Fast and Lush: 9 Hedgerows Perfect for Privacy Enhancement

Posted on 18/05/2025

Fast and Lush: 9 Hedgerows Perfect for Privacy Enhancement

Looking to elevate your outdoor privacy, buffer unwanted noise, or add year-round beauty to your landscape? Hedgerows are nature's living walls, combining rapid growth, dense foliage, and architectural elegance. Whether aiming for a secluded backyard retreat or simply seeking to shield your property from prying eyes, selecting the best hedgerow plants can make all the difference. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore nine quick-growing and lush options that transform your space while giving you more privacy in record time.

Why Choose Hedgerows for Privacy?

• Natural beauty: A green barrier is more appealing and softer than a fence.
• Noise reduction: Dense foliage helps dampen street noise.
• Wildlife friendly: Birds and pollinators love hedges for shelter and food.
• Customization: Choose from evergreen or deciduous plants for the look and level of privacy you prefer.
• Year-round appeal: Many fast-growing hedgerow species provide winter interest, flowers, berries, or colorful new growth.

Ready to invest in living privacy screens that grow quickly and offer years of enjoyment? Explore our top nine hedgerow picks below and find the perfect match for your landscape!

Top 9 Fast and Lush Hedgerows for Ultimate Privacy

1. English Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)

Growth Rate: 2-3 feet/year
Best For: Dense evergreen privacy
Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained, adaptable

The English Laurel is a classic choice for homeowners seeking a robust, evergreen privacy hedge. Its broad, shiny green leaves and rapid growth create a thick wall of foliage, effective at blocking out unwanted views and muffling sound. English Laurel responds well to regular pruning and shaping, allowing you to maintain a tidy appearance or a wilder, natural look.

• Quick thickening: Grows fast and fills gaps quickly
• Low maintenance: Resilient against pollution and pests
• Thrives in: Urban and suburban settings alike

2. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata)

Growth Rate: 3-5 feet/year
Best For: Tall, lush screening
Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained

Perfect for rapid privacy improvement, the Green Giant Arborvitae is famous for its narrow, pyramid shape and lush, feathery foliage. It grows impressively fast and maintains its rich green color all year round, making it one of the best hedgerows for privacy enhancement. Properly spaced, these trees create an impenetrable barrier in just a few years.

• Space-saving: Upright growth--ideal for smaller yards
• Tolerant: Handles cold, wind, and even clay soils
• Low upkeep: Minimal pruning required

3. Privet (Ligustrum species)

Growth Rate: Up to 3 feet/year
Best For: Formal hedges
Sunlight: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Adaptable to most types

For those aiming for a formal, manicured look, privet hedges are a traditional favorite. Their rapid growth, dense foliage, and ability to be shaped into crisp lines ensure a neat, tailored appearance in any garden. Privet can be evergreen or semi-evergreen, depending on your region and the species selected.

• Great for: Clipped, geometric styles
• Easy to shape: Tolerates frequent trimming
• Summer interest: Small white flowers attract pollinators

4. Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken' and other varieties)

Growth Rate: 1-2 feet/year
Best For: Lower, broad screening
Sunlight: Full sun to shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained

With glossy, dark leaves and compact form, Cherry Laurel hedgerows offer year-round privacy even in challenging shaded spots. Their white flower spikes in spring and red-black berries add interest to any setting. These shrubs are wonderful for shorter borders or dividing areas within a larger yard.

• Shade-tolerant: Grows well where other hedges fail
• Wildlife habitat: Birds enjoy berries
• Resilient: Handles urban conditions and pruning

5. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Growth Rate: 1-2 feet/year
Best For: Deciduous privacy with golden fall color
Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Moist, fertile

If you seek visual interest through the seasons, hornbeam hedges are a superb choice. Although deciduous, hornbeam retains its dried coppery leaves in winter, ensuring privacy even when other plants are bare. Its pleated leaves and tolerance for severe pruning allow you to create architectural hedges that define outdoor spaces beautifully.

• Winter screening: Persistent leaves offer year-round privacy
• Low pest issues: Generally disease resistant
• Versatile: Suitable for both formal and informal hedgerows

6. Photinia Red Robin (Photinia x fraseri)

Growth Rate: 1-2 feet/year
Best For: Colorful privacy screens
Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained

If vibrant color is on your wishlist, Photinia Red Robin won't disappoint. Its lush green leaves erupt in brilliant red each spring, offering a showy look in addition to solid coverage. When trimmed regularly, Photinia thickens out nicely, making it one of the top choices for fast-growing hedgerows that double as landscape accents.

