Best Plants for Privacy Around Your Home: Top Choices - Plant Care Guide

When you want a little more privacy around your home, privacy plants can be a perfect solution. Unlike fences or walls, plants provide privacy with the added benefit of greenery, shade, and even some soundproofing. With many varieties to choose from, you can find options to suit different climates, maintenance levels, and aesthetics. Here, we’ll go through the best plants for privacy, making your space more secluded and lush.

Why Choose Plants for Privacy?

Plants offer a natural way to create boundaries and filter out noise. They’re environmentally friendly, beautiful, and often more cost-effective than installing fences. Privacy plants can also help improve air quality, provide shade, and create habitats for wildlife. By selecting the right plants, you can design a beautiful living barrier that enhances your outdoor space.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Privacy Plants

Choosing the right privacy plants for your home depends on several factors:

• Climate: Some plants thrive in warm climates, while others do better in cooler temperatures.
• Height and Width: Select plants based on how much privacy you want and the available space.
• Growth Rate: Fast-growing plants give quick results, but slower-growing ones may need less maintenance.
• Maintenance: Choose plants based on your willingness to prune, water, and care for them.

Top Privacy Plant Choices

Let’s explore the best plants for creating a private, beautiful space around your home.

1. Bamboo

Bamboo is known for its fast growth and dense structure, making it an ideal choice for creating privacy in a short amount of time. It provides a tropical feel and can grow well in pots or directly in the ground.

• Best for: Creating tall, dense screens quickly.
• Growth Rate: Very fast, reaching several feet within a year.
• Care Tips: Bamboo prefers well-drained soil and partial to full sunlight. Prune regularly to control spread.

Choose bamboo plants ($15–$40) to establish a lush, tall privacy screen with minimal effort.

2. Arborvitae

Arborvitae is a popular choice for privacy due to its evergreen foliage and narrow shape, which makes it perfect for tight spaces. Its dense growth provides excellent screening all year round.

• Best for: Creating evergreen privacy hedges.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to fast, depending on the variety.
• Care Tips: Arborvitae requires well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. It is low-maintenance and cold-tolerant.

Consider arborvitae shrubs ($20–$50) for a hardy, reliable privacy hedge.

3. Boxwood

Boxwood is a classic hedge plant with thick, evergreen foliage. It can be trimmed to your desired height and shape, making it a great choice for both privacy and ornamental purposes.

• Best for: Low to medium privacy hedges and topiaries.
• Growth Rate: Slow, requiring regular pruning to maintain shape.
• Care Tips: Boxwood does well in partial shade to full sun and prefers well-drained soil. Water regularly, especially in dry climates.

For a formal look, add boxwood shrubs ($15–$40) to your landscape.

4. Holly

Holly bushes provide year-round privacy with the added benefit of bright red berries, which attract birds and wildlife. Their dense, spiky leaves also offer extra security.

• Best for: Medium to tall hedges with added aesthetic appeal.
• Growth Rate: Moderate, but can be pruned to control size.
• Care Tips: Holly does best in well-drained, slightly acidic soil and full to partial sun. It is drought-tolerant once established.

Try planting holly bushes ($20–$50) for a privacy hedge with year-round interest.

5. Privet

Privet is a versatile hedge plant that grows quickly, making it a favorite for privacy screens. It has dense foliage and can be pruned into formal or natural shapes, depending on your preference.

• Best for: Formal hedges and fast-growing screens.
• Growth Rate: Fast, with regular pruning required to maintain shape.
• Care Tips: Privet thrives in full sun to partial shade and adapts to various soil types. Regular pruning helps it stay dense.

For an adaptable privacy solution, try privet shrubs ($15–$35).

6. Leyland Cypress

Leyland Cypress is known for its rapid growth and dense foliage, making it a popular choice for those who want a tall, quick privacy screen. It creates a lush green wall in a short amount of time.

• Best for: Tall privacy screens in larger spaces.
• Growth Rate: Very fast, with potential to reach 30 feet in just a few years.
• Care Tips: Leyland Cypress requires full sun and regular watering. It benefits from occasional pruning to encourage dense growth.

Choose Leyland Cypress trees ($20–$60) for a fast-growing privacy barrier.

7. Bamboo Palm

For those in warmer climates, the Bamboo Palm offers a lush, tropical look. It’s ideal for patio or backyard privacy and thrives well in pots, making it versatile for various spaces.

• Best for: Tropical privacy in warmer climates.
• Growth Rate: Moderate, with potential to reach 12 feet.
• Care Tips: Bamboo Palm prefers partial shade and regular watering. It does well in humid environments.

Add bamboo palms ($20–$45) for a bit of paradise in your backyard.

