How to Create a Privacy Screen Using A Variety of Deciduous and Evergreen Plants
- Rebekah
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Privacy screens can be desired for any number of reasons. Whether you want to block an unsightly view, create a cozy gardening space, or need privacy from neighbors, these are excellent reasons as to why you might need a privacy screen.
You can use a variety of materials, such as fencing, a trellis, or even a building, such as a barn or shed, to create a privacy screen; however, today, we will share about plants you can use instead (or in addition to one of these structures).
The Two Main Ways to Create a Privacy Screen Using Plants
There are two main ways of creating a privacy screen using plants. The first way is to use the same plant and repeat it in a line (such as the photo below). The second most common way is to use a variety of plants, whether they are all evergreens (so they keep their leaves year-round) or a mixture of evergreens and deciduous plants (usually, the evergreens are in the backdrop with a few carefully placed deciduous plants in front).
Either way is fine to do in a landscape:
Planting a row of the same plant gives a uniform look and can complement your landscaping if it is formal and symmetrical.
A downfall to using the same plant is if one gets diseased or dies a few years later, you may have a difficult time replacing it with another plant the same size and variety as the others.
Using a variety of plants, on the other hand, looks natural and can be very beautiful. If a plant dies in a few years, you can easily replace it with something smaller or a different plant altogether because you have a mixture of plants in your screen.
A downfall to using a variety of plants is not paying attention to their mature size when planting them, so your entire privacy screen can look overgrown in a few years. However, if you pay attention to each plant's mature size when planting and make ample room for it to grow, this shouldn't be an issue.
We will share several options to use in a privacy screen and then share some landscape elements to think about before planting a privacy screen.
Examples of Evergreen Trees and Shrubs to Use in a Privacy Screen:
These trees and shrubs keep their leaves year-round.
Examples of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs to Use in a Privacy Screen:
Landscape Elements to Think About Before Planting
Mature Size: As we mentioned briefly above, it's important to plan for the mature size of a plant when mapping out a gardening bed. Whether you plant the same plant in a row or use a variety of plants to make your privacy screen, you need to space them out accordingly. Ask us at the nursery how to space certain plants if you have questions about a specific plant.
Sunlight Needs: Every plant has an amount of sunlight it needs to thrive. This isn't a general guideline, but in fact, something that the plant needs, or it won't do well for you. Most (but not all) evergreens need full sun (6+ hours each day), or they can be prone to disease. If you're planting in fall or winter and there are mature trees nearby, think about where the shade will fall when they are leafed out in spring and summer if you're planting below them.
How to Create a Privacy Screen Using a Variety of These Plants
Paying attention to color, texture, and form can help you create a privacy screen with several plants that still looks cohesive and orderly.
For example, if you love blue evergreens, mix in a Baby Blue Eyes Blue Spruce, along with one or two Blue Point Junipers, and add in several green evergreens, too, such as Emerald Green Arborvitae. In front of these evergreens (if you want/need a second row) add a few Limelight Prime Hydrangeas and mix in The Blues Bluestem grass to continue pops of blue.
In this example, you have color pops of blue mixed in with green foliage. You have varying textures of leaves, which adds interest, and a repetition of form in your Blue Point Juniper, Emerald Green Arborvitaes, and The Blues Bluestem grass.
This is one example and may not work for you, given your exact garden dimensions and sunlight needs. Ask us for assistance with planning a privacy screen at the garden center, on Facebook or Instagram, or use our handy Plant Finder tool on our website to help you get started.
