Exploring The Unique Particularities Of Privacy Plants

By privacy plants we mean any type of plant which can be used to create dividers or to gain privacy for decks and any space in general. They can be separated in many different categories, each with its own set of unique particularities. We’ll reveal a bunch of these, starting with the most popular plant types and offering examples and info meant to inspire and act as an incentive to start using them in your own home.

Vines

Plant vines for privacy

The term, in its broad sense, refers to any plant that has climbing stems or runners and a growth habit of trailing. The narrow sense of the word refers to grapevine while other similar plants and simply called climbers.

Vines are perfect for patio and pergolas

Vines are perfect for patios and pergolas. They also climb fences and add a green touch to the outdoor landscape. Use vines to cover a privacy fence and to give your outdoor spaces a fresh look. You can mix them with flowering plants for an even more beautiful aesthetic result.

Bamboo

Gravel garden area with bamboo privacy

Bamboo is a flowering perennial evergreen and giant bamboo is actually the largest member of the grass family. It’s some of the fastest growing plants in the world, with some species able to grow up to feet in a single day. Bamboo is also very versatile, being used as a building material, food source and decorative material.

Front house bamboo plants

You can take advantage of its fast growth rate to create a wonderful privacy fence or wall in time for summer. Use bamboo to decorate an outdoor lounge area and to visually separate it from other spaces. Similarly, use bamboo to make a space feel more intimate and private while allowing it to maintain its open and fresh look.

Ficus hillii and slender weaver

Slender weavers bamboo

Ficus hillii or Hill’s Weeping Fig is a variety of Ficus microcarpa which was widely used as an ornamental plant, being one of the most common street trees for areas with warm climate. Ficus saplings can grow in difficult spaces such as in the walls of buildings, bridges, on highways and pretty much in any concrete structure.

Ficus hillii and slender weaver

Slender weavers are a species of bamboo and they are perfect for privacy screens. They can completely block out buildings and they are wonderful in gardens, maintaining their beautiful look even throughout the winter. They grow narrow and tall and can be clipped to the desired size to create beautiful green fences and screens.

Glossy Abelia

Glossy Abelia

The name is in this case inspired by the glossy foliage of this beautiful shrub. It’s a species that can be used to create privacy screens, hedges or barriers between various areas in the yard or garden. They feature lovely little bell-shaped white flowers with a nice fragrance and they’re also quite easy to care for.

Alpinia purpurata

Alpinia purpurata privacy

This plant is also known as red ginger or ostrich plume and is native to Malaysia. It has small white flowers sittings on eye-catching red bracts. It prefers to grow in shaded areas and enjoys humid conditions. It needs to be well watered at all times and it can be used in gardens and yards to create green fences or beautiful arrangements and flower beds.

Trachelospermum jasminoides

Trachelospermum jasminoides privacy plants

Also known as star jasmine, confederate jessamine or Chinese star jessamine, this plant is actually an evergreen woody liana and it can grow up to 3 meters in height. It has oval leaves and fragrant white flowers which are used to create perfumes. It’s grown as an ornamental and house plant for gardens and parks and it’s often used on pergolas, fences and other structures it can climb on.

Japanese maple

Japanese maple plants

Commonly known as Japanese maple, Acer palmatum is a woody plant native to japan, China, Korea, Mongolia and Russia although it is widely grown worldwide. It has the form of a shrub or small tree and it can reach heights of up to 10 meters. The shrubs are appreciated for their bonsai-like appearance, being cultivated as ornamental trees and being popular in gardens. Not all species look the same, some being tall, narrow and ideal for creating privacy screens.

Boxwood – Green Mountain

Boxwood – Green Mountain

Although boxwood flowers in spring, the plant is actually more appreciated for its beautiful dark green foliage used to make wreaths and other decorations. it’s commonly used as hedging, for topiary ornament or creating borders and privacy screens. The shrubs are dense and used in formal landscaping.

