscape.
Your perfect privacy hedge solution is just a consultation away.
