With the right choice of evergreens, you can easily transform your garden into an oasis of peace and quiet. Whether you are looking to reduce noise pollution in an urban environment or simply do not want your neighbour to have a clear view of your backyard, strategically planted trees and shrubs can help you get the privacy you desire. So, what is the best evergreen hedge for privacy? A good question and one we are often asked by our customers. There are many angles to approach this from. The best choice often depends on your budget and factors such as how quickly (or not) you want your hedge to give you privacy and of course the conditions or aspect of the garden. It is important to consider these factors before deciding what is the best evergreen hedge for privacy in your situation.
All-Around Best Evergreen Hedge for Privacy
If we had to pick one evergreen as the best choice for privacy hedging, Cherry Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus) boasts so many fantastic qualities that it really deserves the title. This evergreen hedge is fast-growing and resilient, and it is relatively undemanding. Cherry Laurel is quite adaptable, as well, so it will thrive in various conditions, in most soils and sunny and shady spots alike. Not to mention that its glossy, vibrant green foliage offers year-round interest.
Cherry Laurel is undemanding, good-looking and cost- effective: everything you would want in privacy hedging.
Fastest-Growing Privacy Hedge
If you need privacy in your garden as fast as possible without the wait, Leyland Cypress hedging is the best choice for you. This is a lovely conifer with lush, scale-like foliage that grows densely enough to give you the seclusion you require. A leylandii evergreen hedge will grow between 75 and 90 cm a year. That means that regular clipping is required, but it will pay off, as this cost-effective, fast-growing evergreen privacy hedge is the closest you can get to instant hedging without breaking the bank.
Leyland Cypress is a fast-growing conifer that makes a perfect choice if you want an instant hedge on a budget.
Best Hedging for Coastal Gardens
Living by the seaside has its charms, but the exposure to salt sprays and harsh winds makes it difficult to find evergreen privacy hedge for coastal gardens. Luckily, despite the challenges of coastal gardens, there are shrubs that thrive in these conditions. Evergreens such as Griselinia Littoralis or New Zealand Privet that have hardy, resilient foliage will do just well in the UK’s coastal areas. Griselinia naturally grows upright and has dense foliage, so it is ideally suited for formal privacy hedging. Similarly, if you prefer something less traditional and would love a flowering privacy screen in your garden, Escallonia varieties make a perfect choice. This tough little shrub is undemanding and highly-decorative and will add a pop of colour to your garden while helping you maintain privacy on your property at the same time.
Flowering Evergreen Hedge
Evergreen hedge for privacy does not have to look like a wall of lush green foliage. There are plenty of options for gardeners that prefer flowering shrubs. |If you have neutral to slightly acidic soil in your garden, then the many colourful varieties of the Camellia Sasanqua could be just what you are looking for. The leathery, deep green foliage adorned with dozens of gorgeous blossoms certainly leaves an impression and draws the eye. There are various choices ranging from deep and blush pink varieties such as Sparkling Burgundy and Jennifer Susan to pure white Camellia Cleopatra White.
Native Hedging
A classic and elegant hedging solution, English Yew has dense evergreen foliage and an undemanding nature. What more could you need for a stunning privacy screen? Yew hedging is native to the UK, so you can be certain that it is fully hardy. However, as this is a slow-growing cultivar, Yew hedging can be more expensive than fast-growing alternatives (such as Leylandii or Cherry Laurel), so this option may not be ideal for every budget.
The classic and timeless Yew hedging is always a smart choice.
Most Attractive Foliage
Photinia hedging is prized for its colourful and vibrant young growth, ranging from bright crimson in Red Robin to breathtaking magenta in Pink Marble. With Photinia privacy hedging, you can get the best of both worlds without having to offer much care in return. This adaptable and relatively unfussy species will do well in most soils and sunnier spots in the garden.
The reddish evergreen foliage of Photinia Red Robin hedging makes it stand out in the landscape.
Low-Maintenance Privacy Hedge
An ideal alternative to the fast-growing Leyland Cypress, the Thuja family of evergreen conifer hedging is the ultimate low-maintenance solution for privacy in the garden. Slow-growing, it will not require constant clipping to stay in shape and can fully recover from delayed trimming (unlike Leylandii), which would mean that you can trim your hedge once a year without it being an issue. There are plenty of varieties to choose from. Thuja Smaragd, Thuja Plicata, and Thuja Occidentalis are our top-selling options for privacy hedging.
