Achieve Privacy with These 9 Rapidly Growing Hedges

Posted on 16/08/2025

Achieve Privacy with These 9 Rapidly Growing Hedges

Are you searching for effective ways to add natural privacy to your yard or garden quickly? Fast growing privacy hedges are one of the best landscaping solutions for creating a secluded sanctuary while beautifying your outdoor space. In this in-depth guide, we explore the top 9 rapidly growing hedges that not only provide privacy, but also add greenery, serve as windbreaks, and provide habitats for birds and pollinators. Read on to select the best privacy hedge plants for your landscape and learn essential care tips for lush, healthy growth.

Why Choose Fast-Growing Privacy Hedges?

Live hedges for privacy offer myriad benefits. Whether your property is adjacent to a busy street, your neighbor's windows, or you simply desire a tranquil retreat, using quick growing hedges can provide a natural, eco-friendly boundary. Some advantages include:

• Rapid privacy: Achieve screening in just a few years rather than waiting a decade or more.
• Year-round greenery: Many rapid-growth hedges are evergreen, ensuring privacy even in winter.
• Noise and wind reduction: Dense foliage helps buffer unwanted noise and serves as an effective windbreak.
• Wildlife enrichment: Hedges provide birds shelter, food, and nesting sites, supporting local biodiversity.
• Low maintenance: Once established, these hedges are often hardy and require minimal upkeep.
• Visual appeal: Hedges offer lush greenery, seasonal blooms, and beautiful textures.

How to Choose the Right Hedge for Privacy

Selecting the appropriate fast-growing hedges involves more than just choosing the quickest grower. Consider the following factors to ensure your living screen thrives:

• Climate suitability: Match plant hardiness with your USDA zone for successful growth.
• Height and spread: Choose a species that grows to your desired height and doesn't outgrow your space.
• Evergreen vs. deciduous: Choose evergreen hedges for year-round privacy, or deciduous for seasonal change and lighter screening.
• Growth habit: Some hedges are upright and narrow, ideal for tight spaces, while others are bushier or sprawling.
• Soil and light requirements: Ensure your hedge will thrive in available sun/shade and soil type.
• Maintenance needs: All hedges may need pruning, but some require more frequent attention to keep them tidy.

Now, let's explore the 9 best rapidly growing hedges for privacy that homeowners and landscapers love around the world.

1. Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii)

Leyland cypress is one of the fastest-growing privacy plants available and is beloved for its dense, feathery, evergreen foliage. With an astonishing growth rate of 3 to 5 feet per year, a Leyland cypress screen can quickly transform a bare yard into a secluded retreat.

• Mature height: 40-60 feet (keep trimmed for hedging)
• Sun requirement: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Well-drained, tolerates a wide range
• USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-10
• Growth Rate: 3-5 ft per year

Keep in mind: Leyland cypress responds well to regular pruning and can be shaped into a formal or informal hedge. However, it needs plenty of space and shouldn't be planted too close together to avoid overcrowding and disease.

2. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata 'Green Giant')

Green Giant Arborvitae is a favorite among homeowners for its lush, columnar growth habit, resistance to deer browsing, and rapid growth of 3 to 5 feet annually. It offers an almost instant green wall and is excellent for both large properties and urban privacy.

• Mature height: 30-40 feet
• Width: 10-12 feet
• USDA Zone: 5-8
• Sun: Full to partial
• Growth Rate: 3-5 ft/year

Plant arborvitae 5 to 6 feet apart for a thick privacy hedge that looks attractive throughout all seasons.

3. Privet (Ligustrum spp.)

Privet hedges have been a classic privacy choice for centuries--and for good reason. This vigorous, fast-growing shrub forms a dense hedge that can be easily shaped or left more natural for informal gardens.

• Growth Rate: 2-3 feet per year
• Plant type: Semi-evergreen to deciduous depending on region
• Mature Height: 8-12 feet (some varieties taller)
• Light: Full sun to part shade
• Hardiness: Zones 4-8

Privet hedges are ideal for tall, tightly clipped screens or as more casual, blooming hedges that flower in early summer. Note: Some Ligustrum species are considered invasive in certain areas--check local advisories before planting.

4. Bamboo (Phyllostachys spp. & Bambusa spp.)

Bamboo is one of the best quick-growing hedge options for instant privacy. Capable of achieving full-screen height within a season or two, bamboo creates a beautiful, modern look and dense foliage.

• Height: 10-30+ feet, depending on species
• Growth Rate: Up to 5 feet per year or more
• Sun: Full sun to part shade
• Zone: 5-10 (select varieties accordingly)

*Choose clumping bamboo species for privacy hedges to avoid invasive spreading. If using running types, install root barriers! Bamboo is also a sustainable and low-maintenance choice for eco-friendly landscaping.*

5. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)

Cherry Laurel is an elegant, dense, and glossy-leaved evergreen shrub popular in estates and urban gardens alike. Its vigorous growth (2-3 feet per year) and adaptability to most soils make it one of the top candidates for a thick privacy hedge.

