SELECT THE RIGHT SCREENING PLANTS FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE
Whether you need screening plants to keep prying eyes from looking into your property and home, or to hide your neighbor’s home from your own eyes, selecting the right screening plants is key to assuring an effective and long-lasting visual barrier.
Besides creating privacy, there are many other reasons for using screening plants such as delineating a property line, creating a backdrop to smaller plants so they stand out better, or simply adding interest and seasonal color to a landscape.
Whatever the reason, selecting the right plant for the right place, as with any plant selections, is key to a successful planting project.
Growing Conditions For Screening Plants
As with all plant selections, there are many factors to take into account:
Space
How much space both horizontally and vertically is available for the screening plant to grow? Most plants that are ideal for screening tend to be narrow. But some, such as Norway Spruce, can grow quite wide. Also to consider is at what height will the grow to and is there enough space for it to achieve this height? It the plants are going to be under trees, is the tree canopy high enough to allow the screening plants to mature? If there is not enough space, is pruning the screening plants an option?
Light
Will the screening plants be in full sun or under a canopy of trees? The amount of available light definitely effects which plants are appropriate for the screen.
Deer
As with all garden plants, deer definitely prefer some screening plants over others. It does no good to install a screening plant only to have it devoured by deer.
5 Screening Plants To Consider
Green Giant Arborvitae – Thuja ‘Green Giant’
An absolute beautiful upright evergreen with columnar form. The Green Giant Arborvitae requires full sun and will grow to 40’ plus by 15’ wide. Its foliage is very dense. It is not deer resistant.
Japanese Cedar – Cryptomeria japonica ‘Yoshino’
A vigorous form with rich green summer foliage that becomes bronze-green in winter. Plants are care-free and easy to grow. An excellent screening tree that deer do not eat. Requires full sun.
Skip Laurel – Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’
Whereas the first to plants were conifers, Skip Laurel is a very dense broadleaf evergreen shrub. It can grow 4’-6’ high and wide. An added bonus for this plant is its white, spring flowers. Deer will nibble but generally do not eat it. Partial shade to full sun.
Leatherleaf Viburnum – Viburnum rhytidophyllum
Another broadleaf evergreen to add to your shortlist, the Leatherleaf Viburnum has fragrant white flowers in spring and red berries in the fall that birds love. Not as dense as some of the other options but it will get the job done. Deer do not eat. Full sun to shade.
Holly Osmanthus – Osmanthus heterophyllus
A very dense broadleaf evergreen with holly-like leaves. It can grow to 8’-10’ high x 8’ wide. This tough plant prefers full sun to partial shade. Deer do not eat.
