Privacy Plants

Enclose your garden from the outside world!

Privacy screens can be very helpful to create a sense of solitude, peace, and relief from the stress of the outside world.  There are many ways to achieve this, from man-made screens and fence, to living trees and vines.  When choosing plants for a privacy screen consider:

It is best to choose a plant that, when mature, is close to the desired height and width.  This way the maintenance will be greatly reduced as pruning will be minimal.

Coral Honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens

Plant a variety of species to prevent the spread of disease and potential loss of the entire screen.

It is much easier to fill a single hole than to replace the entire screen.

Evergreen vs. semi-evergreen

The plants listed below are all evergreen except:  the roses, Thryallis, butterfly vine, coral honeysuckle, crossvine, and evergreen wisteria.  We refer to these as ‘semi-evergreen’ as they will keep their leaves in a mild winter but will defoliate in a hard freeze.  Virginia Creeper is deciduous.

Plants marked with an *asterisk can tolerate thin soils if the soil is amended with compost. Yaupons can grow just about anywhere but do better where the soil is amended and there is supplemental water.

Trees Height x Width (Ft) Light Feature Growth Rate
Arizona Cypress
30-50 x 20
Sun
Blue/Grey Foliage
Med/Slow
*Loquat
20 x 20
Sun/Part Shade
Flower/Fruit
Fast/Med
Olive (not reliably cold hardy)
12-15 x 10
Sun
Fruit
Slow
Texas Mountain Laurel
15-20 x 8-10
Sun/Shade
Purple fragrant flowers
Slow
Shrubs Height x Width (ft) Light Feature Growth Rate
Cenizo/Texas Sage "Green Cloud"
8-10 x 6
Sun
Grey leaf/Pink Flower
Medium
*Eleagnus/Silverberry
12 x 6-8
Sun/Part Shade
Silvery scaled foliage
Medium
Evergreen Sumac
6-10 x 6-8
Sun/Part Shade
Very tough
Slow
*Primrose Jasmine
6-7 x 6-8
Sun/Shade
Yellow flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Prickly Pear
5-8 x 5-8
Sun
Flowers/Fruit
Fast/Med
*Rosa 'Mutabilis'
6-8 x 3-6
Sun
Showy flowers
Med
Vines Height Light Feature Growth Rate
*Crossvine
15-20
Sun/Part Shade
Orange flowers
Med
*Rosa 'Lady Banks'
15-20
Sun/Part Shade
Yellow/White Flower
Med
Trees Height x Width (Ft) Light Feature Growth Rate
Carolina Cherry Laurel 'Center Court'
30 x 15
Sun/Part Shade
Shiny dark green leaves
Med
Japanese Yew
20-40 x 15
Sun/Shade
Thin Foliage
Fast/Med
Shrubs Height x Width (ft) Light Feature Growth Rate
Burford Holly
10-15 x 4-8
Sun/Shade
Shiny dark green leaves
Med
*Golden Thryallis
4-6 x 4-6
Sun/Part Shade
Yellow flowers all summer
Med
Greek Myrtle
6-10 x 5
Sun/Part Shade
Dark green leaves
Slow
Pineapple Guava
8-15 x 8-15
Sun/Part Shade
Flower/fruit
Med
Pittosporum
8-10 x 8-10
Sun/Part Shade
Dense foliage
Med
*Rosa 'Knock Out'
3-4 x 3-4
Sun
Prolific flowers all summer
Med
Southern Wax Myrtle
10-15 x 6-8
Sun/Part Shade
Thin Foliage
Fast/Med
Viburnum 'Awabuki'
10-15 x 4-8
Sun/Part Shade
White flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Viburnum 'Chindo'
10-15 x 6-8
Sun/Part Shade
White flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Viburnum Sandankwa
6-12 x 6-10
Sun/Part Shade
White flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Viburnum, Sweet
10-15 x 10
Sun/Part Shade
White flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Viburnum 'Whorled Class'
4-5 x 4-5
Sun/Part Shade
White flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Xylosma
10-15 x 10
Sun/Shade
Glossy leaves
Fast/Med
*Yaupon 'Pride of Houston'
10-15 x 4-6
Sun/Shade
Red berries
Med
*Yaupon 'Scarlet's Peak'
15-20 x 4
Sun/Shade
Upright form
Med
*Yaupon 'Will Fleming'
15-20 x 5
Sun/Shade
No berries
Med
Vines Height Light Feature Growth Rate
Butterfly Vine
10-12
Sun
Seedpods look like butterflies
Fast
Carolina Jessamine
10-15
Sun/Shade
Yellow flowers in spring
Med
Coral Honeysuckle
10
Sun/Part Shade
Coral flowers
Med
Evergreen Wisteria
12-15
Sun/Part Shade
Dark purple flowers
Med
Star Jasmine
20+
Sun/Shade
Fragrant white flowers in spring
Fast/Med
Virginia Creeper
30+
Sun/Part Shade
Leaves turn red in fall
Fast

"The first year they sleep; the second year they creep; the third year they leap."

Trees, medium/large shrubs, and some woody vines need time to develop roots before they focus much growth above ground, which is why plants take about three years before they become “established.”

For optimal coverage and minimal maintenance, space the plants so the distance between them is just shorter than their full grown width.  At first, the spacing may appear too wide, but as the plants grow, it will accommodate their mature sizes.

OR, for better short term results, plant them twice as densely, then remove every other plant after a few years.  This will allow them the space to achieve their mature size.  If the plants are not thinned, they will eventually be too overgrown and more susceptible to insects and disease.

Water deeply and thoroughly

A deep thorough watering over the entire root zone, with a chance to dry in between the next watering, is the ideal way to water.  On average, soak deeply once or twice a week to start.  As the plants mature watering can be reduced to once every few weeks depending on species and maturity.

 The best overall shape to maintain is a slight cone narrower on the top.  This shape allows sunlight to reach all the waydown to the lower branches.  This light will make the branches fill out  with more dense foliage. Plants that shade their lower branches will have fewer leaves or be completely devoid of foliage on the lower portions of the plant.

Before pruning.
After pruning.

Pruning is best done in regular small prunings rather than big major cuts.  These frequent prunings slow down wood formation. This is preferable because cut woody growth does not  readily sprout new shoots.  On evergreens, always leave some foliage beneath the cut.  Cut the stems just above the spot where a leaf attaches to the stem.  This point is called a node.  New growth will arise from the upper-most nodes left on the stems.  This encourages more branching and denser foliage.

Vines have a faster growth rate and offer faster coverage and establishment than most shrubs and trees.  There is more in upfront cost for vines due to the trellis, but for many, the faster growth rate makes up for it.  When planting the vine, remove the stake from the plant and entwine the stems horizontally through the trellis as shown in the first diagram below.  Once the stems begin to sprout they will grow up vertically, covering the trellis more evenly.