Best Trees for Privacy: Screens, Hedges, and Windbreaks

A fence gives you privacy today. A tree gives you privacy, shade, wind protection, and wildlife habitat for decades. But picking the wrong privacy tree means years of waiting for something that ends up too tall, too wide, or too thin to do the job. The best trees for privacy grow dense foliage from top to bottom, hold their leaves (or needles) year-round, and match your climate and available space.

The best trees for privacy are evergreens that keep dense foliage year-round. Arborvitae varieties like ‘Emerald Green’ and ‘Green Giant’ are the most popular choices because they grow in a tight columnar form and tolerate shearing. For larger properties, eastern white pine and Leyland cypress provide fast-growing screens. In warmer climates, southern magnolia and holly create dense, broad-leafed evergreen walls.

What Makes a Good Privacy Tree

Not every tall tree works as a privacy screen. The best privacy trees share these traits:

Year-round foliage: Evergreens are essential. A deciduous tree that drops its leaves in November gives you privacy for six months at best
Dense branching low to the ground: Many trees lose their lower branches as they age (called “limbing up”). Good privacy trees keep branches all the way to the ground or close to it
Moderate growth rate: Too slow and you wait a decade. Too fast (like Leyland cypress) and the tree often becomes structurally weak
Manageable width: A tree that spreads 30 feet wide doesn’t work on a property line with 10 feet of clearance
Disease resistance: You’re planting a row of the same species. Disease or pest problems can wipe out your entire screen

Best Evergreen Trees for Privacy

Arborvitae ‘Emerald Green’ (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’)

The single most popular privacy hedge tree in North America. Arborvitae ‘Emerald Green’ checks every box for suburban privacy screening.

Height: 12 to 15 feet
Width: 3 to 4 feet
Growth rate: 6 to 12 inches per year
Spacing: Plant 3 to 4 feet apart for a solid screen within 3 to 4 years
Best for: Small to medium yards, property-line hedges, narrow spaces
Drawbacks: Deer browsing in winter (a serious problem in some areas), heavy snow can split branches
Zones: 3 to 7

The narrow form means ‘Emerald Green’ fits in tight spaces where wider trees won’t work. It keeps its bright green color through winter in most climates.

Thuja ‘Green Giant’ (Thuja standishii × plicata)

For larger properties where you want a tall, fast screen, ‘Green Giant’ is hard to beat.

Height: 40 to 60 feet
Width: 12 to 18 feet
Growth rate: 3 to 5 feet per year — one of the fastest evergreens
Spacing: Plant 5 to 6 feet apart for a dense screen, 8 to 10 feet for individual specimens
Best for: Large yards, rural properties, windbreaks
Drawbacks: Gets too big for small yards. Can’t be easily maintained at a smaller size
Zones: 5 to 8

‘Green Giant’ is a hybrid between Japanese and western arborvitae. It resists deer browsing, bagworms, and most diseases better than pure Thuja occidentalis cultivars.

Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)

Eastern white pine is the fastest-growing native pine in the east. It makes an excellent privacy screen when young, with soft, feathery needles.

Height: 50 to 80 feet
Width: 20 to 40 feet
Growth rate: 2 to 3 feet per year
Spacing: Plant 10 to 15 feet apart
Best for: Large properties, naturalized screens, windbreaks
Drawbacks: Loses lower branches as it matures (not ideal for low screening). Susceptible to white pine blister rust and pine weevil
Zones: 3 to 8

White pine works best as a screen when planted in a staggered double row. The second row fills the gaps where the first row loses lower branches.

Leyland Cypress (× Cupressocyparis leylandii)

Leyland cypress is the speed champion of privacy trees. It grows faster than almost any other evergreen, making it popular for quick screening.

Height: 40 to 70 feet
Width: 15 to 25 feet
Growth rate: 3 to 4 feet per year
Spacing: Plant 6 to 10 feet apart
Best for: Quick screens in mild climates
Drawbacks: Short-lived (often 15 to 25 years). Susceptible to canker diseases. Shallow roots make it prone to blowdown in storms. Not cold-hardy north of zone 6
Zones: 6 to 10

Leyland cypress gets a lot of criticism from arborists because it’s been overplanted and has structural problems. For long-term privacy, ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae or spruce are often better choices.

Norway Spruce (Picea abies)

Norway spruce makes one of the best windbreaks and privacy screens for cold climates. Its drooping branches create a dense curtain from top to bottom.

