Great hedge and screen plants for privacy | Pacific Nurseries (2024)

Choosing the right plants for their horticultural and practical properties to provide privacy can also increase the value of just about any landscape environment.

Slow-grower | +/- 12″ yr

Medium-grower | 13—24″ yr

Rapid-grower | +24″ yr

If you’re considering a sculpted, formal hedge, recognize that it will need regular maintenance and clipping. And if you’re thinking about a more natural, less formal design, your maintenance requirements may be no more than annual pruning.

Great Hedge + Screen Plants

Camellia sasanqua

Common name | Japanese Camellia

Despite their delicate-looking flowers, Camellia sasanqua are tough plants that bloom in shady areas with minimal care. They can reach 12′ in height with a somewhat narrower width. Beautiful flowers appear along the end of branches with very short stems between January and March.Mature plants have a relatively long bloom period of several months. Camellias can grow into a natural shape or be pruned more formally into a privacy hedge.

Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’

Common Name | Hornbeam

Carpinus betulus is commonly known as theEuropeanorcommon hornbeam. It is native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe. As a deciduous small to medium-sizedtree, it prefers some shade and moderate soil moisture for good growth. It can reach over 80′ and often has a fluted and crooked trunk. The bark is smooth and greenish-grey with foliage consisting of leaves with prominent veins that create a distinctive corrugated texture. When cut back, it creates dense foliage for sculptinghedgesand privacy screens.

Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’

The ‘Ray Hartman’ form of Ceanothus is a CA native evergreen shrub that grows to 15′. Flowers are light to medium blue in flower spikes and the leaves are glossy and dark-green. It grows quickly and does well in heavy soils or sand with an upright form. It can be trained as a single trunk standard or low branched to work as a very effective hedge.

Cupressus macrocarpa

Common Name | Monterey Cypress

Cupressus macrocarpais a medium-sizedconiferousevergreentree that grows to heights +130′ if allowed. However, it has a long life and works best as a privacy screen when kept sheered top to bottom. Foliage grows in dense sprays which are bright green in color and release a deep lemony aroma when crushed. Theleavesare scale-like and are produced on rounded shoots.

Ficus microcarpa nitida

Common Name | Indian Laurel

Ficus microcarpa is a broadleaf evergreen tall shrub/tree with smooth light-gray bark and about 2″ leaves attached to the stem by a pointed end with the other end rounded. It does well in our Bay Area Mediterranean climate and can grow to +40′ with an equal spread of the crown. Consider specifying this plant in a distinctive column form.

Laurus nobilis

Common Name | Sweet Bay

Laurus nobilis is a broadleaf evergreen tree or large shrub with green, smooth, and hairless leaves. As a hedge or privacy screen, this plant is an aromatic and culinary delight as the distinctive leaves can be used for seasoning in cooking. It’s native to the Mediterranean and can reach 60′. Commonly referred to as bay laurel or sweet bay, it’s slow-growing and may take several years to reach the desired height.

Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’

Common Name | Waxleaf Privet

Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’ is a slower-growing variety of species. It’s an evergreen dense, compact shrub with thick, round, waxy leaves that are glossy green above and whitish underneath. Fragrant bee-attracting white flowers bloom in late spring to early summer and are followed by blue-black berries. It prefers sun or light shade with regular water. It can also be trained to nearly any shape. So if you’re looking for evergreen hedge and screen plants, this is a great option.

Metrosideros excelsus

Common Name | New Zealand Christmas Tree

Metrosideros excelsus is an evergreen tree in the myrtle family that produces a brilliant seasonal display of red flowers. Renowned for its vibrant color and its ability to survive in rocky and challenging landscapes, it can grow to over 80′ high, with a spreading, dome-like form. As a multi-trunked spreading tree, it’s an excellent choice for coastal environments in need of a privacy screen or hedge as it is not affected by salt or ocean air.

“We install Metrosideros excelsus as a privacy barrier because it’s’ relatively deer-proof and drought-resistant. The opaque-colored grayish leaves make the surrounding foliage of the other plants really pop. And, as a multi with a little thinning out, it looks incredible at night with low-voltage lighting.”
Michael Moore | Masterpiece Gardens

Myrica californica

Myrica californicais anevergreenshrubor smalltreenative to thePacific coast. It grows to over 30′ tall and has serrated, sticky greenleavesthat emit a spicy scent on warm days. Thefruitis a wrinkled purple berry with a waxy coating that supports the common name wax myrtle. It does best in cool, moist coastal environments and can be used very effectively as a seaside windbreak.

Olea europea

Common Name | Olive

The olive tree,Olea europaea, is anevergreen, fragrant, multi-trunked tree orshrubthat does extremely well in our Bay Area Mediterranean climate. It’s short and squat, and rarely exceeds 50′ in height. It features silvery green, oblongleaveswith a typically gnarled and twisted trunk. Small, white, featheryflowers appear on the previous year’s wood. There are many cultivars to consider that don’t bear fruit for a screen or hedge.

