Nothing kills backyard relaxation faster than eye contact with your neighbor while you’re just trying to drink your morning coffee in peace. Privacy landscaping solves this problem beautifully — and fast-growing trees do it without making you wait a decade to actually enjoy your yard. I planted a row of Emerald Green Arborvitae along my property line three years ago, and the difference in how much time I spend actually using my backyard is remarkable. If you want a natural privacy screen between houses, here are 16 fast-growing trees that genuinely deliver.
Why Trees Beat Fences for Privacy Landscaping
A living privacy screen does things a fence simply can’t. It grows taller over time, absorbs sound, filters dust and pollution, provides habitat for birds and pollinators, and adds genuine beauty to your property. A six-foot fence stays six feet forever. A well-chosen privacy tree hits fifteen, twenty, even forty feet — with a density that no fence can match.
Trees also add property value rather than just marking a boundary. And if you choose the right species for your climate and soil, they require minimal maintenance once established. That’s a pretty compelling case compared to repainting a fence every few years.
Evergreen Trees for Year-Round Privacy
Evergreen trees keep their foliage through every season, which means your privacy screen works in January just as well as it does in July. For most homeowners, these are the go-to choices for landscaping between houses.
1. Emerald Green Arborvitae
Emerald Green Arborvitae grows in a tight, narrow column — typically 10–15 feet tall and only 3–4 feet wide. That compact footprint makes it the most popular privacy tree for planting between houses with limited side-yard space.
It grows about a foot per year once established, tolerates most soil types, and requires almost no pruning to maintain its shape. Plant them 3–4 feet apart for a solid, dense screen. Cold-hardy and low-maintenance — it’s about as close to foolproof as privacy trees get.
2. Green Giant Arborvitae
Green Giant Arborvitae is the big sibling of the Emerald Green — growing 3–5 feet per year and eventually reaching 30–40 feet tall. When you need height fast, nothing in the evergreen world competes.
Space these 5–6 feet apart for a privacy hedge, or 8–10 feet apart if you want individual specimen trees. They’re disease-resistant, deer-resistant (a major bonus depending on your neighborhood), and thrive in a wide range of conditions. IMO, this is the single best tree for fast, tall privacy screening.
3. Leyland Cypress
Leyland Cypress grows up to 3–4 feet per year, reaching 60–70 feet at maturity. It creates a dense, feathery screen that looks lush and full even in its early years of growth.
The only caveat: Leyland Cypress can develop canker disease in crowded conditions. Space them at least 8 feet apart and avoid overwatering. In the right conditions, they establish quickly and create an impressive privacy wall in just a few years.
4. Italian Cypress
Italian Cypress grows in a dramatic, pencil-thin column that can reach 40–70 feet tall while staying only 3–5 feet wide. It’s the classic Mediterranean privacy tree — striking, elegant, and surprisingly fast-growing at 2–3 feet per year.
It thrives in hot, dry climates and handles drought well once established. If you’re in a warmer zone and want something with genuine visual drama alongside its privacy function, Italian Cypress delivers both.
5. Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine grows 2–3 feet per year and reaches 50–80 feet at maturity, with soft, feathery blue-green needles that give it a graceful, naturalistic look. It fills out quickly into a broad, dense tree that provides excellent privacy.
It works particularly well as a background tree in layered privacy plantings. Hardy across a wide range of zones and soils, it’s a workhorse species that handles most conditions without complaint.
6. Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce grows 2–3 feet per year when young and eventually forms a large, pyramidal tree with sweeping branches. Dense, dark green, and impressively full, it creates one of the most effective natural privacy screens available.
Cold-hardy down to Zone 3, it performs well in challenging northern climates where other fast-growing privacy trees struggle. Plant it where you need serious long-term privacy and can give it room to grow into its eventual size.
Quick Comparison: Top Privacy Trees at a Glance
| Tree | Annual Growth | Mature Height | Best Climate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Giant Arborvitae | 3–5 ft/year | 30–40 ft | Zones 5–8 |
| Leyland Cypress | 3–4 ft/year | 60–70 ft | Zones 6–10 |
| Emerald Green Arborvitae | 1 ft/year | 10–15 ft | Zones 3–8 |
| Italian Cypress | 2–3 ft/year | 40–70 ft | Zones 7–11 |
Deciduous Trees for Privacy Screening
Deciduous privacy trees lose their leaves in winter, which means they provide less screening during the colder months. That said, many of them grow significantly faster than evergreens, and their seasonal interest — spring flowers, summer canopy, fall color — can make them worth the winter trade-off, especially when used alongside evergreens in a mixed planting. 🙂
7. Hybrid Poplar
Hybrid Poplar grows an astonishing 5–8 feet per year — the fastest of any tree on this list. Within three to five years of planting, you can have a substantial privacy screen where previously you had nothing.
The trade-off is longevity: hybrid poplars typically live 30–50 years, shorter than many other trees. Plant them as a fast privacy solution while slower, longer-lived trees establish behind them. It’s a smart two-phase approach to privacy landscaping.
8. Weeping Willow
Weeping Willow grows 6–8 feet per year and creates a dramatically beautiful, cascading canopy that provides excellent visual screening. The long, sweeping branches create a curtain effect that’s genuinely lovely.
One important note: weeping willows have aggressive, water-seeking root systems. Plant them well away from underground pipes, septic systems, and foundations — at least 50 feet. Near a pond or natural water feature, though? Absolutely stunning.
9. American Sycamore
American Sycamore grows 2–3 feet per year and becomes a large, majestic tree with distinctive mottled bark and broad, spreading canopy. It creates deep shade and significant visual privacy once established.
