Gain Privacy Fast with These 9 Dynamic Hedge Varieties
Posted on 20/05/2025
Are you seeking quick and attractive ways to create privacy in your outdoor space? Looking for the best fast-growing privacy hedges to transform your garden into a secluded haven? Installing living fence alternatives not only ensures privacy but also enhances the beauty and value of your property. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through 9 dynamic hedge varieties that offer quick privacy, lush greenery, and robust protection for your property. Whether you live in a city suburb, countryside retreat, or urban courtyard, you'll find a hedge solution tailored to your landscaping needs.
Why Choose Privacy Hedges Instead of Fencing?
Privacy is essential for peace of mind and relaxation in your yard. While traditional wooden or metal fences are effective, hedges provide a natural alternative that brings many benefits:
- Aesthetic Appeal: Living fences are lush, inviting, and offer year-round or seasonal beauty.
- Environmental Benefits: Hedges host beneficial insects, provide habitat for birds, and improve air quality.
- Noise Reduction: Dense foliage helps muffle sounds from roads or neighbors.
- Wind and Dust Control: Strategic placement of hedges can shield your yard from harsh elements.
- Property Value: Well-maintained privacy hedges can boost curb appeal and resale potential.
How to Choose the Best Fast-Growing Privacy Shrubs
Selecting the right privacy plants and hedges involves several important considerations:
- Growth Rate: Look for hedges that establish quickly if you want immediate privacy.
- Evergreen vs. Deciduous: Decide whether you need year-round coverage or can enjoy seasonal change.
- Space and Height: Consider mature height and width, ensuring adequate room to grow.
- Sunlight and Climate: Match your hedge choice to your garden's light and soil conditions.
- Maintenance: Factor in how much pruning and care you're willing to do.
Below, we explore the top 9 fast-growing hedge varieties for privacy, each with unique features and standout benefits.
1. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja 'Green Giant')
One of the most popular fast-growing privacy hedges, Green Giant Arborvitae is prized for its rapid growth--up to 3 feet per year under ideal conditions. This dense, evergreen conifer creates a lush, towering screen that remains green all year long.
- Height: Mature height 30-50 feet with a 12-20 foot spread
- Growth Rate: Very fast
- Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
- Best For: Large properties, quick privacy, windbreaks
Why Choose It? Low-maintenance, disease-resistant, and adaptable to various climates, this is the go-to choice for instant privacy screens and living fences.
2. Leyland Cypress (Cupressus x leylandii)
If you need a living privacy wall in a hurry, Leyland Cypress is hard to beat. These trees shoot up at up to 4 feet per year and form dense, lush green walls.
- Height: 40-60 feet tall, 15-20 feet wide
- Growth Rate: Exceptionally rapid
- Sunlight: Full sun preferred
- Best For: Windbreaks, noise barriers, tall hedges
Tip: Regular pruning will keep Leylands to the desired height and prevent them from overtaking smaller spaces.
3. Pyracantha (Firethorn)
Pyracantha is a versatile, spiny evergreen shrub loved for its showy berries in autumn and winter. This dynamic privacy hedge grows quickly, providing lively color and a barrier that's hard to penetrate--great for security as well as privacy.
- Height: 6-12 feet, can be trained taller
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
- Features: Bright orange, red, or yellow berries; thorny branches
Bonus: Pyracantha's dense, thorny habit makes it an excellent deterrent for unwanted visitors--both animal and human.
4. Privet (Ligustrum spp.)
Privet is a classic choice for quick privacy hedges. Its glossy green leaves create a neat, formal look when shaped, and it tolerates heavy pruning to just about any size or shape you desire.
- Height: 8-12 feet (some varieties taller)
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
- Best For: Formal boundaries, living fence options, garden mazes
Tip: Regular trimming keeps privet looking neat and prevents unwanted flowering and seed production.
5. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Cherry laurel is a broad-leaved, evergreen shrub that forms thick, glossy green screens. With a fast-to-moderate growth rate, it works beautifully as both a short hedge and a tall privacy screen.
- Height: 10-20 feet
- Growth Rate: Fast to moderate
- Sunlight: Full sun to shade
- Highlights: Drought-tolerant once established, fragrant white flowers
Why Grow It? Tolerant of urban pollution and shade, cherry laurel thrives where other privacy shrubs falter.
6. Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
For those wanting a formal privacy hedge, nothing beats the classic boxwood. While boxwood is a bit slower than some options, many fast-growing cultivars are available, and its compact, evergreen habit makes for impeccable combination with topiary or geometrical shapes.