Pittosporum eugenioides

Common Name | Lemonwood

Pittosporum eugenioides is a species ofNew Zealandnativeevergreentree that grows to 35′ tall. It is conical in form when young but become more rounded when mature. Leaves are mottled yellow-green with curly edges and a salient bright midrib and have a strong lemony smell when crushed. It’s an excellent hedging or screening plant that works well near water features and pools because it has minimal leaf litter. It’s also great in a windy position and provides a very effective barrier for more intolerant plants around it. If you’re looking for a beautiful, low-maintenance, green and textured backdrop with dense leaf clusters, this is an excellent choice.

Pittosporum tenuifolium

Common Name | Black Matipo

Pittosporum tenuifoliumis a smallevergreentree that can reach heights to over 30′. It’s nativetoNew Zealand and is commonly known as black matipo. It features distinctive black stems and dark trunk with foliage that can be purple, “silver” or variegated depending on the variety. It’s a fast-growing, very hardy privacy screen solution that tolerates difficult growing conditions, including dry soils and limited sun. Its flowers are a very dark reddish-purple, not showy and scented only at night with attractive fragrance. Pittosproum does well in coastal environments as well. If you consider this great plant, specify the bush form. Options include:
• P. t. ‘Sliver Sheen’
• P. t. ‘Wrinkled Blue’

Podocarpus gracilior

Common Name | Fern Podocarpus

Podocarpus gracilior is a medium-sized tree that grows to 65-130′ tall. Its leaves are spirally arranged on mature trees with purple seeds that are frequently dispersed by birds that eat the fleshy seed coating. This is one of the most popular hedge and screen plants in the Bay Area.

Podocarpus henkelii

Common Name | Henkel’s Yellowwood

Podocarpus henkelii is an attractive ornamental tree, easily distinguished by its long, slender, blue-green, drooping leaves. It has a straight, well-formed trunk and naturally assumes a pyramid shape as it grows, eventually reaching 40′ tall. It’s frequently grown in gardens for its neat, attractive form and decorative foliage. As an incredibly long-lived plant, it can be pruned to change its shape. It’s also summer-dry tolerant but prefers moist soil.

Podocarpus macrophyllus

Common Name | Fern Pine

Podocarpus macrophyllus is a small to a medium-size evergreen tree, reaching 65’ tall. Its leaves are strap-shaped with a central midrib. Its traits are similar to Podocarpus henkelii.

Populus nigra ‘Italica’

Common Name | LombardyPoplar

Populus nigra ‘Italica’ is a medium to large-sizeddeciduoustree, reaching 90′ tall. Leavesare diamond-shaped to triangular and are green on both surfaces. This tree is characterized by rapid growth and it does best in moist soil.

Prunus ilicifolia

Prunus ilicifoliais an evergreen shrub and tree that produces edible cherry fruit with shiny andspinytoothed leaves similar in appearance to those ofEnglish holly. It grows up to 30′ tall, with thick, alternate, 1-2” leaves. It has small white flowers growing in clusters from March to May that bear purple to black fruit that is sweet, with a very thick pulp around a large single stone. As a handsome, showy plant, it attracts bees and tolerates pruning when used as a hedge. It also prefers full sun, loose open soil, and is drought tolerant. However, it needs regular watering when young.

Prunus laurocerasus

Common Name | Englishlaurel

Prunus laurocerasus is an evergreen species of Prunus, native to regions in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe. As an evergreen shrub or small to medium-sized tree, it can grow to nearly 50′. The leaves are dark green, leathery, shiny, with a finely serrated margin. As one of our favorite hedge and screen plants, it’s available in a bush and sometimes column form.

Prunus lusitanica

Common Name | Portuguese laurel

Prunus lusitanica is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 20′. The bark is blackish-brown and leaves are alternate glossy dark green above and lighter below. They resemble the Bay laurel and it’s often mistaken for one. This tree produces small cherry-like fruit that turns dark purple or black when ripe in late summer or early autumn.

Rhamnus alaternus ‘John Edwards’

Common Name | Italian Buckthorn

Rhamnus alaternus ‘John Edwards’ is a fast-growing, vertical, broadleaf, evergreen shrub with attractive 1.5″ glossy green leaves. It’s a great solution for a vertical evergreen screen that doesn’t require a lot of room at the base. It requires mostly sun in moderately moist soil and delivers a growth rate of 2′ per year. Under optimal conditions, it can double in size in about 3 years. It’s an excellent choice for a privacy screen in column form.

Sequoia sempervirens

Sequoia sempervirens is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living for up to 2,200 years. This species includes the tallest trees on earth, reaching up to nearly 380′ in height. It’s native to coastal California and the southwestern corner of Oregon. This tree thrives in environments with wet winters and cool, foggy summers.

Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald’

Common Name | Northern White-Cedar

Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald’ is a small or medium-sized tree, growing to a height of 50′ tall. The bark is red-brown, furrowed, and peels in narrow, longitudinal strips. The foliage forms in flat sprays with scale-like leaves and seed cones are slender, yellow-green, ripening to brown, with overlapping scales. It’s one of the finest evergreens for use as screening or a windbreak and is strong-rooted and virtually disease-free. Its uniform shape seldom needs pruning but responds well to shearing. It also thrives in heat and moist air.