Spring is the Best Time to Plant Green Privacy Screen Plants

If you’ve been thinking about putting up green privacy screen plants, spring is the best time of the year to get started. Privacy screen trees planted in the spring of the year will have the whole growing season to get established. In most cases, they will be on their own and not need any special attention the following year. A regular watering schedule will help your trees establish strong root systems for years to come. Create a green privacy screen at your property line with evergreen shrubs and trees.


Fast growing privacy trees are trees that we plant in rows to act as screens that block an unwanted view out of, or into, our property. In addition to providing privacy, these tall living fences or living walls also block noise, reduce air pollution, and slow the wind. We love the appearance of a living privacy fence trees, and appreciate the backdrop it provides for the ornamental plantings in our landscape and outdoor space.

There are many uses for trees to plant for privacy. You can use them as visibility blockage around a front yard or patio, planted as a barrier around a swimming pool, or as privacy plants along a fence. Privacy trees are easy to install and increase your home’s value!

Best Plants for Privacy Screen

Ideal privacy trees are broadleaf evergreens, have dense green foliage, grow quickly, are sturdy enough to withstand strong winds, and have few disease and pest problems. These types of trees should look nice too. All dense evergreen trees have glossy leaves that will stay deep green year round if planted in full sun to provide protection from prying eyes. Some trees even have early spring flowers to brighten up your landscape! Leyland Cypress are a great choice to fill space and line walkways
Perfect Plants offers several kinds of privacy trees that are of high quality and suitable for living green screen fences. Be sure to check your hardiness zone before choosing your privacy tree.

Leyland cypress grows fast to 50-60 feet tall, and quickly fills the gaps between individual trees spaced 5-8 feet apart for best air flow. Japanese cedar, Italian cypress, American arborvitae, and Canadian hemlock are all good choices for tall privacy screens with a pyramidal shape. The picturesque Emerald Green Arborvitae is popular because it doesn’t grow more than 2-3 feet wide and doesn’t require any pruning. It’s a shorter tree, though, reaching just 12 feet in height at maturity.

For really big forest green screen plants, consider Leyland Cypress and Excelsa Cedar (a cultivar of giant arborvitae), both of which can get up to 20 feet tall and wide at mature height and width. Douglas Fir and giant arborvitae get even bigger, growing as wide as 40 feet at maturity.

But our very favorite tree for privacy screens is the Thuja ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae. These beauties can put on 3-5 feet of height per year, and reach a mature height of 30-40 feet. They are adaptable to most well draining soil conditions, and they are drought tolerant. The ultimate fast growing tree!

Deciduous trees can also offer privacy features during the spring, summer and fall growing seasons. They will lose their function in the winter when the dark green leaves drop.

Whatever kinds of trees (and you can mix and match!) you choose for your privacy screen plant, you can be sure they will arrive from Perfect Plants healthy, vigorous, and ready for planting.  The shipping specialists at Perfect Plants carefully package your trees using a proven packaging method so that regardless of how the box is handled, the plants inside will not be damaged. We usually send out orders on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays by UPS so your plant(s) arrive before the weekend.

Check out our blog on the top Hedges for Privacy.