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Best Trees and Shrubs for Increasing Privacy for Your Virginia Home

Person with trimming shears pruning boxwood bushes

Your yard is an extension of your home — it’s often one of our favorite places to entertain or enjoy a secluded retreat. If you wish your yard were more secluded, you can transform it into a private sanctuary with the right selection of trees or shrubs. Using plants and trees will create long-lasting privacy and make your yard feel like an oasis surrounded by nature and beauty. 

When choosing the trees and shrubs for a privacy screen, it’s crucial to understand what “hardiness” zone works best for the local climate. A hardiness zone refers to your region’s average minimum winter temperature range. You can use this information to match the plants that work best in your yard with those that thrive in the local climate.

In Vienna, you’ll want to stick with trees and shrubs that will thrive in hardiness zone 7 because they’re resilient and likely to thrive in the local climate. 

Today, the experts at Wheat’s Landscape will discuss the best trees and shrubs for adding privacy to your yard.

 

Best Shrubs for Privacy

In Vienna, you can opt for shrubs instead of trees for privacy because they require less growing space and are easier to maintain and shape into dense privacy screens. Additionally, some shrubs offer seasonal flowers or colorful foliage, brightening up your yard while also creating privacy. 

Here are just a few zone 7 shrubs that would be excellent options in Vienna: 

 

Nellie R. Stevens Holly

Nellie R. Stevens holly bush. Latin name - Ilex aquifolium

Thriving in hardiness zone 7, this evergreen shrub boasts rapid growth and can reach up to 15 to 25 feet tall at maturity. Once fully grown, it forms a dense barrier, perfect for privacy.

 

Forsythia

Yellow spring flowers on a Forsythia hedge

Known for its vibrant yellow spring blooms, Forsythia also makes a perfect privacy shrub that grows quickly to 6 to 10 feet and can be pruned to maintain density throughout the year.

 

Privet

Privet privacy bush

Privet shrubs are valued for their fast growth and dense foliage, making them excellent for creating privacy screens in gardens. When mature, they typically reach heights of 10 to 15 feet and are easily maintained.

 

Best Privacy Trees

For larger areas where you want a taller barrier, privacy trees offer a more effective solution than shrubs. Here are some zone 7 trees that are ideal for seclusion:

 

Eastern White Pine

Eastern white pine branch

These trees are known for growing quickly and reaching 50 to 80 feet. They provide a lush green screen year-round, ideal for people with larger properties who want to feel naturally secluded.

 

Leyland Cypress

Row of leyland cypress trees

Leyland Cypress trees have dense, feathery foliage and will grow to 40 to 60 feet, creating a strong and dense privacy barrier.

 

Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum or silver maple tree

Silver Maple trees are a great choice due to their speed of growth and broad canopy, which offers excellent privacy. They can reach heights of 50 to 70 feet, providing shade and screening relatively quickly.

 

Schedule a Consultation With Wheat’s Landscape Today

Finding the right shrubs, trees, and plants for your unique yard and privacy screening needs will transform your yard into the secluded retreat of your dreams. You don’t have to be an arborist to do it. Leave it to the experts at Wheat’s Landscape. 

At Wheat’s, you can count on our extensive expertise of the Virginia area and climate to make the best recommendations for your specific needs and vision. Proudly serving the Northern Virginia community for over 45 years, we offer full-service design, installation, and maintenance services

Don’t take our word for it. Check out our award-winning portfolio of beautiful landscape projects. 

Ready to transform your yard into the oasis of your dreams? Schedule your complimentary landscape consultation with the experts at Wheat’s Landscape today.

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