• Eye-catching: Red new foliage stands out dramatically
• Easy to maintain: Responds well to regular trimming
• Seasonal interest: White clusters of flowers in spring

7. Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens and hybrids)

Growth Rate: 6-12 inches/year (slower but ultimate density)
Best For: Small, dense, evergreen borders
Sunlight: Sun to shade
Soil: Well-drained, not too wet

Though not the fastest grower, boxwood hedges are unbeaten when it comes to dense, formal appearance. Ideal for petite landscapes or dividing garden rooms, boxwoods provide year-round lushness and can be clipped into crisp lines or whimsical shapes. Their evergreen resilience ensures privacy in every season.

• Super dense foliage: Excellent low hedge for privacy
• Classic styling: Traditional look for formal gardens
• Deer resistant: Unpalatable to most wildlife

8. Escallonia (Escallonia species)

Growth Rate: Up to 1-2 feet/year
Best For: Coastal and windy areas
Sunlight: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained

Packed with glossy leaves and abundant flowers, Escallonia hedges excel in exposed gardens and coastal regions. Their nectar-rich blooms attract pollinators and provide beauty well into autumn. Escallonia's salt tolerance and evergreen nature make it a favorite for tough locations where shelter and color are equally important.

• Wind-tolerant: Withstands harsh, windy spots
• Colorful blooms: Pink, red, or white flowers
• Evergreen: Privacy without seasonal gaps

9. Pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium and hybrids)

Growth Rate: 1-2 feet/year
Best For: Modern privacy screens
Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained

In contemporary gardens, Pittosporum hedges offer a stylish, fast-growing alternative to the usual choices. Their attractive small leaves, often in intriguing colors (from silver to dark green), lend a modern flair to boundaries and front yards. Easy to trim and highly resilient, pittosporum is a top pick for those who want privacy without sacrificing style.

• Variety: Several leaf colors and sizes
• Resistant: Tolerates drought once established
• Compact form: Neat, upright growth

How to Choose the Right Hedgerow for Your Privacy Needs

Selecting the perfect hedgerow species is crucial to ensure your living privacy fence thrives and delivers the desired results. Consider these factors before planting:

• Climate: Make sure your chosen plant is hardy in your USDA zone or regional climate.
• Growth rate versus maintenance: Fast growers may require frequent trimming to stay tidy.
• Evergreen or deciduous: Evergreens offer year-round coverage; deciduous may provide seasonal interest or even edible fruit.
• Soil and moisture needs: Always check that your soil type, drainage, and moisture levels match the hedgerow's requirements.
• Ultimate height and width: Think ahead! Ensure your hedge won't outgrow its spot, overshadowing patios or windows.

Tips for Planting and Maintaining Lush Privacy Hedges

• Start with healthy plants: Gaps are harder to fill later.
• Stagger your planting: Zig-zag rows create faster density than single-file hedges.
• Mulch and water well: Young plants need extra care until established.
• Trim regularly: Most fast-growing hedges respond well to shaping, which increases bushiness and privacy.
• Feed annually: Balanced fertilizers in spring boost growth and foliage health.

Hedgerows for All Seasons: A Sustainable Privacy Solution

Not only do lush hedgerows deliver immediate visual privacy, but they are also sustainable, wildlife-friendly, and beneficial for property value. By choosing the right mix of fast-growing privacy plants, you can enjoy green seclusion, natural tranquility, and a living investment for years--or even decades--to come!

Conclusion: Enjoy Privacy, Beauty, and Nature With Fast-Growing Hedges

Enhancing your property with hedgerows is more than just installing a barrier--it's about crafting an outdoor sanctuary tailored to your tastes and needs. By selecting from these nine fast and lush hedgerow plants for privacy enhancement, you ensure a vibrant, effective screen that matures in just a few seasons. Whether you prefer evergreens like Green Giant Arborvitae, colorful stunners like Photinia Red Robin, or classic options like Hornbeam and Privet, there's a perfect privacy hedge for every garden.

Ready to boost privacy, support nature, and enjoy gorgeous greenery year-round? Start planting the ultimate living fence today--and experience the transformation of your garden into a private haven.