When it comes to tall narrow shrubs for screening, there are many options to consider. Evergreens such as Leyland cypress and Japanese holly are excellent choices for a southern planting. Many local garden centers will have many different types of evergreens available for purchase. In fall, planting evergreens is a great idea. Hollies are one of the best choices for screening because of their upright growth habit, dark green foliage all year round, and red berries in the fall.
Wax myrtle
If you’re looking for a low maintenance, highly ornamental tree for screening your yard, the southern wax myrtle is the ideal choice. This deciduous shrub grows to six to eight feet tall and features a dense foliage. It also produces grayish-white fruit that hangs on the tree throughout winter. The plant’s blooms produce an aromatic, bayberry-like scent, which is a great bonus if you’re looking to screen your yard from the outside world.
It’s an excellent choice for screening because it is densely furnished and grows rapidly. When pruned properly, it can form a dense screen or a more informal hedge. It can tolerate poor soil, and is deer-resistant and native to the south. Wax myrtle is an excellent choice for shady locations, and it’s very adaptable to a variety of soil conditions.
It grows three to five feet each year, making it an ideal screen plant for screening. Wax myrtle is a hardy shrub and requires minimal maintenance once established. It can withstand heat, drought, and salt. And because of its nitrogen-returning property, it is an excellent choice for screening or delineating property lines. Wax myrtle has great insect resistance.
The Pacific Wax Myrtle is related to the Northern Bayberry. In attempts to extract wax from the berries, very little wax was obtained. In the past, subsistence cultures boiled the berries for the wax, giving rise to the common name ‘tallow tree’. The common name in the English-speaking world is now Wax Myrtle, although there were five synonyms for the scientific name. The binomial is now the worldwide standard.
Glossy abelia
The glossy abelia is a low-maintenance shrub that looks beautiful in a mass planting or border. Its small, evergreen leaves have a bronzy-red color during the winter months. This plant blooms mid-late summer with clusters of pinkish-white flowers that last for several weeks. It can be used as a low screening plant in a border or a bed, and is suitable for full shade and partial sun. The growth rate of glossy abelia is medium.
When grown unpruned, glossy abelia forms an upright vase shape with numerous thin stems from the ground. These stems have branches near their tips. The foliage on this shrub has a full top and thin bottom, and it can be used as a specimen or foundation plant. It is also useful as a shrub border for erosion control, and can be clipped into a hedge. It grows best when the top portion of the shrub is narrower than the bottom, so that the light can reach the lower foliage.
In warmer climates, glossy abelia is best grown in full sun. However, it is somewhat tolerant of partial shade. Its foliage will gradually turn a rich red color in winter. The glossy abelia is drought-tolerant once established. However, it is not recommended for hot, dry climates. As a screening plant, glossy abelia is best grown in full sun. However, it is also suitable for planting in a hot and humid area.
Although glossy abelia does not require much pruning, it does need some trimming in the early spring and fall. Pruning glossy abelia is a great way to control its size and shape. It produces new blooms on new growth, so it doesn’t need to be pruned as frequently as most other plants. It can be grown as a mass plant or as an individual plant. If it is to be planted in a mass, however, you should consider trimming it to encourage new growth.
Japanese holly
The name “Japanese holly” comes from its native east Asian habitat, where it is often used as a screen or hedge. Its foliage is not spiky, but rather soft and pliable, making it an excellent choice for screens and hedges. Because of its narrow stature, it is often used as a screening plant in the landscape. It will grow to approximately 10 feet tall and three feet wide, depending on how you prune it.
The Straight & Narrow variety is a good choice for small areas and is a fine choice for fencing or screening. It will grow six to eight feet tall and two to three feet wide, and is great for small yards and spaces. This Japanese holly doesn’t shed its leaves when exposed to the elements and is suitable for zones 5 to 8.
Common juniper ‘Compressa’ is another good choice for screens. This columnar, narrow shrub has dense foliage and produces red berries in the fall. It requires little water and needs a sunny location. Deer rarely eat the lower leaves of this shrub, which makes it a great choice for screening. This shrub also grows in containers. A common juniper can reach nearly eye level.
Another popular choice is waxleaf privet. This dense evergreen shrub has beautiful yellow flowers in the summer. Its leaves are shiny and glossy. It grows to about six to eight feet in height, and can be trained into a number of topiary shapes. It is great for screening and is suitable for both part and full sun locations. If you choose to use this type of screening, be sure to check the growing guidelines for Japanese holly.
Fortune’s tea olive
This tall, narrow shrub looks beautiful on a shady or sunny lawn. The leaves are serrated, and the flowers are white. It has a clean fruity fragrance, and can be pruned to look like a small tree or giant shrub. It is very hardy, and can tolerate shade and salt. It can also deter pesky neighbors. If you’re looking for a great screening plant for your yard, consider Fortune’s tea olive.
This plant is a wonderful choice for screening or a hedge because of its fragrance. Compared to other tea olives, the leaves of Fortune’s tea olive are smaller and have a point. It has three leaf types: juvenile, middle, and mature. Juvenile leaves are spinier than mature ones, with 10-12 triangular teeth on each side. The mature leaves are smooth with a spiny point near the tip, while the middle leaves have spines near the base.
The Fragrant Tea Olive is the most fragrant of the tea olives. It can grow up to 30 feet tall, with an average height of 10 to 12 feet. It flowers for two months in the fall, and blooms intermittently through the winter. Fortune’s tea olive is a hybrid between two species, Osmanthus x fortunei and O. x fortunei. This variety is much more compact than O. x fortunei, and has more spines than O. x fortunei.
While it may look similar to hollies, Fortune’s tea olive has broader, more fragrant leaves. Unlike hollies, the leaves are opposite in pairs. Tea olive leaves are larger and longer than hollies’, and have a dentate or entire margin. Their tips are not spiny. They are usually not invasive and require little pruning. A small tea olive hedge can be grown in any location with good soil conditions.
Hinoki cypress ‘Slender’
A medium-sized evergreen shrub with a pyramidal habit, Hinoki cypress’Slender’ makes a beautiful screen. Its foliage is rich, mid-green, feathery, and arranged in sprays. It grows up to 15 feet tall and wide, making it perfect for a foundation planting or specimen in a lawn. Slender Hinoki cypress requires minimal pruning and is best left unpruned to maintain its unique shape.
The Slender Hinoki cypress is also known as Arizona Cypress. It requires full to partial sun, but tolerates some shade. It is somewhat tall, making it a good screening tree for tall structures or sound barriers. In addition to screening, Slender Hinoki cypress can also be used for other purposes. Its small leaves will help to frame taller structures.
Slender Hinoki cypress is easy to grow and can be found growing in most parts of the country. It prefers moist, slightly acidic soil. Slender Hinoki cypress is hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5b through 8 and tolerates ordinary garden conditions. It requires minimal pruning and is very drought-resistant once established.
The Slender Hinoki cypress is an eye-catching addition to your garden. Plant it in a lawn or shrub bed. It can be planted behind flowering trees and shrubs. It provides a stable, permanent structure and looks lovely among evergreens of different sizes. Hinoki cypress is a hardy and low-maintenance plant, and it is great for screening or edging around a patio or deck.
