The neighbor’s deck went up the first summer after I bought this place. Suddenly anyone sitting on it had a perfect line of sight into my kitchen. I priced fencing, winced at the quote, and started looking at shrubs instead.
That was four years ago. The row I planted has filled in and the kitchen window is now framed in green from May to October, and from a respectable cedar wall the rest of the year. Total cost: under $300.
Here are the shrubs I’d actually plant if I were starting over, with honest growth rates, the climates they work in, and a warning or two about the ones most lists oversell. Every one of these is evergreen, because a “privacy hedge” that drops its leaves every November isn’t really a privacy hedge.
Quick Pick: The Eight at a Glance
| Shrub | Growth/yr | Mature H × W | USDA Zones | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thuja Green Giant | 3–5 ft | 40–60 × 12–18 ft | 5–8 | Best overall |
| Emerald Green Arborvitae | 1–2 ft | 12–14 × 3–4 ft | 2–7 | Cold climates, tight spaces |
| Skip Laurel | ~2 ft | 10–18 × 5–7 ft | 6–9 | Partial shade |
| Wax Myrtle | 3–5 ft | 10–20 × 10–15 ft | 7–11 | South, coastal |
| Nellie R. Stevens Holly | 2–3 ft | 15–25 × 8–12 ft | 6–9 | Deer pressure, security |
| Clumping Bamboo | full screen in 4–6 yr | 15–30 ft | 8b–11 | Modern, tropical look |
| Sweet Viburnum | 2–3 ft | up to 20 × 20 ft | 8–10 | Warm-zone wall |
| Leyland Cypress | 3–5 ft | 60–70 × 15–20 ft | 6–10 | Dry climates only |
If I had to pick one, it’s Thuja Green Giant. Fastest evergreen in the trade, deer-resistant, and almost no disease pressure.
1. Thuja Green Giant
This is the one I’d plant on any property big enough to handle it. Thuja Green Giant grows 3 to 5 feet per year once established, faster than any other evergreen in the nursery trade.
It’s a sterile hybrid, so there’s no invasive risk. It tolerates clay, handles heat better than other arborvitaes, and the deer mostly leave it alone. Plant on 5 to 8 foot centers for a hedge. Closer than that and the roots compete badly, which actually slows you down.
One small heads-up nobody tells you: in the first year it’ll only put on 12 to 18 inches. The “3 to 5 feet per year” applies starting in year three. The old gardener saying is “first year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap.” That’s exactly how these grow.
2. Emerald Green Arborvitae
Heads up about this one before you fall for it on every Pinterest list. Emerald Green is not actually fast-growing. It does 1 to 2 feet a year in good conditions, which is slow-to-medium by horticultural standards.
What it does have going for it: it stays narrow (3 to 4 feet wide at maturity), it’s hardy down to USDA zone 2, and it holds its dark green color through winter. For tight property lines or cold climates where Green Giant struggles, this is the right pick. Just don’t expect a screen in two years.
Plant on 3 to 4 foot centers. Realistic timeline for a 10 foot screen is around 7 to 10 years. Worth it for a narrow side yard, painful for impatient buyers.
3. Skip Laurel
Skip Laurel is the underrated workhorse most lists skip. It’s evergreen, broadleaf rather than needled, and tolerates 4 hours of sun or less, which puts it in a class of its own among privacy shrubs.
It grows around 2 feet per year and matures at 10 to 18 feet tall by 5 to 7 feet wide. The leaves are glossy dark green, which looks more refined in suburban settings than the standard arborvitae wall. Deer mostly ignore it too.
One caveat for zone 6 readers: Skip Laurel can take winter damage in colder edges of zone 6 and isn’t reliable in zone 5. If you’re in a borderline climate, look at Thuja or Holly instead.
4. Clumping Bamboo
I need to be specific here because this is where most articles get a homeowner sued by their neighbors. Clumping bamboo (genus Fargesia or Bambusa) is safe. Running bamboo (genus Phyllostachys) is not, ever, under any circumstances. Running bamboo rhizomes can travel 30 feet underground and pop up in your neighbor’s lawn.
If you do buy bamboo, read the Latin name on the tag, not just the marketing copy. “Non-invasive bamboo” is a label, not a guarantee. The genus is what matters.
Clumping bamboo is mostly suited to zone 8b and warmer. Individual canes shoot up fast each spring, but a full screen takes 4 to 6 years to mature. The payoff is a striking, modern look with built-in motion in the breeze.
5. Wax Myrtle
If you’re anywhere from coastal Virginia down through the Gulf Coast, Wax Myrtle is the native pick. It puts on 3 to 5 feet per year in good conditions, handles salt spray, and tolerates wet soil that would kill most other privacy shrubs.
There’s something genuinely cool happening underground with this one: Wax Myrtle fixes atmospheric nitrogen through bacterial root nodules. It improves the soil it grows in. You don’t need to fertilize a Wax Myrtle hedge, and trying to overfeed it actually reduces its drought tolerance.