Artificial boxwood

Artificial boxwood

Although it doesn’t have the same unique characteristics as natural boxwood, the artificial type can often prove to be more versatile. Obviously, it’s a lot easier to care for and it can be used in a variety of projects.

Artificial boxwood fence

Green fences can be covered in artificial boxwood for a beautiful look all year round. They can easily withstand winter, maintaining their beautiful green color and they don’t need shade during summer.

Decorate with artificial boxwood fence

Artificial boxwood is also used in hedges and privacy screens for patios, gardens and yards. they’re a great way to add color and privacy to a space without having to deal with all the care-related problems.

Italian Cypress

Italian Cypress

Also known as Mediterranean cypress or pencil pine, the species scientifically called Cupressus sempervirens is a medium-sized coniferous evergreen tree with a conic crown and level branches. It has a very long life expectancy, some trees being reported to be more than 1,000 years old. Its foliage has a dark green color and grows in dense sprays and the leaves feature rounded shoots. The Italian cypress is commonly used as an ornamental tree.

Thuja

Tall thuja plants

This is another type of coniferous tree from the Cypressfamily. They are commonly known as arborvitaes thujas or cedars. They grow from 3 to 60 meters tall and has a reddish brown bark. They have flat shoots and their leaves are scale-like with the exception of young seedlings which have needle-like leaves. They are used as ornamental trees and can form barriers if placed side by side.

Saguaro cactus

Modern entrance house with big Saguaro cactus

This tree-like cactus is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and can grow to be over 2 meters tall. They grow from seeds and can live for more than 150 years. They may grow their first arm at the age of 75 to 100 although some saguaros never really grow arms and are known as spears. They are easy to care for and can be used as ornamental plants for residences.

Privet hedge

Modern backyard deck with tall hedge

Privet shrubs are very often used in hedges and that’s why they arealso referred to as privet hedges. This caused the meaning to widen and to include more than just a particular kind of shrub. There are numerous different types of privet shrubs and some of them have golden leaves which are highly appreciated for their unusual look.

Swimming pool privacy plants

Privet hedges can be used to create a privacy screen for an outdoor swimming pool or as a green fence around the garden.

Large privet hedges

Because privet hedges can be quite tall, they are ideal whenever privacy is needed. This makes them perfect for delimiting the areas between two properties without utilizing tall wooden fences or other structures.

Backayrd hedge

The popularity of privet hedges is due to how dense they are and to the variety of colors available, depending on the species you decide to opt for.

Cypress trees

Big trees add privacy for backyard

Most of the plants in the cypress species are trees although some of them are also shrubs. A particular types called Cupressus sempervirens has been a popular garden plant for a very long time now, being famous for its longevity. There are many different types of cypress trees, each with its own unique particularities.

Tall and narrow trees

A lot of the trees are tall and narrow and this given them a slender and elegant look. They are often placed in large planters are used to create a privacy screen or a visual barrier along a swimming pool or property.

Arborvitae

Arborvitae privacy tree

This is a tree that has thick dark green foliage which can be admired all year round. It’s a wonderful species for creating privacy screens and it comes in many different varieties. They rarely need to be pruned and, when you do this, make sure you do it in spring.

Backyard with different plants and trees

If you want to use them to make a fence or hedge, make sure to space them out properly so they each get the nutrients they need and don’t compete for space. Also, make sure you take good care of them during winter. As the snow piles up, it can damage the trees so make sure the branches don’t break.

Cotinus coggygria “Royal Purple”

Cotinus coggygria - Royal Purple

Commonly known as the Smoke tree, this shrub stands out thanks to its unusual color. It has purple foliage which turns to a beautiful scarlet shade in autumn and its seeds are gathered in clusters that resemble plums that give out a smoky smell. The shrubs maintain a healthy and beautiful look without requiring much pruning and care and this makes them a wonderful option for gardens and outdoor spaces in general.