Plants for Privacy

Whether you’re looking to plant a privacy screen, a traditional hedge, some ‘green walls’ for an outdoor garden room, or to create a romantic ‘secret garden’ – you have a lot of options! Rather than simply planting a boring monoculture of just one kind of plant, consider mixing several of the small trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, and vines listed below in order to create a more naturalized-looking, pollinator-friendly hedgerow that brings color, texture, fragrance into your planting. See below for our recommended plants list and see the attached PDF for more planting and design ideas.

*Can be deer resistant        **More reliably deer resistant

Evergreen Plants under 10' tall | Evergreen Plants over 10' tall | Deciduous Shrubs & Grasses | Small Deciduous Trees | Columnar/Compact Evergreen | Columnar/Compact Deciduous
 Download printable PDF

Botanical Name	Common Name	Comments
Evergreen Plants up to 10' tall
Abelia grandiflora	Glossy Abelia	semi-evergreen, butterflies
Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’/‘Octoberfest’	Compact Strawberry Tree	decorative fruit, pollintors love the flowers
Arctostaphylos spp.	Manzanita	* Native, pollinators
Artemisia tridentata	Big Sagebrush	** Native, pollinators
Baccharis pilularis	Coyote Brush	** Outstanding pollinator plant, native
Berberis 'William Penn'	Evergreen Barberry	** Impressively thorny
Buxus spp.	Boxwood	**
Callistemon spp.	Bottlebrush	** Alpine species only! Hummers love the flowers
Camellia spp.		Winter bloomer
Carpenteria californica	Bush Anemone	** Native, pollinators
Ceanothus spp	California Lilac	* Native, pollinators
Cedrus deodara 'Divinely Blue'	Dwarf Deodar Cedar	**
Chamaecyparis spp.	False Cypress
Choisya spp.	Mexican Orange	** Fragrant flowers
Cotoneaster parneyi/lacteus	Cotoneaster
Daphne spp.	Daphne	** Wonderfully fragrant
Distylium 'Emerald Heights'/ 'Linebacker'	Distylium	*
Elaeagnus spp.	Silverberry	*
Euonymous japonica	Evergreen Euonymous
Fargesia rufa	Sunset Clumping Bamboo	**
Fatsia japonica	Japanese Aralia
Feijoa sellowiana	Pineapple Guava	* Edible flowers and fruit
Garrya fremontii/elliptica	Silk Tassel	Native, pollinators
Ilex spp.	Holly	*
Leptospermum spp.	Tea Tree	** Alpine varieties only!
Ligustrum spp.	Privet
Loropetalum spp.	Fringeflower	semi-evergreen
Mahonia aquifolium	Oregon Grape	** Native, pollinators
Myrtus c. 'Tarentina'	Compact Myrtle	**
Nandina domestica	Heavenly Bamboo
Nerium oleander	Oleander	** Hardy to USDA Zone 8, all parts of the plant are poisonous
Osmanthus spp.	False Holly/Hardy Tea Olive	**
Ozothamnus spp.		**
Pieris japonica	Andromeda	**
Pinus mugo mugo	Mugo Pine (and other dwarf cultivars)	**
Pittosporum heterophyllum	Chinese Pittosporum	*
Prunus l. schipkaensis	Skip Laurel
Rhamnus c. 'Eve Case'	Compact California Coffeeberry	** Native, pollinators
Rhododendron spp.	Rhododendron	*
Rosmarinus officinalis	Rosemary	* Highly aromatic, culinary, pollinators
Teucrium fruticans	Bush Germander	** Pollinators
Vaccinium ovatum	Evergreen Huckleberry	Native, pollinators
Viburnum		Semi-evergreen varieties include V. burkwoodii, 'Allegheny'*
Evergreen Plants over 10' (but not monsterous)
Arctostaphylos spp., e.g.: A, manzanita, A. viscida, 'August Griffiths'	Manzanita	* Native, pollinators
Arbutus menziesii	Madrone	Native, pollinators, beautiful bark
Arbutus unedo	Strawberry Tree	Pollinators, decorative fruit
Azara microphylla	Chilean Boxleaf Azara
Ceanothus thrysiflorus	Blue Blossom	* Native, pollinators
Cedrus a.g. 'Horstman'	Dwarf Blue Atlas Cedar	**
Cedrus deodara 'Electra Blue'	Compact Deodar Cedar	**
Chamaecyparis spp.	False Cypress
Cupressus arizonica/bakeri	Arizona Cypress/Baker Cypress
Fargesia nitida/robusta	Great Wall/Green Screen Clumping Bamboo	**
