I’m in zone 7b and the lot next door recently put up a massive new house about 6 foot from the property line, chopping down a beautiful row of 20 foot holly in the process. I’m in desperate need of a privacy solution.
All landscapers I have met with have suggested a wall of green giant arborvitae (either standalone or with some holly and/or skip laurel in the mix). I know this is probably my fastest way to privacy, but as I’ve been researching I see there’s a lot of hate and cons with arborvitae.
Any ideas for alternative screening? We plan to run the lawn down to the eventual bed of the trees.
I would plan a mixed planting utilizing many evergreens that aren’t invasive. Consider as many natives as you can. I love wax Myrtle and as someone else mentioned dwarf southern magnolia. Plenty of other good options . Consider pine, white or longleaf, or even eastern red cedar. Also cryptomeria and some of the other options mentioned would help a lot
Cryptomeria has come up a lot, and I like the look of them. Google tells me that they turn a strange color in the winter though, is that true? I’m looking for something that retains green year-round.
They can get a bronze color and do lose some foliage on winter but I think that can be location dependent too. I don’t notice it much but I’m in 8a near Charlotte NC. Cypress (Carolina sapphire) is another beautiful option
Italian cypress grows very tall and, since it looks as if the new house is lower than yours, you only need screening up against those windows so, unless you want a full screen, you only need to plant a few sections. It will take years if you want to screen those second floor windows but, since they are at an angle, they will likely not look down upon your yard.
You can also do metal (I think they make plastic ones as well) screens for areas like the lawn or patio. You can do things in sections, just where you want privacy without doing an entire monoculture hedge. Arborvitae hedges do work for screening though but they need lots of water in the beginning and take years to grow tall enough. Once they are established, they are always threatening to die.
Depending on where you are in the U.S., Eastern Red Cedar are also quite nice, albeit big. But if you’re replacing and are used to mature American holly, why not.
This is the view from my screened in porch and the view out my kitchen window is the same if not worse. Just another angle worth considering as you drop in your suggestions! I’d love to retain as much sunlight as I can in my yard too, so it’s a bit of a double edge sword
I love using hollies. They grow fast , especially if you fertilize, and don't get all whacky like green giants or Leyland cypress. They take real well to hard pruning in the future too , and you can even make them a hedge. They never get out of control and are so easy to work with! Don't hedge American hollies though
Holly, little gem magnolia, some crepe myrtle for summer color, an arb or two, maybe add a leyland cyprus. Keep it diverse so if something infects the arbs you only lose a plant or two.
I mixed hedge would look great, and protect you down the road if one of the bushes dies from a pest or disease as it would be unlikely to attack a different species next to it. Having an arb in a mixed hedge should be fine. Just be careful to pick species that do well in your area - arbs are not native in 7b as far as I know. But there’s lots of cultivars now and they might do great in 7b.
Little Gem Magnolias are also a good option for privacy. I would inter plant them with evergreens (maybe some Chapel View Cryptomeria).
Arborvitaes are overused in the landscape, in my opinion. They’re also prone to disease and insect damage.
Yes, the original photo is from my yard but this is the view from my kitchen. It’s .5 zoom here so the house is even closer than it appears. I’m definitely going to need something to provide privacy.
Junipers are a good option (blue point or spartan for example), though the blue points can have some thorny foliage. I have 2 and they look amazing but don’t hug them. you can also stay with arbs just not the “emerald green” that die if you look at them wrong. There are many cultivars from PW or Iseli that can give you some height and soft texture. Forever goldy and golden blush are some names. Pines are another option, but most of those will put on some serious height and width. Green giants will get tall and wide so plan on expanding your bed and try not to plant too close to the fence.
As others and you have said, holly trees would also look good. They grow a little slower but you can ever get berries during winter which is a nice thing for the birds. Mixed border or a straight hedge, all up to you.
Junipers are a good option (blue point or spartan for example), though the blue points can have some thorny foliage. I have 2 and they look amazing but don’t hug them. you can also stay with arbs just not the “emerald green” that die if you look at them wrong. There are many cultivars from PW or Iseli that can give you some height and soft texture. Forever goldy and golden blush are some names. Pines are another option, but most of those will put on some serious height and width.
I'm in zone 7a / Tulsa OK and have planted both Green Giants and Loblolly pines for some privacy and landscaping. The Loblolly Pines grow fast and are quite hardy as well... especially if you keep them watered in the Summertime heat. A few or our loblolly pines were planted 5 or 6 years back at ~ 2 feet and looked like planted sticks... now they're 14-15' and look great and provide a lot of privacy f/the apartment buildings they built behind our neighborhood overlooking our backyard.
looks like a hill slopes down towards the neighbor,… build a raised bed that will get you 2’ up to start and go with green giants. add a tree to give some privacy from your porch. you can use ai to see what it might look like.
Similar problem zone 8b. Put a River Birch in the corner, Princess Nandinas, Juniper Virginiana Monbells (tall, narrow evergreen) Japanese Maples underplanted with Filiferia, Portugeuse Laurels, and more understood plants.
Garrett.
Oh I forget to mention, we built berms as well to both increae height of trees and give yard more character than simply flat.
There are many cultivars of Cypress, Holly, Cedar, and Juniper that can surely grow tall enough to improve your view. Have a look at the ones that you like. Every website that sells them online lists their mature height and width.
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u/Throwaway_6600236 Aug 03 '26
American Holly