Privacy perfected: 9 fast-growing hedges to consider

Posted on 20/05/2025

With urban and suburban landscapes constantly evolving, privacy at home remains a priority for many homeowners. A lush, green living wall not only enhances the beauty of your property but also acts as an effective privacy hedge, muffling noise, blocking unsightly views, and offering shelter to wildlife. If you're looking to create a secluded haven quickly, selecting fast-growing hedges for privacy is your best bet.

In this comprehensive guide, we delve deep into the top nine fast-growing privacy hedges that go beyond just aesthetics--they promise efficiency, resilience, and style for your landscape. Read on to discover your ideal green barrier!

Why Choose Fast-Growing Hedges for Privacy?

The traditional wooden fences or brick walls may get the job done, but they lack the natural charm and environmental benefits of living green walls. Fast-growing hedges not only grow significantly within a couple of seasons, adding immediate privacy, but also:

• Provide a living sound barrier against urban noise
• Boost curb appeal and property value
• Filter dust and reduce air pollution
• Offer habitat for birds and beneficial insects
• Act as windbreaks, protecting your garden
• Require less maintenance as they mature

Opting for the right fast-growing privacy plants can make a world of difference to your outdoor sanctuary.

Key Features to Look for in Privacy Hedges

When choosing a privacy-perfect hedge, consider these crucial attributes:

• Growth rate--How fast does it fill in?
• Evergreen or deciduous--Year-round privacy or seasonal coverage?
• Mature height and width--Fits your available space?
• Disease resistance--Can it tolerate typical garden pests?
• Climate adaptability--Is it suitable for your region?
• Maintenance requirements--Can you keep up with it?

Now, let's explore the 9 best fast-growing hedges to consider for privacy that have proved themselves in various climates and conditions.

1. Leyland Cypress (x Cuprocyparis leylandii)

Top Features:

• Lightning-fast growth: up to 3-4 feet per year
• Evergreen foliage provides year-round screening
• Tolerates pruning for formal hedges

Leyland Cypress is renowned for being one of the fastest privacy hedges available. This tall, densely needled conifer forms a thick wall of green that can reach impressive heights of 40-60 feet if left unpruned. Ideal for large boundaries and open landscapes, Leyland Cypress offers speedy privacy, sheltering your property from noise, wind, and unwanted glances.

2. Privet (Ligustrum spp.)

Top Features:

• Grows 2-3 feet per year
• Dense, lush growth for effective screening
• Tolerates heavy pruning and shaping

Privet hedges have been the staple of classical gardens for centuries, and with good reason. Their rapid growth and ability to thrive under regular trimming make them perfect for boundary walls and shaped privacy screens. They're semi-evergreen or deciduous depending on climate, thriving in most soils and tolerating light shade.

3. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)

Top Features:

• Fast growth: 2 feet or more per year in ideal conditions
• Broad, glossy evergreen leaves
• Excellent sound barrier with dense foliage

If you want a truly lush, green visual block through all seasons, Cherry Laurel is a top contender among fast-growing hedging plants for privacy. It adapts well to various soils and is both shade and pollution-tolerant. Its thick foliage makes it difficult to see through, ensuring your property is hidden from prying eyes.

4. Bamboo (Phyllostachys spp. & Bambusa spp.)

Top Features:

• Astounding growth: up to 5 feet per year for some species
• Graceful, exotic look
• Effective natural sound barrier

Bamboo offers a modern touch to privacy landscaping. With certain clumping varieties like Bambusa, or careful containment of running types like Phyllostachys, bamboo can serve as a striking and ultra-fast-growing privacy wall. It's perfect for contemporary gardens, patios, or creating secluded meditation spaces. Always choose non-invasive clumping varieties for easier maintenance.

5. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja 'Green Giant')

Top Features:

• Growth of 3-5 feet per year in youth
• Adaptable to various soils and conditions
• Retains pyramidal form with little pruning

Green Giant Arborvitae is quickly becoming the new standard in privacy hedge plants. Its rapid growth, disease resistance, and ability to stay green all winter make it a favorite for creating towering, stately screens along property lines. It also offers excellent drought tolerance and wind resistance once established.

