Plant Some Privacy
Privacy and screening is a major concern for homeowners in dense urban areas. Adding more hardscape for privacy isn’t always the best solution. Planting your privacy is often a more desirable option. Choosing the right plant for a privacy screen is crucial to success.
Landscapers can significantly improve their client’s views and reduce urban noise with strategically placed privacy shrubs. Large screening plants are a perfect way to add beauty to areas that need to be shielded from traffic and neighbors. Smaller screening plants can be used to block views of air conditioners, unsightly fence lines and outdoor plumbing pipes.
When choosing plants for privacy and screening, the plants you choose should serve their purpose year-round, not just seasonally. Evergreen shrubs make wonderful privacy screens. Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’ is just such an evergreen screen for tighter urban spaces. While the species grows much larger, the ‘Texanum’ selection offers a more compact, slower growing option. Growing only to up to 9-feet tall, ‘Texanum’ makes an excellent urban evergreen screen. The deep glossy green foliage is attractive year-round and plants produce fragrant white flowers in spring and summer. Use as a row hedgy or in grouping to create landscape privacy.
If you want to block views from the street but don’t want to completely obscure sight lines; or need to camouflage the AC unit or other unsightly landscape feature, choose a smaller evergreen. Juniperus x pfitzeriana ‘Sea Green’ is an excellent choice for such these purposes Unlike many junipers, this variety stays compact without pruning, reaching only 4- to 6-feet tall. It’s perfect for screening certain areas of the landscape or blocking views of traffic from your picture window. ‘Sea Green’ is easy to grow and very tolerant of city air pollution. The evergreen foliage is dark green and beautiful year-round.
