A natural privacy fence can completely transform your outdoor space, offering the privacy you need while blending seamlessly into your landscape. Unlike traditional fences that can feel closed off, a living fence provides both seclusion and a natural aesthetic, helping to block out neighbors or conceal an unsightly fence without crowding your space.

This blog breaks down the best plants, shrubs, and bushes for creating a natural privacy fence. Each section will explore the growth patterns of these options and offer tips for selecting the right plants to suit your needs, whether you're after fast-growing shrubs or a year-round privacy solution.

1. Plants for Privacy Fences

Bamboo

Bamboo is one of the best plants for creating an instant privacy hedge due to its fast-growing nature, ability to grow tall and thick, and the dense coverage it provides year-round. There are different varieties, such as Phyllostachys nigra, which offers striking black stems. Bamboo works great as a living fence and can quickly fill a small stretch of land, offering excellent cover in the first year. One downside, however, is how invasive the species can be, so consider using bamboo in a pot or container to keep it contained and regularly remove any accidental sprouts from the ground.

Clematis

Clematis is a climbing plant that develops stunning flowers when in bloom, but also offers attractive foliage during the dormant months. This flowering shrub can quickly cover fences or trellises as long as it gets both partial shade and full sun, making it a versatile option for spaces with varying light conditions. Clematis is known for its dense foliage and growth habits, but it requires regular care and proper pruning. It begins growing in late spring and blooms throughout the growing season, ensuring continuous coverage.

Trumpet Vine

If you’re looking for a fast-growing plant that adds bold flowers to your space, trumpet vine is a great choice. This vigorous vine produces vibrant orange or red, trumpet-shaped flowers that can grow larger than the size of your hands. The blooms also attract pollinators like hummingbirds. Trumpet vine’s root systems can spread quickly, making it an excellent option for covering a long stretch of property line.

English Ivy

English Ivy is a popular choice, known for its ability to climb fences and cover walls. It creates a dense privacy hedge with a natural shape and evergreen foliage throughout the year. Once established, English Ivy can grow rapidly since it is relatively tolerant of various soil types and moisture conditions. However, like bamboo, it is an invasive species, so it’s important to handle it with care and keep it maintained in one area.

Wisteria

Wisteria is a popular flowering vine known for its lavender color and dramatic blooms, which appear to cascade down the vines, creating a curtain of color. It grows quickly in full sun and can reach up to 30 feet tall with proper care. Wisteria’s dense foliage adds a soft, natural look to any space while providing privacy throughout the growing season. While it may require pruning to keep it in check, it’s well worth the effort for the instant privacy it offers.

Jasmine

Jasmine is a fragrant climbing plant that’s perfect for adding both privacy and a pleasant aroma to your space. It’s ideal for creating a dense hedge along fences, offering white blooms that not only add beauty but also fill the air with fragrance. Jasmine thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a great choice for those seeking a low-maintenance plant that provides year-round privacy when cared for properly. Its fast-growing nature allows it to quickly cover a long stretch of fence or garden boundary.

2. Shrubs for Privacy Fences

Boxwood

Boxwood is one of the most popular evergreen shrubs used for hedges, providing both privacy and structure. Its dense growth habit forms a neat, compact hedge that can be shaped to fit the desired space. While it’s commonly used to create topiaries and garden shapes, boxwood also makes a sturdy privacy fence. They offer a solid screen of dark green foliage year-round, making them a low-maintenance shrub that can be pruned to maintain dense coverage.

Privet

Privet is a classic choice for creating a natural privacy fence, known for its fast growth and dense, evergreen foliage. It’s often used to form neat, formal hedges that can reach up to 8 feet tall or more. A fun fact about privet is that, in addition to providing excellent visual privacy, its dense growth also acts as a natural sound barrier, helping absorb and block noise. This makes it perfect for creating a peaceful outdoor space in noisy areas.

Holly

Holly shrubs are evergreen plants that provide privacy and make a bold statement, especially during the holidays with their bright red berries and glossy foliage. This plant is a great choice for creating a dense fence line that offers coverage year-round, as its leaves stay vibrant even in the winter months and once established, needs minimal care. Additionally, the berries—while toxic to humans—serve as a vital food source for many bird species during the colder months, providing essential nutrition when other food sources are scarce.

Laurel

Laurel shrubs, such as Skip Laurel or Cherry Laurel, are known for their fast-growing nature and dense foliage, making them ideal for creating an impenetrable privacy screen. With regular pruning, they can reach up to 15 feet in height and it’s important to note that these laurel varieties are not edible. Both contain cyanogenic compounds, like prunasin, which can release cyanide when consumed in large quantities, making them toxic to humans and animals.

Spirea

Spirea is an excellent flowering shrub known for its clusters of white or pink blooms, adding both color and beauty to any landscape. It’s one of the most versatile and low-maintenance shrubs, with some varieties capable of reblooming multiple times throughout the growing season.

Forsythia

Forsythia is a deciduous shrub that delivers a burst of bright yellow flowers in early spring, bringing vibrant color to the landscape. While it loses its leaves in the colder months, it grows quickly and can create a dense hedge that provides privacy during the warmer seasons. As a bonus, you can cut forsythia branches to bring indoors for an early spring floral display while enjoying its ability to block unwanted views in the garden.

3. Bushes for Privacy Fences

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are known for their large, fluffy flower heads in shades of blue, pink, and white. They form dense shrubs that create a soft, natural privacy hedge. While the foliage provides year-round coverage, their stunning blooms take center stage in the garden, especially during the flowering season, and also make excellent cut flowers, adding beauty to any indoor arrangement.

Abelia

Abelia is a low-maintenance flowering shrub that produces fragrant white or pink flowers in late spring and summer. With its arching growth habit, it creates a beautiful, dense hedge that enhances privacy while adding visual appeal. Its compact size makes it a great option for smaller spaces, while still providing year-round coverage.

Lilacs

Lilacs are one of those flowering shrubs that you can recognize from a distance, thanks to their unmistakable fragrance and vibrant purple blooms. Growing up to 12 feet tall, they make an excellent natural privacy screen when planted along a fence, adding both beauty and structure to the garden. They burst into bloom in early spring, filling the air with their signature scent, and their flowers aren’t just for show—they can be used in craft projects, infused into oils, or dried for homemade potpourri.

Hibiscus

Rose of Sharon, also known as Hibiscus, is a fast-growing shrub that blooms from late summer to early fall, with flowers in shades of purple, pink, white, and red. Its dense foliage and large blooms take up plenty of space, making it perfect for creating privacy along fences and walls. Plus, the flowers can be dried and used to make a delicious tea, adding both beauty and practicality to your garden.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right plants, shrubs, and bushes for a natural privacy fence requires careful consideration. Understanding the different options available helps you select varieties that match your garden’s needs, whether you're aiming for a wild, natural look or a more polished, structured fence. 

Once you’ve assessed your landscape and the plants that will thrive there, you’ll be ready to create a beautiful, functional privacy fence that enhances your outdoor space.