There are many different kinds of shrubs you can use for privacy. Some are evergreen and some are deciduous. There are shrubs available that are very low maintenance and there are shrubs that require a lot of trimming. Some shrubs grow very quickly and can establish roots in a snap. Others take a lot of time to grow and develop. Slow growing privacy shrubs are less maintenance. Fast growing shrubs are high maintenance because you need to trim and care for them quickly while they’re still growing. There are a lot of factors to consider. Let’s go over the top shrubs for privacy and factors to consider when choosing one.
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Top Slow Growing Shrubs
- Berckman’s Golden Arborvitae: This evergreen shrub can grow up to 5 feet, but it takes awhile to get there. This shrub wouldn’t be a good choice for you if you want privacy right away. Don’t be alarmed and think that your tree is dying when you see it’s yellow color, it stays that way. Although this shrub takes a long time to grow, it is very little maintenance because it doesn’t require pruning.
- Emerald Arborvitae: This shrub stays green all year long, it’s in the name. What this evergreen shrub lacks in speed to grow, it makes up for in privacy. The Emerald Arborvitae grows up to 15 feet tall and 4 feet wide! It also hardly every requires pruning. When this shrub grows to its full height, no one will be able to peek through your windows.
- Camellia Japonica: This flowering shrub is evergreen. This privacy shrub is one of the more beautiful shrubs, so if that’s important to you this is a great choice. It often has full, pink flowers. The color of the flower varies. Camellia Japonica can grow up to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. That’s a monster of a plant!
Top Fast Growing Shrubs
- Forsythia: Forsythia is a deciduous shrub that can reach heights up to 10 feet if it is not pruned. However, this shrub looks its best when it is well maintained. Forsythia grows a lot of little yellow flowers in the Spring, which would make your yard look beautiful each year.
- Dwarf Pink Almond: This is a smaller deciduous shrub. It only grows up to 5 feet high and 4 feet wide. The good news is that it produces a ton of pink blossoms! You might want to choose this shrub because of the blossoms alone, they’re that pretty. You will need to prune this shrub every year.
- Nikko Blue Hydrangea: The blossoms on this shrub look like big, blue snowballs. This shrub grows up to about 12 feet high and 12 feet wide. It looks best pruned but it doesn’t have to be.
Summing Up
There are a lot of factors to consider when you are choosing a shrub for privacy. How much maintenance will the shrub take? Will the shrub be too big for me once it’s full grown? Do I need to pick up dead blossoms in the Fall? How fast will the shrub take to grow? There are a lot of shrubs to choose from and there is one out there that will perfectly fit the needs of your family. You just have to find it.
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