Evergreens have a lot to offer when looking for a landscape tree to rapidly fill an area. As solitary plantings, they provide privacy, and many of them can be pruned to create screens and borders.
They remain colorful and interesting throughout the year and provide food and shelter for birds and other species. Cones are produced by several needled evergreens. Flowers and berries are produced by broadleaf species.
The fastest-growing evergreens are frequently those with the greatest mature height. Some shorter species can be cultivated as shrubby hedges or miniature trees.
Once you’ve decided on a species of tree, keep in mind to pick one with a rapid growth pattern because there are many evergreen species, including slow-growing dwarf variants. Any plant that grows at a rate of 25 inches o r more per year can be categorized as fast-growing, including evergreens.
Table of Contents
Fast-Growing Evergreen Trees for Privacy
- Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
- White Pine (Pinus strobus)
- Concolor Fir (Abies concolor)
- Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
- Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara)
- Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
- Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)
- False Cypress (Chamaecyparis)
- Leyland Cypress (Cuprocyparis leylandii)
- American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘American Pillar’)
- Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
- Yew (Taxus baccata)
1. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Plant Douglas fir for the elegant, spire-like shape that enthusiasts of evergreens adore so much. Because of the magnificent pyramidal shape of this tree, Christmas will always be in your mind. It looks wonderful massed as a screen in an evergreen landscape, even though it’s frequently used as a lone tree.
Although the Douglas fir doesn’t enjoy hot, dry winds, it thrives in areas with moist soil and air. Depending on the seed source, the soft-textured tree has different colors with blue-green varieties being the most beautiful and resilient.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full sun for this tree to thrive. Up to 80 feet tall, this tree.
2. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
If you want a privacy tree that may offer complete privacy coverage because of the wide and thick leaf, an eastern red cedar is an ideal choice for you. Being a coniferous evergreen is one of the Eastern red cedar’s key characteristics. It may grow up to 66 feet tall and has a yearly growth rate of one to two feet.
Eastern red cedars are so adaptable that you can find them growing on dry, rocky hillsides and at the edges of wetlands. They also do well as windbreaks in rural areas and as screens in cities. Rich green foliage that becomes fiery brown-green in the winter can be found on this heavily branching juniper.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full sun for this tree to thrive. This tree can grow as high as 50 feet.
3. White Pine (Pinus strobus)
A stately tree with height and spread, the eastern white pine makes a great windbreak. Long, supple, blue-green needles that are attractively rounded and pyramidal grow on the tree as it matures. The only pruning required is for early shaping.
In five years, a 2-foot sapling can reach a height of 12 feet. Pollution is not tolerated by eastern white pine, and mature trees can spread out to a height of 40 feet.
Since certain white pine species can reach heights of 50 to 80 feet and widths of 20 to 40 feet, they require a lot of space. However, there are also columnar kinds that have a maximum height and width of 20 feet and 14 feet, respectively, making them ideal for screens in smaller yards.
A nice change from the rigid appearance of many other evergreens is the smooth, billowy feel of the quickly expanding white pine tree. The trees are self-mulching due to the blue-green needles, which are appealing all year round,d and occasionally drop part of them to the ground.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. Up to 80 feet tall, this tree.
4. Concolor Fir (Abies concolor)
Similar to white pine, Concolor fir may grow in a variety of environments. It is also known as white fir and does well in hot, dry climates and in the cold of winter, but it thrives on soil that is consistently moist and has adequate drainage.
The common name is due to the white sheen on the blue-gray needles. Concolor fir serves as a specimen to obscure a view or paired with other trees in evergreen landscaping due to its distinctive needles as well as its appealing conical shape and tiered branches.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. Up to 70 feet tall, this tree.
5. Norway Spruce (Picea babies)
A famous coniferous evergreen noted for being a common Christmas tree variety is the Norway spruce. Weeping horizontal branches hang large, 4- to 6-inch brown cones.
This tree has stiff, dense, dark green needles that are perfect for lighting and ornaments, as well as a grey to brown scaly bark. A two-foot sapling may reach a height of ten feet in its first five years.
The Norway spruce stands out among other evergreens because it has the pyramidal structure that many conifers have, but because the horizontal branches extend upward, the stems can hang down gently.
The result is stunning and unusual. Although Norway spruce can reach heights of 50 to 60 feet and widths of 25 to 30 feet, popular cultivars are often on the smaller side. The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. Up to 60 feet tall, this tree.
6. Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara)
Deodar cedar, one of the few real cedars, is extremely versatile, grows quickly, and has dense branching when young. It produces a remarkable solo tree with blue-green needles and graceful, gently weeping branches that grow more artistic with age. It is ideal for a screen or as part of an evergreen landscape.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full sun for this tree to thrive. This tree can grow as high as 50 feet.
7. Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
The fact that all Cypress Trees grow quickly is a remarkable trait. They also grow to amazing heights and remain green all year long, irrespective of the season. Nothing distinctive about the Bald Cypress.