- Height: 2-12 feet (size dependent on variety and pruning)
- Growth Rate: Moderate (fast-growing varieties available)
- Sunlight: Shade to full sun
- Use: Knot gardens, borders, low to medium barriers
Note: Boxwood is best for year-round greenery and tight spaces but requires regular trimming for that manicured look.
7. Bamboo
Bamboo is a modern favorite for creating instant privacy screens in tight or urban areas. Some clumping varieties can shoot up several feet in a single season, developing into a lush, vertical wall in just a year or two.
- Height: 6-25 feet depending on variety
- Growth Rate: Very fast, especially for running types
- Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
- Best Types: Clumping (non-invasive) bamboos, such as Fargesia or Bambusa
Warning: Avoid running bamboo unless you have proper underground barriers--it can be invasive! Clumping varieties are safely contained.
8. Photinia (Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin')
For a colorful privacy hedge that's both fast-growing and showy, consider Photinia. New foliage emerges bright red, fading to glossy green, creating a striking multi-season display.
- Height: 8-15 feet
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Sunlight: Full sun for best color
- Standout Feature: Red-tipped new growth contrasts beautifully against mature green leaves
Why Photinia? It's beautiful as a standalone plant or clipped into a formal hedge, with the added bonus of being relatively low-maintenance.
9. English Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus 'Rotundifolia')
If you desire dense, lush privacy with minimal wait, English laurel is a superb candidate. Its broad, shiny leaves create a wall of green that's ideal for screening and noise reduction.
- Height: 15-20 feet
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Sunlight: Sun to shade
- Advantages: Tolerant of pruning, resistant to drought and urban conditions
Pro Tip: Prune in late spring or midsummer to maintain density and prevent legginess.
Bonus: Other Speedy Privacy Hedge Options
- Red-Tipped Photinia
- Holly (Ilex aquifolium, Ilex crenata): Evergreen, spiny-leaf hedges for privacy and security
- Ligustrum (Wax Leaf Privet): Glossy, compact hedges perfect for shaping
Tips for Establishing Fast Privacy with Hedges
Planting and Care for Maximum Growth
- Soil Preparation: Enrich planting sites with organic matter and ensure good drainage.
- Spacing: Don't crowd your plants. Follow recommended spacing to allow each hedge room to thrive.
- Watering: Keep soil moist--but not soggy--especially during the first two years.
- Fertilizing: Apply a slow-release fertilizer in spring for vigorous new growth.
- Mulching: A thick mulch layer insulates roots, keeps weeds down, and preserves moisture.
- Pruning: Regular trimming encourages bushiness and keeps hedges dense from top to bottom.
Fast-Track Your Privacy: Tricks for Quick Success
- Buy Large Specimens: Larger nursery plants establish more quickly and provide instant screening.
- Diversify: Mix evergreen and deciduous varieties for year-round interest and enhanced privacy.
- Interplant Short-Term Fillers: Use tall annuals like sunflowers as a temporary screen while your main hedge matures.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fast-Growing Privacy Hedges
How quickly can I expect privacy from my new hedge?
Immediate privacy can be achieved by planting larger specimens. Most fast-growing hedges such as Leyland Cypress or Green Giant Arborvitae provide privacy in as little as 2-3 years when planted at the appropriate spacing.
What is the best evergreen hedge for rapid privacy?
Green Giant Arborvitae and Leyland Cypress are leading evergreens for fast privacy. Bamboo is also a top choice for instant green screens in urban settings.
Are privacy hedges low-maintenance?
Most fast-growing privacy shrubs are easy to care for once established. However, they all require some maintenance, especially in the first few years, to ensure dense and healthy growth.
Can I grow privacy hedges in containers?
Yes! Some shrubs, like bamboo and smaller privets, are ideal for large pots if you're short on space or want a mobile privacy solution.
Conclusion: Transform Your Space with Rapid Privacy Screens
If you value your privacy and wish to carve out a private retreat, fast-growing hedge varieties are your best ally. With options like Green Giant Arborvitae, Photinia, Cherry Laurel, and Bamboo privacy screens, you can gain privacy fast while boosting your yard's charm and utility.
Not only will these dynamic living fences protect your personal space, but they'll also beautify your landscape, promote biodiversity, and may even increase your property value. Choose the right hedge type for your climate and lifestyle, invest in proper planting and care, and enjoy a secluded green paradise for years to come.
