Create a Living Fence with These 12 Fast-Growing Shrubs for Privacy
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Not only do shrubs provide color, structure, and food for pollinators in your garden, they're also problem-solvers! A well-placed shrub can hide an unsightly view and provide a sense of privacy when you're enjoying your patio or deck.
Fast growing shrubs can become a living fence that’s far more attractive and less stark than other kinds of fences, too. In fact, in some communities, fence heights are limited, so you'll get more coverage with tall shrubs (such as blocking views from a second-story window) than fencing anyhow.
Planting a line of fast-growing shrubs provides nearly instant privacy. But if space permits, consider designing a privacy screen with layers of plants and fast-growing trees, which is more natural-looking than a single row of plants. By planting staggered groupings or layering a combination of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, you get a more appealing result with varied textures and colors. This also ensures that you won't lose your entire hedge of one type of plant at once in case disease or browsing deer damage a few (or all!) of them.
Don't forget that before buying plants, read the tag or description so you know what kind of light each type of shrub needs. Full sun is considered six or more hours of direct sunlight per day, while part sun is about half that. Also, make sure to select plants that will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness Zone (find yours here).
Ahead, our favorite fast-growing shrubs to provide privacy and beauty to your outdoor space.
Forsythia
When the cheery bright yellow blooms of forsythia appear, you know spring has arrived! It’s a super fast grower that looks lovely in groups or when used in a mixed border, and it’s deer-resistant.
Dappled Willow
This shrub, also known as tri-color willow, has lovely pink, white and pale green variegations with an elegant weeping or rounded form. New growth emerges with an eye-catching pink hue.
Ninebark
With an elegant, arching form, ninebarks are lovely shrubs, especially when massed together. In the spring they have green, lemon-colored or burgundy foliage, and pollinators adore their tiny pink or white flowers. They’re also deer-resistant.
Arborvitae
Arbs are a favorite evergreen for screening. They maintain their upright, columnar form without pruning, so they’re also low-maintenance. But be aware that they’re a favorite of deer, so they’re not the best choice if Bambi frequently browses your garden.
Panicle Hydrangea
There are many types of hydrangeas, but the panicle types, which bloom on new wood every year, are fast-growing. They bloom from mid-summer to frost, with the flowers retained for most of the cold season months to provide winter interest in your garden.
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Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bushes add color to mixed borders, and, of course, they attract butterflies! Read the plant tag to ensure you’re buying one that will reach the height you need because many new petite types, which won't provide privacy screening, have been introduced in recent years.
Juniper
Junipers are a reliable evergreen that come in a variety of types from low-growing creepers to tall, upright forms. Opt for the columnar types for screening. Many varieties have a blue caste and handsome, finely textured foliage.
Loropetalum
This evergreen shrub has green or burgundy foliage for year-round appeal. But the shrub's most charming feature are the adorable fringed flowers that appear in spring.
Skip Laurel
This evergreen shrub has spring flowers that smell like almonds! The dense, glossy foliage can be sheared to shape or left natural. It’s a medium-sized versatile shrub because it doesn’t mind poor soils, it’s shade-tolerant, and it is deer resistant.
Lilac
The old-fashioned scent of lilac is a must-have in any garden. Plus, many older types grow quickly to create a lovely blooming hedge in late spring. New types are reblooming for a show again later in the season.
Photinia
This medium-sized shrub has pretty, red new growth and a dense form. Plant in groups for a handsome screening hedge.
Weigela
Weigela has tubular-shaped flowers that hummingbirds adore. The foliage comes in dark green or burgundy tones. Many new types are re-blooming.
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