Picking the correct screen plant for you depends on many factors, consider:
How tall and wide will this plant be at maturity?
How much of my yard space will this take up?
How long am I willing to wait for the screen to get the height and width I want?
How much sun or shade does the area recieve?
How many will I need and what is the correct spacing?
Do I want evergreen or deciduous?
How hardy is this plant and what are the potential pest and disease problems?
What is the cost?
Now that you have an idea of the questions to keep in mind? I will present some of the more popular
choices, for our area. While we have many other plants that can be used for a privacy screen, these
evergreen varieties work best in the majority of situations.
Getting 20 feet or taller.
Leyland Cypress: Extremely fast grower, growing 3 feet a year. For sheer speed nothing beats a
Leyland cypress. Typical spacing is 5 to 10 feet apart, depending on how long you want to wait for it to
grow together. Needs full sun to be thick with foliage. Mature height in our area is 30-40’ and 15’ wide.
Green Giant Arborvitae Extremely fast grower, growing 3 feet a year, ultimately getting 30 feet tall and
15 feet wide. Is more disease resistant than Leyland cypress, and will tolerate more shade, while
remaining thick. So plant in full sun to at least six hours for best results, spacing is 5 to 10 feet apart.
Arizona Cypress Gets 40’ tall and 25’ wide, extremely fast growing, at least 3 feet a year.
Space 10 feet apart. Bluish color. Plant in full sun.
Nellie R Stevens Holly Excellent, taller growing screen plant. Grows about 2’ a year. Pest and disease
resistant. Grows to 25 feet tall and 15 wide in our area, but can be kept smaller or more narrow with
pruning. Takes full sun to a lot of shade. Has red berries in the fall.
Others: Canadian Hemlock, Southern Magnolia
Getting 10 to 20 feet
Hetzi Columnaris Juniper Great for a narrow area, which saves yard space. Grows 12-15’ tall and 5-6’
wide. Average growth is between 12-18” a year. Plant in full sun. Plant on 5’ centers.
Emerald Green Arborvitae Excellent for a narrow area, which saves yard space. Grows 12-15’ tall and
3-4’ wide. Space on 3’ centers. Plant in full sun, to as little as 4 to 5 hours of sun a day.
Little Gem Magnolia Grows about 1 foot a year, ultimately getting 20 feet tall and 10
feet wide. Can be sheared to keep shorter or narrower. Takes full sun, to as little as 3 hours of sun.
Beautiful white 6” diameter flowers.
Anise 10-15’ tall and 8’ wide. Full sun to full shade.
Others: Osmanthus (Sweet Olive), Camellia, Foster Holly, Needle point Holly, Variegated Privet.
Getting 6 to 10’
Cleyera Japonica Moderate grower 10’ tall and 5’ wide. Full sun to full shade
Eleagnus Very fast grower, gets 10’ tall and 8’ wide. Full sun to partial shade.
Loropetlum Fast grower, getting up to 10’ if not pruned.
Evergreen to semi-evergreen in winter, depending on the severity of the winter.
Others: Wax ligustrum, Jack Frost Ligustrum,