If you want a grand tree that will look magnificent all year long, this one is ideal. Plant it in hardiness zones 5–10 for the best results, and then wait patiently for it to grow to its full potential height and width of 100 feet and 40 feet.
8. Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)
Colorado Blue Spruce must be removed from our list. It offers all the qualities that homeowners look for in a landscaping tree, including a quick rate of development, enormous height, beautiful foliage, and an evergreen constitution.
It stands out from other trees thanks to its distinctive bluish appearance, which also gives your house color. It can naturally grow up to 75 feet tall and 20 feet wide in hardiness zones 3 to 7. The tree, in addition to having a distinctive shade of blue, can live for 60 years with your care and 100 years in the wild.
9. False Cypress (Chamaecyparis)
False cypress is a useful addition to your winter garden, and it comes in a wide range of kinds with various shapes and colors. It should come as no surprise that it’s great for increasing privacy.
It has shorter cultivars that can grow to a maximum height of only 6 feet and has a soft, feathery character. The pyramidal shape of the false cypress makes it unique in that it doesn’t require pruning for upkeep.
Additionally, you can pick among its gorgeous cultivars with foliage that is silver, yellow, or blue. It is the ideal screening plant to make your garden a peaceful, solitary area where you may relax.
Some cultivars of false cypress can be pruned like a hedge, while others can be let to grow as fluffy, deformed, or twisted as they see fit. The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. Up to 75 feet tall, this tree.
10. Leyland Cypress (Cuprocyparis leylandii)
Leyland cypress, another warm-climate evergreen tree for seclusion, is ideal for screens due to its columnar structure and consistently vibrant color. With flattened sprays of grey-green foliage, dark brown cones, and reddish-brown bark, the Leyland cypress is a well-liked, adaptable coniferous evergreen.
Its shape is roughly spherical and pyramidal, with a point at the top. There are cultivars with foliage that is yellow, grey, or brilliant green if the feathery, blue-green foliage doesn’t appeal to you.
You are permitted to grow the Leyland cypress as a single tree or to group several of them together to produce a tall hedge that encourages screening and privacy.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. This well-known evergreen tree may grow up to three feet tall every year and can be as tall as 70 feet.
But keep in mind that regular pruning is necessary to keep the Leyland Cypress’s size under control if you don’t want it to grow tower heights.
11. American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘American Pillar’)
American arborvitae, sometimes referred to as eastern arborvitae, is the go-to evergreen for fencing because of its long lifespan. The most common types reach maturity at a significantly shorter height than in the wild, maturing at 10 to 15 feet, which makes them ideal for year-round privacy in evergreen landscaping.
American arborvitae is perfect for tall privacy hedges or borders because it only spreads 3 to 5 feet. The tree has a slender, columnar design that allows it to fit in small spaces. In the autumn, glossy green foliage turns bronze-purple.
The American Pillar is heat- and age-tolerant and adapts to various landscape purposes with little trimming needed to keep an elegant appearance.
American arborvitae is a hardy and adaptable tree, but deer browsing is its major concern (wrap arborvitae in hessian in the winter or spray with a deer repellent to ward off deer). This tree is harmful to cattle.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. Up to 70 feet tall, this tree.
12. Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
One of the most spectacular trees in the wild is the weeping willow. It is well known throughout the nation for its unique drooping shape. Its branches and foliage go downward rather than outward. This is a strong statement for your area.
When you cultivate it in your home, you can aid it in reaching its maximum height of 70 feet by creating moist circumstances.
13. Yew (Taxus baccata)
Some old yew specimens, known as the “tree of immortality,” have lived for thousands of years. Yews are frequently used as foundation plantings and hedges in evergreen landscaping.
This list includes a lot of trees, however, if you want a low-growing hedge, you can also include the Yew shrub. Yew trees provide refuge for birds and are a welcome sight in the winter with their dark green foliage and vibrant scarlet berries.
The soil should be regularly moist, well-drained, and in full or partial sun for this tree to thrive. Yews can’t stand wet soil; thus, they can grow up to 80 feet tall. If you have young children, dogs, or livestock nearby, it is better to avoid planting yews because they can be fatal to animals and dangerous to humans.
Conclusion
The house landscaping can be versatile thanks to evergreens. They can serve as borders for privacy and shade in addition to being distinctive specimen trees and shrubs.
The greatest trees for privacy and screening come in a variety of varieties. Find out the size of your yard or outdoor area and your privacy needs to help you choose the right trees for privacy that you can grow without too much trouble.
Make sure you can also supply the conditions that trees require for growth, such as some or all of the sun, well-drained soil, and enough water. The new plants will soon develop into enormous trees that are efficient for seclusion if you provide them with what they precisely need.
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A passion-driven environmentalist by heart. Lead content writer at EnvironmentGo.
I strive to educate the public about the environment and its problems.
It has always been about nature, we ought to protect not destroy.