Fremontodendron californicum	California Flannel Bush	* Native, pollinators
Heteromeles arbutifolia	Toyon	Native, pollinators, fruit for wintering songbirds
Juniperus spp.	Juniper	**
Laurus nobilis	Bay Laurel	* Leaves used for seasoning, site in a protected location
Magnolia 'Little Gem'	Dwarf Southern Magnolia	** Spectacular flowers
Myrica californica	Pacific Wax Myrtle	* Native, pollinators
Olea europea	Olive	'Arbequina' is hardiest, 'Wilsonii' is fruitless
Osmanthus 'San Jose'	Hardy Tea Olive	Fragrant flowers
Photinia fraseri	Red-tip Photinia	Pollinators
Picea 'Fat Albert'	Dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce	**
Pinus spp.	Pines	** Choose compact varieties (e.g.: 'Oregon Green', 'Thunderhead', 'Silveray')
Prunus laurocerasus	English Laurel	Classic hedge plant
Prunus lusitanica	Portuguese Laurel	** Far more deer resistant than English Laurel
Pyracantha spp.	Firethorn	* Pollinators, birds love the berries
Quercus chrysolepis, agrifolia, wislizenii, suber, myrsinifolia	Live Oaks	Extremely important pollinator plants
Rhamnus alaternus 'Variegata', 'John Edwards'	Italian Buckthorn
Rhamnus tomentella	Hoary Coffeeberry	* Native, great pollinator plant
Thuja 'Atrovirens, 'Excelsa', 'Virescens'	Western Red Cedar	Native, pollinators
Thuja 'Green Giant'	Hybrid Arborvitae	*
Umbellularia californica	Oregon Myrtle/California Bay	** Native
Deciduous Shrubs and Grasses
Aronia spp.	Chokeberry
Berberis spp.	Barberry	**
Buddleia spp.	Butterfly Bush	Pollinators, sterile cultivars only
Calycanthus occidentalis	Western Spicebush	Native, pollinators
Chaenomeles speciosa	Flowering Quince	* Early spring bloom
Cornus sericea/sanguinea	Red Osier/Red-twig Dogwood	Pollinators
Cotinus spp.	Smokebush
Elaeagnus multiflora	Goumi Berry	Edible fruit
Euonymous alata 'Compacta'	Compact Burning Bush	* Glorious fall color
Forsythia spp.	Forsythia	* Early spring bloom, good fall color
Hamamelis spp	Witchhazel	Early spring bloom, good fall color
Hibiscus syriacus	Rose of Sharon	Pollinators - especially hummingbirds
Holodiscus discolor	Ocean Spray/Cream Bush	* Native, pollinators
Hydrangea quercifolia	Oakleaf Hydrangea	Good fall color
Lonicera involucrata	Twinberry	Native, pollinators, birds like the fruit
Miscanthus sinensis	Maiden Grass	**
Muhlenbergia rigens	Deergrass	** Native
Oemleria cerasiformis	Indian Plum/Oso Berry	Native
Panicum  virgatum	Switch Grass	** Prairie native, use larger varieties
Pennisetum 'Karley Rose'	Fountain Rose	** Rosy-colored inflorescences
Philadelphus lewisii	Mock Orange	Native, pollinators, flowers smell like orange blossoms
Physocarpus spp.	Ninebark	Pollinators, P. capitatus is native
Punica granatum	Pomegranate	* Delicious fruit
Rhamnus f. 'Asplenifolia'	Fernleaf Alder Buckthorn	*
Rhus typhina/glabra	Sumac
Ribes spp.	Flowering Currant/Gooseberry	Many varieties are native, pollinators
Rosa rugosa (and other species roses)	Rose	*
Sambucus spp.	Elderberry	Pollinators, fruit, several native species
Spirea spp.	Spirea	* Several native varieties, pollinators
Stipa (Nasella) gigantea	Giant Feather Grass	**
Syringa spp.	Lilac	Fragrant flowers
Viburnum spp.	Viburnum	* (V. 'Pink Dawn** - extremely fragrant early spring flowers)
Small Deciduous Trees (often multi-stemmed)
Acer spp.	Maple	e.g.: Amur, Vine, Douglas, Rocky Mountain, etc.  Several native species, pollinators
Aesculus californica	California Buckeye	* Native, summer deciduous, poisonous fruit
Amelanchier spp.	Serviceberry	Some native species, pollinators, edible fruit, great fall color
Cercis occidentalis	Western Redbud	Native, spring flowers
Chilopsis linearis	Desert Willow	** Native, pollinators
Chitalpa tashkentensis	Chitalpa	* Pollinators
Chionanthus retusus	Chinese Fringe Tree
Corylus cornuta	Beaked Hazel	Native, pollinators, edible nuts if you can beat the squirrels to them!
