9 Best Privacy Bushes for Your Backyard

Do you feel like every time time you go into your backyard someone can see what you are up to? Are you looking for privacy bushes that grow fast and are budget friendly? This post will show you the 9 best privacy bushes for your backyard!

I can totally relate to have no privacy in our backyard. We have a very small yard that is on the corner and has no fence! If it wasn’t for our privacy bushes, we would be completely exposed to several neighbors.

We are going to show you how to gain your privacy back with bushes, tall flowers trees and shrubs! We will provide you with tips and ideas to create your private oasis! We also will share with you facts and things to know before buying your privacy bushes so you choose the right one!

This post is all about the 9 best privacy bushes for your backyard!

Best Privacy Bushes For Your Backyard

Choosing what privacy bushes and trees for your yard can be difficult for someone who doesn’t have a green thumb. We can understand how overwhelming the options can be! We have broke it down into the 9 best privacy bushes and privacy bush ideas.

WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING YOUR PRIVACY BUSHES:

Your Homes Hardiness Zone (Click here to find out)
The amount of sunlight you receive in the desired planting spot
Soil conditions in your yard (is your soil very wet or dry?)
The size of your space in relation to your selected privacy bush

1. Juniper

Junipers come in different varieties and make excellent privacy bushes! The best types of junipers to create a privacy screen are the Utah juniper and California Juniper.

FACTS & CARE FOR JUNIPERS:

Junipers can withstand a drought and don’t need much watering.
They require full sun for best growth.
Some varieties can grow 10-20 feet tall.
Junipers can grow anywhere from 6-18 inches a year which is fast but may take a few years to reach their full growth for maximum privacy.
Mature junipers can grow as big as six feet wide.

2. Beautyberry

The beautyberry is the perfect privacy bush if you want a flowering option!

BEAUTYBERRY FACTS AND CARE:

Beautyberry is a small shrub that grows 3 to 8 feet tall and about 4 to 8 feet wide
The beautyberry plant can be planted year round.
This plant can be drought tolerant once it has been established.
The beautyberry has bright lavender flowers that transform to fruit.

3. Emerald Green Arborvitae

Arborvitaes are among the most popular privacy bushes for your backyard.

Love this flower bed idea for privacy bushes around patio.

EMERLD GREEN ARBORVITAE CARE & FACTS:

Emerald green arborvitae can grow 10 to 15 feet in height.
They need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.
These arborvitaes can grow 3 to 4 feet wide
Perfect for zones 2-8
Plant them 3-4 feet apart for the. a privacy fence.

4. Privet

Privets are ideal for the perfectly manicured privacy fence look.

PRIVET CARE AND FACTS:

Privet plants can grow as high as 15 feet in height.
Privets bloom white flowers in the late spring and early summer every year.
Privets can grow quickly which makes them the ideal privacy bush!
It is important to note that privets prefer warmer climates and can loose their leaves in the winter months if it’s cold enough.

5. Leyland cypress

LEYLAND CYPRESS CARE AND FACTS:

Leyland cypress can grow extremely fast about 3 feet in a year!
These plants are very large and can reach maturity at 40 to 60 feet high and 15 to 20 feet wide
These trees are very low maintenance once they are established in the ground.
Plant them 6 to 10 feet apart for the ultimate privacy fence.

6. Arborvitae “Green Giant”

If you are on the hunt for a fast growing evergreen this is the privacy bush for you. This is the easiest and fastest growing privacy bush for your home.

GREEN GIANT ARBORVITAE CARE & FACTS:

These arborvitaes can grow approximately 3 feet per year until fully grown. (which is fast growing compared to other evergreens)
Full sun and partial shade works perfectly for these arborvitae. (about 4 hours of sunlight a day)
These trees are low maintenance with no pruning needed
These trees can grow in zones 5-7
They can grow as high as 40 to 60 feet and as wide as 12 to 18 feet

7. Spotted Laurel

We love the spotted laurel because it is a beautiful flowering privacy shrub. Tall flowering trees can be hard to come by and have a smaller selection to choose from. If you want to add a pop of color in your privacy fence, we recommend trying the spotted laurel over other laurel hedge types.

BEST LAUREL HEDGE TYPES:

ENGLISH LAUREL
CHERRY (COMMON) LAUREL (FAST GROWING)
PORTUGESE LAUREL

The most popular laurel for privacy hedging are the cherry and Portuguese laurel. We will cover more about cherry laurels in this article just keep reading.

SPOTTED LAUREL FACTS AND CARE:

Spotted laurels can grow 3 to 10 feet high
They have red berries that appear from the end of the Fall to the Spring.
To create a privacy fence, plant these shrubs 30 to 40 inches apart.
Be sure not to prune this shrub in the fall because this is when it is gathering energy to proud the berries
These shrubs can withstand many climates
These grow lower to the ground than the other laurel types.

8. Shrubby (Evergreen) Honeysuckle

We adore the shrubby honeysuckle as a great option of privacy bushes for fence line. These may not grow as tall as some of the other privacy bushes we mentioned, however they offer beautiful flowers that the others don’t have.

FACTS AND CARE OF SHRUBBY HONEYSUCKLE:

These flowering shrubs are compact and lower to the ground making it ideal for privacy.
They do not enjoy very wet or very dry soil
In early summer flowers can appear in many colors such as: yellow, white, or pink.
These can be easily manicured if you want a clean hedge look.
These honeysuckles can grow fast when in favorable conditions.
These plants can make great privacy bushes in pots if maintained properly. Putting these privacy bushes along fence would be ideal.

9. Cherry Laurel

FACTS AND CARE FOR CHERRY LAUREL TREES:

These laurel types can grow 25 to 40 feet high and 20-35 feet wide when fully matured
These laurels are best used for street privacy or privacy bushes front yard.
During the Spring beautiful white flowers can appear each year.
Cherry laurels are perfect for privacy hedges because they are so fast growing.
These plants are not particular about the amount of sunlight they receive.

10. Border Forsythia

We love border forsythia and see it all over New Jersey when the weather changes. These privacy shrubs are truly breath taking and have beautiful yellow flowers like no other! Border Forsythia are easy to buy from a local nursery or store like Lowes for a quick privacy fence option.

BORDER FORSYTHIA CARE AND FACTS:

Border Forsythia can grow up to 8 to 10 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet in width.
They can thrive in full sun and partial shade
These plants make the best addition to your existing privacy bushes to form a mixed border.
Forsythias are low maintenance and drought tolerant
These shrubs can be added to you flower beds or vegetable gardens for a pop of color in the Spring.

11. Camellia Japonica

Last but not least, the most beautiful of the privacy bushes the Camellia Japonica!

CARE AND FACTS ABOUT CAMELLIA JAPONICA:

These are privacy bushes that grow in shade.
From late Winter to Spring, you can enjoy beautiful flowers of different colors and sizes.
These plants can grow up to 25 feet in height, however usually they grow about 6 to 10 feet in each direction.
When you don’t have beautiful flowers, you have shiny green evergreen leaves to make up for it.
Plant them 3 feet apart to create a beautiful privacy fence.

This post was all about the 9 best privacy bushes for your backyard!

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