Height: 40 to 60 feet
Width: 25 to 30 feet
Growth rate: 2 to 3 feet per year
Spacing: Plant 12 to 15 feet apart
Best for: Large properties in cold climates, windbreaks, snow screening
Drawbacks: Gets wide — needs space. Lower branches droop heavily, which is great for screening but requires room
Zones: 2 to 7

The drooping branch habit is Norway spruce’s biggest advantage for privacy. The branches sweep down and outward, creating a layered screen that blocks sight lines even at ground level.

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Eastern red cedar is technically a juniper, and it’s one of the toughest evergreens for privacy in poor soils and dry conditions.

Height: 30 to 50 feet
Width: 8 to 15 feet
Growth rate: 12 to 18 inches per year
Spacing: Plant 6 to 8 feet apart
Best for: Dry sites, poor soils, rural property lines, areas where deer are a problem (deer avoid it)
Drawbacks: Can host cedar-apple rust, which affects nearby apple trees. Dense shade can cause interior browning
Zones: 2 to 9

Eastern red cedar grows where many other evergreens struggle — in dry, rocky, or clay soils. It’s also one of the most drought-tolerant privacy options.

Best Broadleaf Evergreens for Privacy

Not all privacy trees are conifers. In warmer climates, broadleaf evergreens offer dense, year-round screening.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

Southern magnolia creates a massive, dense screen with glossy dark green leaves. The large white flowers in late spring are a bonus.

Height: 60 to 80 feet (smaller cultivars like ‘Little Gem’ reach 20 to 25 feet)
Width: 30 to 40 feet (‘Little Gem’: 10 to 15 feet)
Best for: Southern and mid-Atlantic climates, large properties
Zones: 6 to 10

Holly (Ilex species)

American holly (Ilex opaca) and other holly species make excellent year-round privacy screens with the added benefit of winter berries.

Height: 15 to 50 feet depending on species
Width: 10 to 20 feet
Best for: Mid-Atlantic to southern climates, formal screens
Zones: 5 to 9

Spacing and Planting Tips

Getting the spacing right determines whether your screen fills in within a few years or stays gappy for a decade.

General spacing rules:

For a solid hedge: Plant at 60 to 75% of the tree’s mature width apart. A tree that grows 4 feet wide should be planted 2.5 to 3 feet apart
For a natural screen: Plant at 75 to 100% of mature width
For a windbreak: Use a staggered double row with trees offset by half the spacing

Planting depth: Plant at the same depth the tree was growing in the nursery. Planting too deep suffocates roots and is the most common cause of privacy tree failure.

Mulch: Apply 2 to 3 inches of mulch in a ring around each tree, keeping it 6 inches away from the trunk. Mulch against the trunk causes rot.

Watering: New privacy trees need 1 inch of water per week for the first two growing seasons. Deep, infrequent watering is better than frequent shallow watering.

How Tree Identifier Helps With Privacy Tree Selection

Before planting, it helps to know what’s already growing on your property and in your neighborhood. Trees that thrive nearby are adapted to your soil and climate. Tree Identifier lets you snap photos of trees you admire in parks, neighborhoods, or garden centers to find out exactly what species they are.

The app identifies trees from leaves, bark, flowers, and overall shape, covering thousands of species including popular cultivars. Offline mode works without cell service, and you get 2 free identifications per day to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest-growing privacy tree?

Leyland cypress and ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae are the fastest, both growing 3 to 5 feet per year. However, ‘Green Giant’ is the better long-term choice because Leyland cypress is prone to disease and structural failure after 15 to 25 years.

How far from the property line should I plant privacy trees?

Check your local ordinances — setback requirements vary by municipality. A common rule is 3 to 5 feet from the property line, but some areas require more. Also consider the tree’s mature width; branches that extend over the property line may need to be pruned.

Do I need to plant evergreens for privacy?

Evergreens provide the most reliable year-round privacy. Deciduous trees lose their leaves for 4 to 6 months, leaving your yard exposed. If you prefer deciduous trees for aesthetics, plant them behind a row of smaller evergreens to maintain winter screening.

How many privacy trees do I need?

Divide the length of the area you want to screen by the recommended spacing for your chosen species. A 60-foot property line using ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae (spaced 3 feet apart) needs about 20 trees. Add one or two extra to account for any losses.

Can I use privacy trees as a windbreak?

Yes. Plant a double row with trees staggered for the best wind protection. Norway spruce, eastern white pine, and ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae are the top windbreak choices. A good windbreak reduces wind speed for a distance of 10 to 20 times the tree’s height downwind.

The right privacy tree depends on your space, climate, and patience level. To identify trees that are already thriving in your area, try Tree Identifier — photograph a tree you like in the neighborhood and find out what it is before you buy.