It’s not uncommon for people to want more privacy in their gardens. With houses built closer together than ever before, it can be easy to feel overlooked. So how can you get more privacy without building unsightly high fences? The answer lies in evergreen trees and shrubs that you can use for screening.
Whether you’re a homeowner looking for trees and shrubs to plant yourself or you’re a professional looking to advise your clients, we’ll take you through our favourite evergreen plants for screening so you can choose the right ones for your needs.
What is the best evergreen tree or shrub for screening?
Cherry Laurel
In our opinion, the cherry laurel, or Prunus laurocerasus, is the best evergreen shrub for screening. With glossy green leaves all year round, these hedging plants add character to your garden without being intrusive. In the spring they produce white flowers, while in the autumn they bear a fruit that resembles cherries - hence their name! As they mature, these fruits will turn from red to black.
Cherry laurels grow upright and bushy, making them perfect for privacy screening. They can also be pleached, meaning that you can train them to form a screen of branches and leaves on a single, straight stem, making them ideal for extending the height of a fence.
While most homeowners would need to apply for planning permission for a fence higher than 2 metres in the back garden, the same rules don’t apply for hedging and trees. So you can let your trees grow as tall as you want - just remember to prune them to ensure they stay
bushy to give you that privacy.
Soil: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil
Best position: Sun or partial shade
Maximum height x spread: 8m x 8m
Our other recommended evergreen trees and shrubs for privacy screening
Japanese Privet
Another firm favourite for privacy screening is the Japanese privet, or Ligustrum japonicum. With long pointed leaves and white flowers in autumn, these are a pleasant addition to any garden. You’ll often find the Japanese privet sold as a standard tree, which means that they have a clear stem or trunk with a ball of branches above. The stem will stay approximately the same height as it grows, with just the branches on the top growing.
The Japanese privet is ideal for smaller gardens as they won’t take up much space. You can prune them to keep them small and even with one carefully-placed tree you can create privacy from nosy neighbours or an unsightly fence panel.
Soil: Most soils, prefers well-drained
Best position: Sun to partial shade
Maximum height x spread: 7m x 1m
Holm Oak
The holm oak, or Quercus ilex, is ideal if you have a big garden that you want to screen from prying eyes. Also known as the holly oak or evergreen oak, these trees can grow large and have a rounded crown. The holly nickname comes from the fact that their young leaves look similar to holly, but as they age their edges smooth out.
As it can be so large, holm oak is often used as a windbreak. It’s also tolerant of salt and pollution, so is ideal for both coastal and urban gardens. You can clip holm oak into shapes, making it perfect for topiary fans, and it also grows well as a hedge.
Soil: Well-drained
Best position: Sun or partial shade
Maximum height x spread: 25m x 25m
Italian Cypress
Italian cypress, or Cupressus sempervirens, is perfect for hiding a tall building. Plant them in close proximity for maximum screening, as they don’t spread much, but they do grow tall! This makes them ideal for use as screening in a small garden.
Italian cypress has a Mediterranean look that adds character to your outdoor space. They grow in a pencil shape, rising to a point at the top, and have small green scaly leaves that have a wonderful smell if you crush them.
It’s important to give Italian cypress some love when you first plant it. Keep it watered during dry spells for the first two years and trim it regularly to keep a neat shape.
Soil: Well-drained
Best position: A sheltered spot in sun or partial shade
Maximum height x spread: 10m x 1m
Magnolia Grandiflora
It’s often grown as a shrub, but you can also buy magnolia grandiflora, or Galissoniére, as a standard tree. This makes it ideal for adding screening above a fence or wall, as the stem can be trained to rise around 2 metres before there’s foliage at the top. They can also spread quite wide - up to 5 metres - so even one tree will provide a lot of privacy.
Magnolia grandiflora has dark green, leathery elliptical leaves and in late summer and early autumn, it bears lovely cup-shaped cream flowers that have a dark purple stamen. You’ll also notice a delicate scent.
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Best position: Sun or partial shade
Maximum height x spread: 10-12m x 5m
So there you have it - our top 5 best evergreen screening trees. While the cherry laurel is our favourite, the Japanese privet, holm oak, Italian cypress and magnolia grandiflora are all great options for a range of gardens or privacy needs.
Trees in pots for screening
If you live in a rented property or simply don’t have the soil or space to plant trees, you may consider putting trees in pots to help with screening. But the truth is, trees won’t thrive in pots. Once the tree has outgrown its pot, the roots will become bound within the pot and begin to slowly decline - and it won’t take long for this to happen.
If you do need to have trees in pots for screening, we’d actually recommend a plant that’s not a tree at all - bamboo! Golden bamboo or black bamboo are good options for growing in pots. They’re incredibly fast-growing, with pretty evergreen leaves and golden or black canes. They can be invasive when planted in the ground, but they’re perfect for pots which will prevent them from spreading.
Add your bamboo to a large pot or container that can hold a minimum of 3m3 of coarse, well-drained soil. It does best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
What is the fastest-growing evergreen tree for privacy?
Italian cypress is the fast-growing evergreen tree for privacy in our list. They grow up to 1 metre per year until they reach maturity at about 10 metres, so it won’t take you long to get the privacy you need.
What is a low-maintenance evergreen for privacy?
All of our top evergreen trees for screening are relatively low maintenance, but if you want something that is very low maintenance you could try a conifer from the Thuja family. They don’t require constant pruning to keep their shape and they’re slow-growing, so you can trim once per year without problems.
Ready to buy some evergreen screening trees and shrubs? Join Eden today to get exclusive prices from the Online Plant Market with over 40,000 plants from over 400 growers.
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