We understand how valuable privacy is and how important it is to be able to go about one’s daily activities without the prying eyes of neighbours or curious passersby. To secure the privacy of your home or office space, consider erecting a natural barrier — with trees.
Privacy trees can grow up to 60 feet tall feet in height, making planting fast-growing trees a sustainable, eco-friendly substitute to a hardscaped privacy fence.
Mature trees create a beautiful and lush landscape while providing privacy and shelter from the elements.
1. Yew
The tree of immortality, some ancient specimens of yew have lived for thousands of years. In evergreen landscaping, yews are often used as hedges and foundation plantings. The dark green foliage and colourful red berries are a welcome sight in winter, and birds love the shelter of yews, too.
Other common names: American Yew, Ground Hemlock
French names: If du Canada
Family: Yew Family (Taxaceae)
Distinctive features: Shrub
Similar species:
- Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) – needles are white underneath.
- Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) – needles are white underneath.
- Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo) – needles are very different.
Flowers: Spring
Leaves: Flat needles
Height: 1-2 m (2-5 ft); A low evergreen shrub
Habitat: Forests
Books: Trees in Canada: 125 Shrubs of Ontario: 3
Native/Non-native: Native
Status: Common
Scientific Name: Canadensis: of Canada
2. American Arborvitae
Height: 12 feet
Spread: 4 feet
Light: Full sun or part sun
Hardiness Zone: 3b
Other Names: Eastern White Cedar
Description:
The ubiquitous tall hedge evergreen always seen planted in rows, this is a narrow, upright accent evergreen, dense foliage held in vertical sprays remains bright green year-round; hardy and adaptable takes pruning well, protect from the winter sun
Ornamental Features:
Emerald Green Arborvitae has emerald green foliage. The scale-like leaves remain emerald green throughout the winter. Neither the flowers nor the fruit is ornamentally significant.
3. Leyland Cypress
Another warm-climate evergreen tree for privacy, the Leyland cypress is a natural for screens thanks to its columnar shape and year-round colour. If the feathery, blue-green foliage doesn’t grab you, there are cultivars with yellow, grey, or bright green foliage.
Light: Full sun or part shade
Water: Plant in consistently moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 70 feet tall
Zones: 6-9
4. Eastern Red Cedar
So adaptable you’ll find it growing on dry, rocky slopes and at the edges of swamps, eastern red cedars also thrive as urban screens and rural windbreaks. This densely branched juniper has rich green summer foliage turning ruddy brown-green in winter.
Light: Full sun
Water: Plant in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 50 feet tall
Zones: 2-9
5. White spruce
The white spruce usually grows to be 24 meters tall, but under ideal conditions can grow to more than 30 meters tall. It usually lives between 250 and 350 years, but trees up to 1,000 years have been seen. Its needles are about 2 centimetres long and bluish-green or green in colour, with a whitish powdery, waxy layer. Cones from the white spruce are 5 to 7 centimetres long and are light brown. Wood from the white spruce is used to make wood pulp and lumber. They are also grown as Christmas trees.
The white spruce is a common tree in the north, but it can grow in southern Ontario. It grows well in the far north and can be found along the arctic tree line.
- Size: 24 meters tall, trunk 60 centimetres in diameter
- Moisture: Tolerates a range of moisture levels
- Shade: Tolerates shade
- Soil: Can grow in almost any soil type
The white spruce is sensitive to frost damage when young and should be planted in a protected area. It can survive in a range of soil and moisture conditions.
6. Eastern hemlock
Its shape is conical, with a wide trunk that tapers into a thin top. Skinny flexible branches grow straight out from the trunk and then droop at the ends. The eastern hemlock’s bark is scaly when the tree is young and cracks deeply as the tree gets older.
Its needles are 1 to 2 centimetres long and are shiny green on top and paler underneath. The cones of the eastern hemlock are oval-shaped and are 12 to 20 millimetres long. In the late fall and winter, the seeds fall out of the cones and onto the ground.
The eastern hemlock grows in southern Ontario. It prefers moist and cool areas and grows in a range of different soil types.
- Size: 30 meters tall, trunk 100 centimetres in diameter
- Moisture: Needs a lot of moisture
- Shade: Very shade tolerant
- Soil: Grows in many soil types
The eastern hemlock is very shade tolerant, so it’s ideal for planting in a spot that doesn’t get much sun. It can grow in any soil type.
7. White pine
Some varieties of white pine can grow 50 to 80 feet tall and 20 to 40 feet wide, so this evergreen needs plenty of room. But for smaller yards, you can also find columnar varieties that max out at 20 feet in height and 14 feet in width, a perfect size for screens. White pine is a fast-growing tree with a soft, billowy texture that’s a welcome departure from the rigid look of many other evergreens. The blue-green needles are attractive year-round, and a portion of them drop to the ground periodically, so the trees are self-mulching.
Light: Full sun or part shade
Water: Plant in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 80 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
8. Concolor Fir
Like white pine, concolor fir can adapt to a variety of growing conditions. Also known as white fir, it’s a good choice for hot, dry conditions and winter cold, but it grows best with evenly moist soil that has good drainage. The blue-grey needles have a white luster, which explains the common name. In addition to its unique needles, concolor fir has an attractive conical shape with tiered branches, so it works as a specimen to block a view or partnered with other trees in
evergreen landscaping.
Light: Full sun or part shade
Water: Plant in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 70 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
9. Deodar Cedar
One of the only true cedars, deodar cedar is very adaptable, grows fast, and has dense branching in youth. It’s perfect for a screen or as part of evergreen landscaping, but it also makes a striking solo tree with blue-green needles and graceful, gently weeping branches that become more artistic with age.
Light: Full sun
Water: Plant in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 50 feet tall
Zones: 7-8
10. False Cypress
A valuable addition to your winter garden, false cypress has plenty of varieties with different shapes and colours. Not surprisingly, it’s also wonderful for adding privacy. Some false cypress cultivars can be trimmed like a hedge; others can be allowed to reach their fluffy, twisted, or contorted potential. Colours range from blue-grey to golden-green.
Light: Sun or part sun
Water: Plant in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 75 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
11. Douglas Fir
For the noble, spirelike shape that evergreen lovers admire so much, plant douglas fir. Though it’s often featured as a lone tree, it also looks great massed as a screen in evergreen landscaping. Douglas fir doesn’t like hot, dry winds but will do excellent where there’s moisture in the soil and the atmosphere. The soft-textured tree has variable colour, depending on the seed source, with the blue-green types being the most attractive and hardy.
Light: Full sun
Water: Plant in consistently moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 80 feet tall
Zones: 5-7