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If you’re looking for a natural privacy screen for your yard, bushes, shrubs and trees can be a great alternative or supplement to fencing. Create your own private space or hide unsightly views by choosing plants that work best for your North Texas lawn from our curated list below.
Holly
Holly is an extremely popular choice as these plants are so durable, dense and tolerant to shearing and clipping. They can fit into tight spaces and can be shaped and sheared right up against property lines or walkways.
Hollies come in several varieties to choose from, which allows you to select the best one for your location. Shrub varieties are most popular for walkways and up against houses, while tree forms are more suitable for spaces that need additional height, as some can grow up to 40’ tall.
These evergreens typically keep their dark green color and foliage all year long, and depending on the classification, can have small flowers and berries for part of the year. Plant holly 5 to 6-feet apart in a single row to create a dense living screen.
Magnolia
Known for their large fragrant white blossoms and sizable evergreen leaves, Magnolia are a popular and effective choice for creating a privacy screen for both homes and businesses alike. Magnolias thrive in full sun, so they work well with our North Texas summers, as long as they are kept properly watered.
Magnolias come in many varieties, so be sure to choose the one that works best for your height needs. “Little Gem” is a popular variety to use for screening as it grows tight and compact, and reaches about 25-feet tall and 10 to 12-feet wide. Other varieties can grow up to 45to 50-feet tall.
Magnolias can be planted in a single row or in an alternating pattern for additional density.
Crape Myrtle
One of our personal favorites due to the gorgeous summer color, Crape Myrtles make a great choice for privacy hedges and property borders. They are especially coveted in North Texas as they tend to be heat tolerant and drought tolerant once established.
For a privacy shrub, choose from dwarf to medium varieties that have a branching tendency. For a supplement to a fence or property border, choose the taller tree varieties that can reach up to 30-feet in height. Prune properly, from the base up, to encourage thickness in the shrub.
Plant 4 to 10-feet apart, depending on the variety. For additional density, consider planting two rows, off-setting the plants in an alternating fashion. To learn more about how to care for your crape myrtle screen, visit our previous blog post on the topic.
Eastern Red Cedar Juniper
Also known as a Virginia Juniper or Red Juniper, Easter Red Cedar are very drought tolerant and do well in Texas soils. These attractive evergreens have dense growth and readily form hedges.
Easter Red Cedars will often be seen along roadways or along rolling hills of property borders for their great windbreaker effect. The cone-shaped plants prefer full sun and respond well to pruning.
Plant individual trees 18- to 24-feet apart, as mature trees will grow to 25-feet tall and 20-feet wide. Space Red Cedars in an alternating pattern for a more natural look to your privacy screen.
Looking for additional expert advice on your lawn? Trust OneNeighbor to help you with your lawn care including setting up your fertilization and weed control schedule, lawn mowing or mulch installation. See how OneNeighbor can help with your local lawn care in Dallas/ Fort Worth, TX, Tampa Bay, FL and Houston, TX.
