Are you in a hurry to plant beautiful, and versatile plants for some privacy? Here are the Fast Growing Privacy Shrubs to help you build a natural fence.
If you are tired of staring at the ugly block wall next door or sick of watching your neighbors peeping in, then the best solution for this is to grow some plants. Here are some gorgeous Fast Growing shrubs to provide privacy in the greenest of ways!
Have a look at the best privacy fence ideas for backyards here
Fast Growing Privacy Shrubs
1. Firethorns
Botanical Name: Pyracantha
USDA Zones: 5-9
This vigorous shrub with its white flowers, shiny evergreen foliage, clusters of orange-red-colored berries, and needle-like thorns can grow upright from 5-12 feet tall in no time!
2. Forsythia
Botanical Name: Forsythia
USDA Zones: 3-9
You can be sure of the arrival of spring when the bright yellow forsythia starts blooming! It’s a more moderate grower compared to some other shrubs but will still reach its mature height of 8-10 feet relatively quickly.
3. Lilac
Botanical Name: Syringa
USDA Zones: 2-8
Beautifully-scented lilacs are known to be are extremely cold-hardy and can grow up to 10-12 feet in height in no time. One of the best plants on the list with amazing flowers!
4. Beautyberry
Botanical Name: Callicarpa
USDA Zones: 3-9
This sun-loving, perennial plant has variegated green-and-white foliage while some varieties have the prettiest dark purple foliage with masses of white blooms in late summer. The real showstopper is the purple berries in the fall.
5. Hydrangea
Botanical Name: Hydrangea macrophylla
USDA Zones: 3-10
Hydrangea is one of the few plants that offer a spectacular display of big blooms on the fence! While some varieties can tolerate partial shade, but most need a few hours of sun for best blooms.
6. Ninebark
Botanical Name: Physocarpus
USDA Zones: 2-7
This cream white-flowering plant with its handsome burgundy foliage is a standout in the garden that lasts all season. The plant is ultra-cold-hardy and has an elegant arching shape.
7. Hibiscus
Botanical Name: Hibiscus syriacus
USDA Zones: 5-9
This reliable summer bloomer boasts of exotic-looking flowers in shades of pink, white, purple, or lavender and every shade in between. New varieties grow in a pillar (columnar) shape and can grow up to 8-12 feet tall quickly.
8. Crape Myrtle
Botanical Name: Lagerstroemia
USDA Zones: 6-9
This heat-tolerant and elegant shrub has vibrant purple, pink or white flowers in summer. Some varieties have an eye-catching peeling bark too that not only provides you privacy but also adds such a charm to your landscape.
9. Spindle Tree
Botanical Name: Euonymus
USDA Zones: 5-8
Happy in the sun or shade, the ornamental foliage of this plant will keep you safe from the prying eyes of your neighbor! Grow it in full sun for abundant blooms.
10. Mock Orange
Botanical Name: Philadelphus
USDA Zones: 4-7
This fountain-shaped shrub with beautiful white flowers, a subtle citrusy scent, and lush green foliage is another beauty that can hide the eyesores and make for a fragrant fence.
11. Red Osier Dogwood
Botanical Name: Cornus sericea
USDA Zones: 2-8
Its striking red branches look really nice in the winter landscape, especially against the snow. This flowering shrub is cold-tolerant, too.
12. Chinese Fringe Flower
Botanical Name: Loropetalum
USDA Zones: 7-9
The plant looks striking with its pink, white, and purple beautiful, showy blooms. This graceful, vase-shaped shrub reaches maturity at a height of 10-15 feet relatively quickly.
13. Viburnum
Botanical Name: Viburnum
USDA Zones: 5-8
This beautiful evergreen shrub has interesting puckered leaves and pretty white fragrant flowers. Viburnum blooms in shades of creamy white to pink. The buds are often shaped like small nuts, adding to the beauty of your garden.