6. Photinia (Photinia x fraseri 'Red Tip')

Top Features:

• Bold, red-tipped new growth turns deep green
• Growth rate of 1-2 feet per year
• Can be shaped as a formal hedge or left natural

With its brilliant, glossy leaves and stunning red flush in spring, Red Tip Photinia adds drama and privacy. It's perfect for those who want their hedges for privacy to double as a garden statement. Prune regularly to encourage vivid new growth and maintain its shape as your living fence.

7. Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Top Features:

• Classic formal hedge loved for centuries
• Moderate growth: 6 inches to 1 foot per year
• Dense, evergreen foliage

While not as explosive in growth as some on this list, Boxwood offers unbeatable elegance and thick, evergreen privacy. It's ideal for neat, manicured hedge rows or as a lower border hedge. Intermix faster-growing background hedges with Boxwood to achieve instant privacy while your boxwoods mature.

8. Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica)

Top Features:

• Vigorous, fast-growing laurel with deep green leaves
• Resilient to tough conditions and shade
• Attractive red stems add visual interest

Portuguese Laurel is a brilliant choice for those in need of a thick, evergreen private wall that's highly tolerant to urban conditions and drought. Its darker foliage and reddish stems offer a sophisticated twist on traditional privacy hedges, making it increasingly popular for modern landscapes.

9. American Holly (Ilex opaca)

Top Features:

• Classic American native with year-round interest
• Evergreen with sharp, glossy green leaves
• Growth up to 1-2 feet per year

American Holly delivers classic privacy--and a touch of tradition--to gardens and boundaries. With its dense foliage, resilience, and decorative red berries in winter, holly serves as a unique, wildlife-friendly living wall. It also works well as a windbreak, deterring pests and unwelcome visitors with its spiny leaves.

Tips for Establishing the Perfect Privacy Hedge

Once you've chosen your ideal fast-growing hedge for privacy, preparation is key to success. Here's how to get the most from your green investment:

• Soil Preparation: Dig over the soil well, enrich with compost, and ensure good drainage.
• Spacing: Follow recommended spacing for your chosen species. Denser planting ensures faster coverage but be wary of overcrowding.
• Watering: Water regularly during the first year--those fast growers need plenty!
• Mulching: Apply a thick mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• Pruning: Start pruning early to encourage bushiness at the base and maintain your preferred hedge shape.

Expert Tip:

For immediate privacy, mix in a few larger nursery-grown plants among your younger hedges--or layer fast-growing species behind slower but longer-lived varieties.

Choosing the Right Fast-Growing Hedge for Your Landscape

When making your selection, keep in mind:

• Climate Suitability: Choose hedges that thrive in your local winter lows and summer highs.
• Sun Exposure: Some species love full sun, while others tolerate partial shade.
• Purpose: Are you looking for sound absorption, wind protection, or just visual privacy?
• Maintenance Levels: Some hedges benefit from frequent trimming, while others are low-maintenance.

Don't forget to check local regulations! In some areas, certain species (like running bamboo) may be restricted due to invasiveness.

Enhancing Your Privacy Hedge

You can perfect your privacy with creative touches:

• Underplant with ground covers to block stray views at the base
• Incorporate flowering climbers for seasonal interest and color
• Mix hedge types for a more naturalistic, layered effect
• Allow sections to flower or berry for wildlife and pollinators

Conclusion: Privacy Hedging, Perfected

Fast-growing privacy hedges offer a living, breathing alternative to traditional screens--turning your yard into a tranquil, secluded oasis. Whether you prefer the formal lines of Boxwood and Privet, the statuesque rise of Leyland Cypress and Green Giant Arborvitae, or the tropical flair of Bamboo, there's a privacy hedge to match every taste and garden size.

Remember, for flawless privacy and a lush landscape, invest in quality plants to start, give them a solid foundation, and care for them as they grow. With the right choices, your garden can become the ultimate private retreat--an outdoor room that's as beautiful as it is functional.

Ready to create your sanctuary? Choose one (or more) of these 9 fast-growing hedges for privacy and enjoy peaceful seclusion in no time!

For more privacy gardening tips, hedging advice, and landscaping inspiration, stay tuned to our blog. Share which living privacy screen you've picked in the comments below!