Boost Your Privacy with These 9 Fast-Growing Hedges

Posted on 20/05/2025

Modern homes often require more than a simple fence to guarantee privacy and offer an appealing landscape. One of the most attractive, cost-effective, and sustainable ways to increase your privacy is by planting fast-growing privacy hedges. These natural barriers provide a lush backdrop, shield your home from nosy neighbors, and even act as windbreaks and natural sound barriers. Ready to transform your backyard into a private sanctuary? Explore the best "fast-growing privacy hedges" to build your green wall quickly and efficiently!

Why Choose Fast-Growing Hedges for Privacy?

Unlike hard fences or brick walls, fast-growing privacy hedges create a living boundary that can soften your property's outlines, improve air quality, and support local wildlife. Let's look at why so many homeowners turn to these verdant screens:

• Quick Results: Enjoy privacy within seasons instead of years.
• Aesthetically Pleasing: Hedges add texture and beauty all year round.
• Eco-Friendly: Green walls filter noise and air pollution and offer habitats for birds and pollinators.
• Property Value: Lush landscapes often increase curb appeal.

But not all hedges are created equal! Some hedge plants grow faster, denser, and taller than others, so choosing the right species for your space and climate makes all the difference.

Top 9 Fast-Growing Hedges for Improved Privacy

Let's dive into the most effective privacy plants you can choose for quick results, gorgeous greenery, and robust screening. Here are the nine best fast-growing hedges for privacy to consider for your home garden:

1. Leyland Cypress (Cupressus x leylandii)

• Growth Speed: Up to 3 feet per year
• Height: Up to 60 feet
• Best For: Tall, dense privacy screens

Leyland Cypress is widely regarded as a top choice for fast-growing privacy hedges. It forms a thick, evergreen barrier with a tidy pyramidal form. Ideal for large properties, Leyland cypress can be kept trimmed for a formal appearance or allowed to grow for maximum privacy.

Pro tip: Space each tree about 8 feet apart for optimal growth and coverage!

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

• Growth Speed: 3-5 feet per year
• Height: Up to 40 feet
• Best For: Evergreen privacy hedge, urban sound barrier

Famous for vigorous growth and resilience, Green Giant Arborvitae produces lush, conical hedges that thrive even in poor soils. Its aromatic foliage is resistant to deer and low-maintenance once established.

Tip: Trim once a year for a neat, uniform look.

3. Privet (Ligustrum spp.)

• Growth Speed: 2-3 feet per year
• Height: 8-15 feet
• Best For: Formal and informal hedges

Privet hedges have long been the standard for living fences in urban and suburban gardens. Their rapid growth ensures your privacy in no time, and they respond exceptionally well to shearing and shaping.

Note: Choose semi-evergreen or evergreen varieties for year-round coverage.

4. Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea and other clumping types)

• Growth Speed: Up to 5 feet per year
• Height: 10-40 feet (depending on variety)
• Best For: Modern gardens, windbreaks, unique privacy hedges

Bamboo is the ultimate in fast-growing privacy screens. Clumping bamboo species create elegant, dense barriers and don't spread invasively like running bamboos. Their upright canes and lush leaves make them ideal for transforming patios or urban courtyards into secluded retreats.

Caution: Always choose non-invasive clumping bamboo varieties for hedging.

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

• Growth Speed: 1-2 feet per year
• Height: Up to 15 feet
• Best For: Colorful, decorative hedging

For a touch of vibrant color, Photinia delivers eye-catching new red foliage every spring, maturing to glossy green. This makes it one of the most attractive fast-growing hedges for privacy as well as ornamentation.

Tip: Keep Photinia well-pruned to encourage bushy growth and more vivid red shoots.

6. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)

• Growth Speed: Up to 2 feet per year
• Height: 10-20 feet
• Best For: Wide, leafy privacy screens

With glossy, broad evergreen leaves and dense branching, Cherry Laurel is perfect for a fast-growing privacy bush that is both robust and adaptable. Tolerant of pruning and partial shade, it produces fragrant white flowers in spring as an added bonus.

Cherry Laurel hedges make excellent screens for driveways and property borders, and they're even deer-resistant!

7. Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia)

• Growth Speed: 1-2 feet per year
• Height: 8-10 feet
• Best For: Flowering privacy hedge

If you want a spring spectacle in addition to privacy, Forsythia bursts into vibrant yellow blooms each spring before leafing out into a thick hedge. While not evergreen, the density of its branches makes it a good fast-growing privacy option for seasonal screening.

Pro tip: Plant Forsythia as a mixed hedge with other evergreens for year-round coverage.

8. Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd')

• Growth Speed: 1-2 feet per year
• Height: 12-15 feet
• Best For: Medium-height, narrow hedges, small gardens

Emerald Green Arborvitae is beloved for its narrow profile and consistent emerald color. This hedge plant is ideal for small urban yards or along walkways, offering maximum privacy with a tidy conical shape and minimal maintenance.

Note: Space 2-3 feet apart for a thick, lush screen.

9. Holly (Ilex aquifolium and Ilex crenata)

• Growth Speed: Up to 1 foot per year
• Height: 15-25 feet (English holly); 4-10 feet (Japanese holly)
• Best For: Spiny evergreen security hedge, decorative berries

Holly hedges are fantastic for privacy, as their dense, spiny leaves form an almost impenetrable barrier. Many varieties also feature colorful berries, providing visual interest and food for birds in winter. English holly creates a taller screen, while Japanese holly offers a compact, formal look ideal for smaller gardens.

Choosing the Right Fast-Growing Hedge for Your Space

To ensure you get the perfect privacy hedge for your yard, consider these key factors:

• Climate: Select species that thrive in your USDA hardiness zone.
• Sunlight: Some hedges prefer full sun, others tolerate shade.
• Space: Make sure the mature width and height fit your space.
• Maintenance: Consider how much pruning or shaping you're willing to do.
• Growth Rate: For instant privacy, choose species with the highest annual growth rates.

Remember: Fast-growing hedges will need careful watering and feeding during the first few years for best results. Mulch well and monitor for pests or diseases, especially during establishment.

General Care Tips for Fast-Establishing Privacy Hedges

• Proper Planting: Dig a trench two times wider than the root ball for each plant and improve the soil with compost.
• Regular Watering: Newly planted hedges need deep watering at least once a week.
• Fertilizing: Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring.
• Pruning: Lightly prune after planting to encourage bushy growth, then shape as desired in following years.
• Weed Control: Keep the base of the hedge free from weeds and add mulch to retain soil moisture.

Additional Advantages of Living Privacy Screens

• Natural Windbreak: Protect sensitive plants and reduce heating bills by blocking cold winds.
• Wildlife Habitat: Provide nesting sites for birds and shelter for pollinators.
• Year-Round Interest: Many evergreen hedges maintain their color in all seasons, while flowering or berry-producing varieties add extra beauty.
• Erosion Control: Roots of dense hedging plants can help prevent soil erosion on slopes.

Fast-Growing Hedges: Frequently Asked Questions

How fast will I get privacy with these hedges?

Some of the fastest-growing privacy hedges can provide substantial coverage in as little as 2-3 years. Species like Leyland Cypress or Green Giant Arborvitae can grow up to 3-5 feet per year in optimal conditions.

Which hedge provides privacy all year round?

Evergreen hedges such as Green Giant Arborvitae, Leyland Cypress, Cherry Laurel, and Holly keep their foliage throughout the winter, ensuring privacy 365 days a year.

How can I keep my hedges healthy and growing quickly?

Start with healthy, disease-free plants; water extensively during establishment; mulch; feed in spring; and prune regularly to stimulate new, healthy growth. Always plant at the right season--spring or early fall is ideal.

Can I mix different hedge plants for privacy?

Absolutely. Mixing evergreens with deciduous or flowering varieties like Forsythia and Photinia can create a more diverse, visually appealing privacy barrier that looks attractive through the seasons.

Conclusion: Create Privacy Fast with These Lush Hedges

Choosing the right fast-growing hedge is an excellent investment in both your property's privacy and curb appeal. Whether you prefer the stately look of towering evergreens, the unique style of bamboo, or the springtime flush of flowering types, there's a privacy hedge plant to suit every taste and garden. With minimal effort, these fast-growing hedges will have your yard feeling like a hidden oasis in no time.

Ready to boost your privacy? Plant any of these nine best fast-growing hedges and enjoy a greener, more private outdoor living space year after year!