14. Dappled Willow
Botanical Name: Salix integra
USDA Zones: 4-10
This tri-color shrub can sometimes grow up large enough to resemble a tree, and it is loved for its spectacular variegated foliage. The pink foliage looks stunning when massed as a hedge to gain privacy.
15. Meadowsweets
Botanical Name: Spiraea
USDA Zones: 3-7
The spring-blooming spirea with large clusters of white flowers poised on arching branches, and beautiful pink, red, or white flowers atop upright branches, is adored for its foliage and shape. Many varieties are cold-hardy too.
16. Juniper
Botanical Name: Juniperus
USDA Zones: 3-9
Juniper leaves are needle-like, or awl-shaped, and usually pressed close to the branches. This extremely cold-hardy evergreen shrub comes in a range of sizes and colors ranging from green to gold. It is easy to maintain and grows quickly.
17. English Yew
Botanical Name: Taxus baccata
USDA Zones: 2-10
This shade-tolerant plant can thrive in north-facing foundation plantings, no matter how sunlight-deprived and that is one advantage that yew has over other similar shrubs. With red-brown with purple tones bark, yet it can also be grown in full sun.
18. Leyland Cypress
Botanical Name: Cupressus × leylandii
USDA Zones: 6-10
Leylandii is also called Leyland Cypress and it is a hybrid of Alaskan cedar and Monterey cypress. This aggressive growing shrub is capable of reaching up to 2-3 feet per year.
19. Arborvitae
Botanical Name: Thuja
USDA Zones: 2-7
The fast grower ‘Green Giant’, which can grow up to 50-60 feet tall, is a good choice for large privacy hedges. If you want a bush that is more compact in its look and you can wait a little longer, ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae is also a good option as it reaches 12-14 feet in height in no time!
20. Cherry Laurel
Botanical Name: Prunus laurocerasus
USDA Zones: 6-8
Cherry laurel is also known as English laurel and is a great choice for those living in relatively warmer climates. With its glossy green leaves and creamy white flowers, it can grow at a rate of up to 2-3 feet every year.
21. Privet
Botanical Name: Ligustrum
USDA Zones: 5-8
The privet is one of the most familiar privacy hedge plants as it grows up quickly, prunes nicely, and bears flowers that lead to fruit clusters lasting throughout the winter.
Earlier, Ligustrum vulgare was the most common type of privet, now it has lost its popularity and some ornamental varieties, such as Japanese privet (L. japonicum) are fast replacing it.
22. Rockspray Cotoneaster
Botanical Name: Cotoneaster horizontalis
USDA Zones: 5-7
With its small, dark green leaves that are covered in fine hair when young, it gives the foliage a silvery sheen and against white flowers, it looks most beautiful in summer and spring.
23. Amur Maple
Botanical Name: Acer ginnala
USDA Zones: 3-8
The Amur maple, like most maples, is valued for its excellent fall foliage. It’s another aggressive growing shrub that makes for a protective winter windbreak or a beautiful privacy hedge.
24. Weeping Fig
Botanical Name: Ficus benjamina
USDA Zones: 9-12
Given the right conditions, it can grow up to 20-30 feet tall. Once established, the plant is quite easy to maintain and looks great with thick and shiny leaves.
25. Umbrella Bamboo
Botanical Name:Fargesia murielae
USDA Zones: 5-9
This tall and slender, clump-forming bamboo is a perfect choice for someone who wants a fast-growing plant for the fence. Though it is not exactly a shrub, it adds a unique texture to the look of any home.
26. Eastern Hemlock
Botanical Name:Tsuga canadensis
USDA Zones: 3-7
It is one of the best plants that you can grow for full sun exposure. The individual leaves come together to form dense foliage that offers good privacy in no time!
27. Glory Bower
Botanical Name:Clerodendrum inerme
USDA Zones: 7-11
The ovate to elliptical leaves of the plant add a glossy appeal to the landscape. It can grow up to 6-8 feet in height quickly and also grows white flowers.