Mature size is 10 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. Plant on 4 to 6 foot centers. Hardiness is zones 7 to 11, with the warm end of zone 7 being the cold edge.
6. Sweet Viburnum
Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) is a warm-climate evergreen that gets ignored by lists outside the deep South. It grows 2 to 3 feet per year and can reach 20 feet tall and just as wide.
The big caveat: it’s only reliably evergreen in zones 8 to 10. In zone 7 it’s semi-evergreen at best, and cold winters can defoliate it entirely. If you’re north of zone 8, skip this one and pick something hardier.
Where it does work, the small white spring flowers smell faintly sweet, which is where the name comes from. Plant on 4 to 6 foot centers for a hedge.
7. Nellie R. Stevens Holly
If you want a hedge that also functions as a physical deterrent, Nellie R. Stevens Holly is the pick. The leaves are spiny enough that no one and nothing wants to push through it.
Growth is 2 to 3 feet per year. Mature size is 15 to 25 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide, with a dense pyramidal habit that needs no shaping. The red berries through winter are a small bonus.
Plant on 5 to 6 foot centers. Zones 6 to 9. Deer pressure isn’t really a problem because the leaves are too prickly to be appealing. This is the shrub I’d plant if I lived somewhere with heavy deer browse.
8. Leyland Cypress (With a Big Warning)
Leyland Cypress is on every “fast-growing privacy” list because it really does grow 3 to 5 feet per year. What those lists rarely mention is that it’s one of the most replaced privacy trees in America.
The problem is two fungal diseases: Seiridium canker and Botryosphaeria canker. Both spread tree-to-tree in dense rows, and there’s no effective cure once a plant is infected. Extension services in the humid Southeast (Clemson, UGA, University of Maryland) have been recommending against new Leyland Cypress plantings for years.
Realistic lifespan in humid climates is 15 to 25 years before significant decline. In dry Western climates with excellent drainage, it can live a normal lifespan. If you’re east of the Mississippi and the climate is humid, plant Thuja Green Giant instead. It grows just as fast and has none of the disease problems.
Why You Won’t See Hydrangea, Forsythia, or Dogwood on This List
You’ll see Limelight Hydrangea, Forsythia, Red Twig Dogwood, and Diablo Ninebark on most “privacy hedge” lists. They’re beautiful plants. They are also fully deciduous, meaning they drop every leaf in November and stand as bare twigs until April.
That’s exactly the season most people care most about privacy from a kitchen window or a deck. A “privacy hedge” that disappears for six months isn’t doing the job. These shrubs are gorgeous as accent plants or mixed borders, but they don’t belong on a screening list. So I left them off.
The Spacing Mistake That Doubles Your Wait
The single biggest install mistake I see is planting too close, hoping for faster density. It doesn’t work. Crowded roots compete and stress the plants, which slows growth and invites disease.
The general rule for a hedge is to plant at half the mature width. Thuja Green Giant matures at 12 to 18 feet wide, so you space them 6 to 9 feet apart. Emerald Green matures at 3 to 4 feet wide, so you space them at 3 to 4 feet apart.
It feels like you’re leaving big gaps in year one. By year three you’ll be glad you did.
Frequently Asked Questions
When’s the best time to plant a privacy hedge?
For evergreens, early fall is ideal in zones 6 through 9. The roots establish through the cool wet months and the plant is ready to push growth the following spring. In zones 3 to 5, plant in early spring instead, so the roots have a full season before winter.
Should I buy small or large plants for a hedge?
Smaller. Counterintuitive, but 3-gallon plants typically establish faster and catch up to 10-gallon plants within two seasons. Larger plants have more transplant shock, and you’re paying a premium for the extra year of growth you’ll quickly replicate. The only exception is if you want some immediate visual mass, even at a higher cost.
Do I need to fertilize a new hedge?
Not in the first year. Most nursery stock comes with slow-release fertilizer already in the root ball, and adding more can burn young roots. After year one, a single application of slow-release shrub fertilizer in early spring is plenty. Wax Myrtle doesn’t need any (it fixes its own nitrogen).
How long until I have actual privacy?
From 5-foot nursery plants in zones 7 through 9, realistic timeline for usable screening is 2 to 3 years. In zones 5 to 6, plan on 4 to 5 years. Faster claims you see online usually assume ideal commercial conditions, not a typical backyard.
A Wall of Green, Eventually
The hedge I planted four years ago doesn’t quite hide the neighbor’s deck yet from every angle, but it’s close. Each spring it puts on another foot or two and the gaps shrink a little more.
The trick isn’t picking the fastest shrub. It’s picking the right one for your climate and giving it room to do its work. Pick from this list, space it correctly, water it through the first two summers, and the wait will be shorter than you think.