8. Red Tip Photinia

Red Tip Photinia is a unique hedge plant with vibrant red and green leaves. It creates a colorful privacy screen that stands out in the landscape while offering year-round coverage.

• Best for: Medium to tall privacy hedges with a splash of color.
• Growth Rate: Fast, with regular pruning required.
• Care Tips: Red Tip Photinia does best in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

Try Red Tip Photinia ($15–$40) to add both privacy and color to your garden.

9. Spartan Juniper

Spartan Juniper is a hardy, low-maintenance evergreen that forms a narrow, dense privacy hedge. It’s perfect for smaller yards where space is limited.

• Best for: Narrow spaces and low-maintenance privacy screens.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to fast, reaching up to 15 feet in height.
• Care Tips: Spartan Juniper requires full sun and well-drained soil. It’s drought-tolerant and requires minimal pruning.

Consider Spartan Juniper trees ($20–$50) for a low-maintenance privacy option.

10. Cherry Laurel

Cherry Laurel is a beautiful, dense evergreen shrub that provides excellent privacy and sound buffering. It’s a versatile plant that grows well in a variety of conditions.

• Best for: Dense hedges and sound barriers.
• Growth Rate: Fast, reaching up to 20 feet tall.
• Care Tips: Cherry Laurel prefers partial shade to full sun and is fairly drought-resistant once established.

Plant Cherry Laurel shrubs ($20–$60) to create a lush, noise-dampening hedge.

11. American Holly

American Holly provides privacy and visual appeal with its glossy, evergreen leaves and bright red berries. It’s a slow-growing but resilient plant that offers year-round coverage.

• Best for: Low-maintenance, year-round privacy.
• Growth Rate: Slow to moderate, with minimal pruning required.
• Care Tips: American Holly thrives in well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade.

For a low-maintenance privacy option, consider American Holly trees ($30–$80).

12. Japanese Privet

Japanese Privet is known for its dark green leaves and ability to form dense hedges. It’s an evergreen shrub that adds beauty and privacy without requiring too much upkeep.

• Best for: Formal hedges and compact screens.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to fast, depending on climate and soil.
• Care Tips: Japanese Privet prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Prune regularly to maintain shape.

Add Japanese Privet ($20–$50) for an elegant privacy solution.

13. Italian Cypress

Italian Cypress is tall and slender, making it perfect for tight spaces or adding a vertical element to your privacy screen. It’s often used as a stately border for homes and gardens.

• Best for: Vertical privacy in small spaces.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to fast, depending on climate.
• Care Tips: Italian Cypress does best in full sun and well-drained soil. It’s drought-tolerant once established.

Consider planting Italian Cypress trees ($25–$70) for a classic, narrow privacy screen.

14. Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)

Nandina, also known as Heavenly Bamboo, is an ornamental shrub that brings a unique, lacy appearance to your garden. It offers year-round privacy with vibrant colors that change with the seasons.

• Best for: Small privacy screens with color variety.
• Growth Rate: Moderate, with minimal pruning required.
• Care Tips: Nandina grows best in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

For seasonal color, try Nandina shrubs ($15–$40) around your yard.

15. Photinia

Photinia, especially the Red Robin variety, is known for its bright red foliage, which matures to green. It’s a great choice for a colorful privacy hedge.

• Best for: Medium privacy hedges with vibrant colors.
• Growth Rate: Fast, with regular pruning to control size.
• Care Tips: Photinia prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

Create a colorful barrier with Photinia shrubs ($20–$45) for vibrant privacy.

16. Yew

Yews are classic hedge plants with soft, dark green foliage. They can be pruned to almost any shape, making them versatile and attractive privacy options.

• Best for: Dense, formal hedges.
• Growth Rate: Slow, with little maintenance once established.
• Care Tips: Yews prefer well-drained soil and partial to full shade.

For a classic look, plant yew shrubs ($25–$60) for a traditional privacy screen.

17. Viburnum

Viburnum shrubs offer dense foliage, beautiful flowers, and often produce berries, making them a great all-around choice for privacy. They’re hardy and can grow well in a variety of climates.

• Best for: Privacy with added seasonal flowers.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to fast, depending on variety.
• Care Tips: Viburnum prefers well-drained soil and partial shade to full sun.

Add Viburnum shrubs ($20–$50) for year-round interest and privacy.

Tips for Maintaining Privacy Plants

Regular maintenance is key to keeping your privacy plants looking their best. Here are some tips:

• Prune regularly: Keep plants at the desired height and shape.
• Water deeply: Especially in dry weather, make sure plants get enough water.
• Mulch: Apply mulch around the base to retain moisture and prevent weeds.
• Fertilize: Use a balanced fertilizer ($10–$30) in spring for healthy growth.

By selecting and maintaining the right plants, you can create a natural, beautiful privacy screen that enhances your home and garden year-round.