Hardy and adaptable, it handles clay soils and periodic flooding better than most trees. If you have a larger property and want something with real presence and character, sycamore rewards the patience of its slightly slower establishment period.
10. River Birch
River Birch grows 1.5–2 feet per year and offers beautiful peeling bark, golden fall color, and graceful form. It works wonderfully in naturalistic privacy plantings where you want screening that also looks genuinely beautiful year-round.
Multi-stem specimens create a fuller, broader screen than single-trunk trees. Plant three in a tight cluster for a visually rich privacy grouping that provides interest across every season.
Flowering and Ornamental Privacy Trees
Privacy trees don’t have to be purely functional. These species bring seasonal beauty alongside their screening qualities, which matters a lot when the privacy planting is visible from inside your home.
11. Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry
Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry grows 1.5–2 feet per year, reaches 7–10 feet tall, and delivers stunning dark purple foliage from spring through fall. Plant it in a row and you get a dense, colorful screen that also blooms with fragrant pink flowers each spring.
It’s a shrub-tree hybrid that works perfectly for lower privacy screening — blocking views from neighboring windows or creating a boundary at fence height without the visual weight of a large tree. Pair it with taller evergreens behind for a layered, multi-season privacy screen.
12. Techny Arborvitae
Techny Arborvitae grows more slowly than Green Giant — about 8–12 inches per year — but forms an exceptionally dense, rounded shape that’s ideal for medium-height privacy screening. Its rich, dark green color holds beautifully through winter.
If you need a privacy tree that stays at a manageable 15–20 feet without regular pruning, Techny delivers both the density and the size control that Green Giant can’t offer.
13. Nellie Stevens Holly
Nellie Stevens Holly grows 2–3 feet per year and combines dense, glossy evergreen foliage with bright red winter berries that birds love. It creates a beautiful, full privacy screen that looks genuinely ornamental rather than purely utilitarian.
It’s one of the better-looking privacy trees available, which makes it perfect for front yard privacy plantings where aesthetics matter as much as function. FYI, female holly trees need a male pollinator nearby to produce berries — one male for every 5–6 female trees does the job.
Bamboo and Fast-Screening Alternatives
14. Clumping Bamboo
Clumping bamboo (not running bamboo — avoid running bamboo unless you want it taking over everything) grows 3–5 feet per year and creates an incredibly dense, lush privacy screen with a tropical feel that’s genuinely unlike anything else.
Clumping varieties stay contained and spread slowly outward from the original planting — no underground containment barrier needed. Heights vary by species from 10 to 35 feet. Fargesia and Bambusa species are two reliable clumping choices.
15. Spartan Juniper
Spartan Juniper grows 1–2 feet per year, reaches 15–20 feet with a narrow 4–5 foot spread, and holds its dark green color through all four seasons. It’s an excellent alternative to arborvitae in hotter, drier climates where arborvitae sometimes struggles.
Extremely drought-tolerant once established, it handles tough urban conditions and poor soils better than most privacy trees. A practical, reliable, and underrated option.
16. Sky Pencil Holly
Sky Pencil Holly earns its name — it grows in a remarkably narrow, columnar form reaching 8–10 feet tall and only 2 feet wide. It’s the ideal privacy tree for tight side yards, narrow passages between houses, and any planting situation where horizontal space is genuinely scarce.
Growth rate is moderate at about 6–9 inches per year, so it’s not the fastest option on this list. But for tight spaces, nothing else offers this combination of height, density, and minimal footprint. Plant them 18–24 inches apart for a near-solid screen.
DIY Tips for Planting a Privacy Tree Row
Getting the planting right matters as much as choosing the right trees. Here’s what makes the biggest difference:
- Spacing: For a dense screen, plant at half the tree’s mature width (e.g., 5 ft apart for a 10 ft wide tree)
- Planting depth: Set the root ball so the top sits at or slightly above ground level — planting too deep is the most common reason new trees fail
- Soil prep: Dig the planting hole 2–3 times wider than the root ball but no deeper — loose soil on the sides encourages lateral root spread
- Mulching: Apply 2–3 inches of mulch around the base in a wide ring, keeping it away from the trunk — this retains moisture and reduces competition from grass
- Watering: Deep watering once or twice a week for the first two growing seasons establishes roots far better than light daily watering
FAQ
What’s the fastest-growing tree for a privacy screen between houses? Hybrid Poplar grows 5–8 feet per year — the fastest option available. For evergreen screening specifically, Green Giant Arborvitae grows 3–5 feet per year and is the most popular fast privacy tree.
How far from the property line should I plant privacy trees? Check local ordinances first — requirements vary. A general rule is to plant at least half the tree’s mature width away from the property line, and a minimum of 3–5 feet from the boundary.
Do I need to get permission to plant privacy trees between houses? Check with your local municipality and HOA if applicable. Some areas restrict tree heights near property lines, and overhead utility lines may affect what you can plant and where.
What privacy trees work best in a small side yard? Emerald Green Arborvitae, Sky Pencil Holly, Italian Cypress, and Spartan Juniper all offer excellent height in a narrow footprint — ideal for tight spaces between houses.
Final Thoughts: Start Planting, Start Enjoying
The best time to plant a privacy tree was five years ago. The second best time is this weekend. Every year you wait is a year of growth you don’t get to enjoy — and once these trees establish, they just keep getting better.
Start by identifying which side of the property needs the most coverage and which trees suit your climate, soil, and space. Even a single row of Green Giant Arborvitae or Emerald Greens planted this fall will surprise you with how much they change the feel of your yard by next summer.
Your backyard should feel like yours. Go plant something. 🙂