Crataegus spp.	Hawthorne	C. douglasii is native, pollinators, birds
Ficus carica	Edible Fig	* Delicious fruit!
Heptacodium miconoides	Seven Son Flower	All-around wonderful small tree
Lagerstroemia spp.	Crepe Myrtle	Flowers summer into fall
Magnolia stellata/ x soulangeana	Deciduous Magnolia	** Spectacular spring flowers
Malus spp.	Flowering Crabapple	A flurry of spring blooms
Parrotia persica	Persian Ironwood	Outstanding fall color
Prunus virginiana	Chokecherry	Native, pollinators, birds like the berries
Rhamnus purshiana	Cascara
Salix spp.	Willow	Many native varieties, pollinators
Shepherdia argentea	Silver Buffaloberry	* Native, pollinators, birds like berries
Syringa r. 'Ivory Silk'	Japanese Tree Lilac	Fragrant flowers
Vitex agnus-castus	Chaste Tree	** Summer bloomer, fragrant foliage, pollinators
Columnar/Compact Options/Evergreen
Abies c. 'Fastigiata'	Columnar White Fir	**
Buxus s. 'Graham Blandy'	Columnar Boxwood	**
Cedrus d. 'Karl Fuchs'	Columnar Deodar Cedar	**
Cephalotaxus h. 'Fastigiata'	Columnar Japanese Plum Yew	**
Chamaecyparis l. 'Snow White'	Dwarf Port Orford Cedar
Chamaecyparis o. 'Blue Feathers'	Dwarf Hinoki False Cypress
Cupressus glabra 'Chaparral'/ 'Sulphurea'	Columnar White Arizona Cypress	*
Cupressus m. 'Wilma Goldcrest'	Lemon Monterey Cypress	** Foliage smells like lemons!
Cupressus s. 'Stricta'/ 'Glauca'	Italian Cypress
Fatshedera lizeii	Tree Ivy	** Can be trained vertically
Ilex c. 'Sky Pencil'	Columnar Japanese Holly
Juniperus s. "Sky Rocket'/ 'Blue Arrow'	Columnar (blue) Juniper	**
Juniperus c. 'Spartan'	Columnar (green) Juniper	**
Pinus c. 'Chalet' (and others)	Swiss Stone Pine	**
Pinus s. 'Fastigiata'	Columnar White Pine	**
Pinus n. 'Frank's Columnar'/ 'Green Tower'	Columnar Austrian Pine	**
Pinus m. 'Tannenbaum'	Columnar Mugo Pine	**
Picea p.g. 'Fastigiata'/ 'Totem'	Columnar Blue Spruce	**
Podocarpus m. 'Maki'	Shrubby Yew Pine	*
Taxus b. 'Stricta'	Irish Yew	*
Taxus x media 'Hicksii'	Columnar Yew	* Also 'Beanpole', 'H.M. Eddie'
Thuja x 'Virginian'	Hybrid Arborvitae	*
Thuja o. 'Emerald Green'	Arborvitae
Columnar/Compact Options/Deciduous
Berberis 'Helmond Pillar'	Columnar Barberry	** Reddish-purple leaves, thorny!
Carpinus b. 'Columnaris Nana'	Dwarf Columnar Hornbeam
Rhamnus f. 'Columnaris'/ 'Fine-Line'	Columnar Buckthorn	*