Plants for Privacy
For the Rogue Valley
Whether for privacy, a natural wall or an outdoor garden room, these plants deliver
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 and grasses 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 our Plants for Privacy Supplement PDF for more planting and design ideas.
Plants for privacy list
| 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 | * |
Want more help?
If you’d like more help with plant, shrub and/or tree selection or assistance with your landscape design, get details on our Design & Consult page about what types of services we provide.
