These Are The Best Trees For Outdoor Privacy Screens

May 22nd 2023

Fences make good neighbors, but so do trees! When it comes to landscaping, home and business owners love having trees on their properties, and one of the top reasons is privacy screening! Trees can act as a visual and physical barrier to their interior structures. What's more, trees planted as outdoor privacy screens block winds and sound and insulate your interiors from high heat and cold air. As an added benefit, the growth produced by these trees is often low-maintenance, as some trees require occasional trimming and pruning, while others grow at their own speed. So, what's not to love about these trees?

Interested in planting trees for outdoor privacy screens? Our expert landscapers in Gainesville, FL, list the five best trees to include in your North Central Florida landscape. Contact Evergreen Lawn Care today to request a free estimate for professional residential and commercial landscaping services.

Azaleas

Azaleas feature striking masses and bright, vibrant colors, plant form, and evergreen foliage, making them one of the most popular natural privacy screens for Florida property owners. Florida azaleas typically bloom from late February to early April, though this depends on the seasonal variation and cultivar, and they grow well in North Central Florida. Azaleas can enhance the appearance of your landscape, and they are commonly used in foundation plantings, mass borders, and as privacy screens in outdoor landscapes. Though azaleas occur in several stunning colors, Florida azaleas are particularly hardy in our local environment, growing 6‐8 feet tall. Considering adding Florida trees to your yard? Spruce up your landscape by calling Evergreen Lawn Care!

Bamboo

Bamboo can provide lush, evergreen privacy screens or hedges, and they can grow in a very short time when planted correctly. Natural outdoor bamboo privacy screens are extremely versatile, and they can be used in densely populated areas without little room to spare or sprawling outdoor landscapes. For North Central Florida property owners, bamboo is hardy and resistant to heavy rains and winds, making it a staple for long-term use. Of the two types of bamboo, running and clumping, clumping bamboo is typically the easiest to control and maintain. Clumping habit-growing bamboo varieties can grow 20‐35 feet tall and about 10 feet wide. Looking for professionals to handle your new tree installation? Contact us today!

Clusia Rosea

Clusia rosea, also known as the Autograph Tree or Pitch-Apple, is a wide-spreading terrestrial evergreen tree that is drought and salt tolerant. This tree adds a complementary tropical appeal to North Central Florida's lush, green landscapes, making it an ideal plant for aesthetic and functional purposes, whether as an addition to butterfly gardens or an outdoor privacy screen. This tree has a large spread of oval, green, thick, and leathery leaves, reaching 15‐25 feet. Clusia rosea produces gorgeous 3-inch pink and white flowers that bloom during the nighttime in the summer. The large size of the clusia and its dense, hardy growth makes it perfect for growing in full sun or partial shade and in well-draining soil.

Leyland Cypress

Hardy and commonly found throughout the Sunshine State, the Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) is a large, towering tree that can grow up to 50 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Due to its large size, it's best suited to larger outdoor landscapes where it can comfortably spread out. This tree variety quickly grows into a pyramidal form densely packed with phthalo blue-green, scale-like evergreen foliage. Its towering size and sprawl make it a statement plant, ideal for privacy screening. It has high drought tolerance and is moderately tolerant of salt, with ideal growing conditions of full sun to partial shade and various well-draining soils. The best time for tree trimming for the Leyland cypress is after new growth emerges in early spring until late October.

Walter's Viburnum

Walter's viburnum (Viburnum obovatum) is an evergreen woody shrub to small trees native to the southeastern United States, including Florida. This long-lived perennial typically grows 10‐15 feet tall and 10‐15 feet wide. It grows naturally in Flatwoods, hydric hammocks, floodplain swamps, and bottomland forests. Pollinators love this plant, as they are attracted to its showy spring clusters of white flowers, while birds and other wildlife often feast on its abundance of fruit production and use its dense foliage for nesting during the summer and fall months. Walter's viburnum makes a great outdoor accent plant and a great hedgerow or border/screening plant when planted in masses.