• Mature Height: 12-20 feet (can be kept lower with pruning)
• Sun: Full sun to deep shade
• USDA Hardiness: 6-9
• Growth: 2-3 feet per year

Cherry laurel produces small, fragrant white flowers in spring and black berries in autumn. Its tolerance of shade makes it excellent for north-facing boundaries or under trees.

6. Photinia (Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin')

Photinia 'Red Robin' is an extremely popular hedge for privacy due to its rapid growth and the show-stopping color of its new, vibrant red foliage. It is equally suitable for formal screens and informal mixed hedges.

• Growth Rate: Up to 2 feet yearly
• Height: 6-15 feet
• Light: Full sun for best color, will tolerate part shade
• Zone: 7-9

This hedge plant needs regular pruning to encourage color and bushiness. Photinia's red-tipped leaves provide a splash of color that stands out in any yard.

7. Viburnum (Viburnum tinus, Viburnum odoratissimum)

Viburnums are a diverse group of privacy shrubs, with some species offering fast, dense growth. Viburnum tinus (evergreen) and Viburnum odoratissimum (known as sweet viburnum) are top picks for rapid privacy screens.

• Growth: 2-3 feet annually
• Height: 6-15+ feet, depending on type
• Sun: Full to partial
• Zone: 7-11

Many viburnums bloom in late winter or spring, adding fragrance and color before other plants wake up. Their lush evergreen foliage ensures private screening throughout the year.

8. Elaeagnus (Elaeagnus x ebbingei, Elaeagnus angustifolia)

Elaeagnus hedges are robust, drought-tolerant, and fast-growing, making them ideal for difficult soils and exposed sites. With their silvery foliage and fragrant, small autumn flowers, Elaeagnus species like 'Ebbingei' create a thick, protective barrier.

• Growth Rate: 2-3 feet per year
• Height: 10-15 feet or more
• Zones: 6-9
• Sun: Full to part shade

Elaeagnus not only blocks prying eyes but is also ideal for coastal gardens due to its salt tolerance.

9. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Hornbeam hedges are deciduous but retain their coppery-brown leaves through winter for year-round privacy effect. Fast-growing and tough, hornbeam forms a classic European-style hedge that's suitable for both countryside and modern landscapes.

• Growth Rate: 1-2 feet per year (more in optimal conditions)
• Height: Common at 10-25 feet
• USDA Hardiness: 4-7
• Light: Sun to shade

This hedge tolerates heavy pruning, wet soils, and urban pollution, making it one of the best and most adaptable privacy hedges for challenging sites.

Caring for Your Fast-Growing Privacy Hedge

To achieve the best privacy effect with your rapidly growing hedge, follow a care routine that will help it establish quickly and grow densely:

• Soil preparation: Dig in compost and ensure the site is free-draining yet moist.
• Spacing: Plant at recommended distances for the species to avoid overcrowding and disease.
• Watering: Water deeply during the first two years, especially in dry spells.
• Mulching: Helps retain moisture and suppresses weeds at the base of new hedges.
• Feeding: Use a balanced slow-release fertilizer in early spring for healthy growth.
• Pruning: Regular trimming encourages bushier growth and tightens the hedge screen.

Remember: Fast-growing hedges may require at least one hard prune annually to maintain their shape and density. Early and regular attention to shaping your hedge will pay off in a neater, denser, and more effective privacy barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rapid-Growing Hedges for Privacy

How fast do privacy hedges grow?

Some species can grow 3 to 5 feet per year under optimal conditions (such as Leyland cypress and Green Giant arborvitae), while others grow 1 to 2 feet yearly. Good soil, water, and fertilizer can maximize your hedge's growth speed.

When is the best time to plant fast-growing privacy hedges?

Early spring and autumn are the best times to plant rapid-growing hedges, as cooler temperatures and ample rainfall encourage root establishment before the heat or cold of summer and winter.

How close can I plant a privacy hedge to my property line?

Always check local ordinances and property lines. As a general rule, plant your hedge at least 2 to 4 feet inside your boundary to allow for future growth and maintenance access.

Which hedge is best for full shade?

Cherry laurel, Viburnum tinus, and Elaeagnus ebbingei are all tolerant of shady conditions and suitable for privacy in less sunny spots.

Conclusion: Transform Your Yard with Fast-Growing Hedges for Privacy

If you need privacy quickly, there's a hedge plant to suit every garden, style, and climate. From stately Leyland cypress to the vibrant hues of photinia, or the sustainable charm of clumping bamboo, fast-growing privacy hedges are a smart investment in both beauty and security.

When choosing the best fast-growing privacy hedge for your landscape, consider your local conditions, size requirements, and personal taste. Plant and care for your hedge well in the first year to enjoy a lush, living screen for decades to come.

• Rapidly growing hedges upgrade your garden with instant privacy, tranquility, and aesthetic value.
• Low-maintenance and wildlife-friendly, they offer year-round color and environmental benefits.
• With proper selection and care, you can transform bare boundaries into green walls in just a few seasons.

Create your secluded oasis today--start planting your privacy hedge!